Manuel and the Lobsterman

By Cat Urbain

Sometimes two unlikely people make the best of friends. A sleepy town on the coast of Maine is the last place where thirteen-year-old Manuel wants to spend his summer. He'd give anything to be back in... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1590785169
• ISBN13: 9781590785164
• Release Date: November 2008
• Publisher: Front Street, Incorporated
• Length: 214 Pages
• Weight: 0.80 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 6.0" x 8.4"
• Age Range: 4 to 6 years
• Grade Range: Preschool to Grade 1

Customer Reviews

Charming character

Manuel and the Lobsterman is a really sweet story about an urban Puerto Rican kid plopped down one summer in a Maine seacoast town. The incongruous milieu does not suit him. The town lacks necessary amenities such as Coca-Cola and video arcades, and the townspeople seem strangely uncommunicative. An initial brush with an intimidating preppy, a sailing instructor, cements Manuel's resolve to leave. Increasingly desperate schemes to raise money for a bus ticket out lead Manuel to apprentice himself to the cantankerous old skipper of a lobster boat. Manuel's entered the adult world. This world is full of life and death risks, only one of which is survival on the sea. Adults arm themselves with loyalty and trust as weapons to address these risks. The author explains beautifully Manuel's growing understanding and mastery of these loyalty-trust relations. The author herself lives in coastal New England, and she describes the buildings, streets, people, pace of life, and the overwhelming influence of the sea with a native's eye. Also impressive in her writing is how she understands so exactly how a 13-year old boy thinks! My 10-year old son loved it, but Manuel and the Lobsterman is suitable for a range of ages through middle school. Also, the action scenes are exhilarating without being scary, and would appeal to younger children. The story never stops moving and will be a pleasure for adults reading along.

Fantastic book!

This book was so compelling, I couldn't put it down until I was finished. It was both believable and exciting. I loved the story and the characters. I highly recommend this book to everybody, any age. Even people who generally don't enjoy reading will love this book. I'm looking forward to another story by this author!

Manuel and the Lobsterman

Well this story really sucks you in. When people say they read it in one sitting, I can understand it. I guess its strength is that almost everything in it is so utterly believable. The relationships are based on day-to-day reality. There is such warmth that one really wants the best for everyone in it. It is up to date - it is usefully moral - and now the disclaimer........I am 61 years old and I loved it.

Must Read Summer Book

This is a great book for almost any age. The book is filled with action and it own type of excitement. The best part about this book is that is up-to-date with its gadgets and what kids use and like. For example, towards the middle of the book Manuel got his i-Pod taken away from a couple of the local kids up in Maine. I don't want to give away the book, but this is a must read summer book. Luke Kostrzewski, age 13

Real-life attitudes, good messages.

Good messages all around, without being preachy. Even a kinder way to cook lobsters. You really feel for Manuel, and worry for him. You don't want him to be a total goody-goody, but you don't want him to screw up too much, either, and there is enough tension between the two that you can't wait to see what happens, and see justice done. The situations can be transposed to any kid's life who may feel disenfranchised, and so they can relate to Manuel's predicament and circumstances.