Flight of the Fisherbird

by Nora Martin

Book Overview

It is 1889, and growing up as the only child on a small island off the coast of Washington State has taught Clementine Nesbitt to be self-assured and capable, especially in her boat, the Fisherbird.... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1582348146
• ISBN13: 9781582348148
• Release Date: April 2003
• Publisher: Bloomsbury U.S.A. Children's Books
• Length: 200 Pages
• Weight: 0.65 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 5.3" x 8.1"
• Age Range: 8 to 12 years
• Grade Range: Grades 3 to 7

Customer Reviews

Flight Of The Fisherbird

Set in the late 1880's, the story revolves around the experiences of thirteen year old Clementine Nesbitt, who, despite her lack of a formal education, has developed a knack for poetry. Clementine's life in the San Juan Islands has been embedded in a safe and secure home, surrounded by a loving trusting family. Her world is shattered when she pulls out a nearly dead man out of the sea. The events following this incident not only place Clementine in danger, but also threaten the security and trust she has had for her family. She is also faced with the complexities of good and bad, the vague line between that which is morally right and that which is illegal. The book also exposes the plight of the 19th century Chinese immigrants in America, and by doing so, exposes the plight of the average American immigrant. It is simply written, honest and punctuated with poetry

"Flight Of The Fisherbird"

The book "Flight Of The Fisherbird," was really good. Clementime {Clem} Nesbitt, who is around 12 or 13 years old. She absolutely loves the sea. Although her family hates it, she doesn't care what they think. The only person who understands her is her uncle. Soon after she went to the sea her uncle died. They didn't know what caused his death. Clem still went to the sea just to be alone. Now she was very confused. When she's in her boat she loves to write rhymes in her notebook. One day when she is at the sea she looked for things. She sometimes finds garbage, valuables, and one time she even found a real person. The man was about to die and she couldn't just leave him there so she brought the man home. Her parents were really mad but they helped the man. Clem didn't know what they would do and she was shocked that they brought him in. Then her parents got her some new things but what were they? I absolutely loved this book! You never know what will happen next. It will keep you on the edge of your seat the whole way through. I would recommend this book to teenagers and adults.

Richie's Picks: FLIGHT OF THE FISHERBIRD

Where the Night Comes FromHard from the east,Pushing daylight into the sea.From under logs and beach rocks,Seeping out like a small trickle of water.Bubbling out of the mouths of fish,From under leaves.From fear.FLIGHT OF THE FISHERBIRD is an edgy historic novel for younger readers--an ideal tale for fifth graders studying American history. Set among the San Juan Islands of the Pacific Northwest in the autumn of 1889, the main character, Clem (Clementine) Nesbitt, is a long-limbed, thirteen year-old girl without formal education who has a knack for writing lists that sound like poetry and who had arrived in the world immediately upon her parent's arrival from Scotland. Living on a relatively sheltered island, she's as handy with her seventeen-foot dory, the Fisherbird, as most kids are today with their mountain bikes. "As she sat, stunned, a burst of bubbles rose to the surface beside the Fisherbird. She leaned over the side of her boat. Something large and brown was sinking slowly...Clem grabbed the metal hook secured to a long pole that she used for hooking large fish. She jabbed the pole down through the water as far down as she could reach, just snagging the sinking lump. The heavy mass caught hard so that Clem had to brace her legs against the boat to hold onto the end of the pole. Her grip was fragile, and Clem felt her hands grow slick with sweat. She was afraid that at any moment the pole would slide out of her hand, letting whatever it was sink into the grasping currents of deep water. "Clem pulled the pole as hard as she could, hand over hand. She heard herself grunt with muscle strain until she could raise the mass. Slowly it began to surface. More bubbles escaped, and Clem could see whatever she held was wrapped in burlap. "As the wet fabric hit the air,Clem fell to her knees and leaned over the water to grab it. To her shock, through the rip made by the grappling hook, a hand suddenly thrust out and grabbed on to her wrist, pulling her to the edge of the Fisherbird." That hand is attached to a nearly-dead middle-aged Chinese immigrant, Tong-Ling, who is a victim of the Expulsion Act and of that sweltering atmosphere of extreme anti-Chinese sentiment during the late 1800s that spawned such laws. The irony, in the case of Tong Ling, is that he is being demonized daily as an unwelcome foreigner by "real" Americans who have been in the country less than half the time that he has. (Not to say that life-long Americans of Chinese descent were being treated any better.) "...Clem saw the wave coming. She knew even before it hit that it would come right over their bow. 'Bail!' she yelled" This fast-plotted tale opens shortly after the suspicious death of Clem's Uncle Doran's business partner. The two other young characters in the story are Jed, the easy-going, competent young boy, and Sarah, the educated and attractive (prissy and stuck-up, to Clem's way of thinking) daughter of the dead business partner. As she is forced into dealing with Sar