The Last Codfish

By J.D. McNeill

Tut thought about Alex's question, "Can't speak, or won't?" He didn't know the answer. All he knew was that when he tried to speak, he got scared. Not just a little frightened, but more like horrified, the same feeling he got when he stayed in a boat too long. A moving story of friendship, loss, and survival Tut and Alex make an odd pair. Tut does more than keep his grief over his mother's death to himself-he keeps everything, even his voice, to himself. Alex, on the other hand, is talkative, outgoing, and in-your-face, which is exactly where Tut doesn't want her. Tut hasn't much choice in the matter because Alex isn't going anywhere. But just when Alex has wiggled her way into Tut's life, suddenly she seems to have her own need for escape. Now Alex is in trouble and the only way for Tut to helpher is to get back into a boat. Is he willing to risk everything for his only friend? That's what he's desperately trying to figure out. And what if it's just too late? J. D. McNeill weaves a compelling story of loss and survival, peopled with one-of-a-kind characters, in this auspicious debut.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0805074899
• ISBN13: 9780805074895
• Release Date: May 2005
• Publisher: Henry Holt and Co. (BYR)
• Length: 192 Pages
• Weight: 0.80 lbs.
• Dimensions: 8.2" x 0.8" x 5.7"
• Age Range: 14 to 18 years
• Grade Range: Grade 10 to Postsecondary

Customer Reviews

Great Book

I am 12 years old and I just finished this book. It is a great story of love, loss, sadness, and adventure. You will not be able to put this but down. You will be filled with sadness for Tut (thats the main charaters name). Trust me on this review. It is a great story.

loved the setting

this one was tough. the author was really good at making me feel like i was IN new england. i felt the cold and the wind and the water and the salt in the air and smelled the fish. but i just did not feel tut. i even felt alex, his loud, annoying and neglected (almost to the point of abuse) neighbor. i loved tut's smart allecky internal dialog, but he just didn't seem real enough to me. also, the ending was a little pat. every single thing was tied up and every single part ended happy. not that i don't love happy endings, mind you, this one just didn't feel real to me.

Deeply felt and engrossing

My 11 year old son and I were completey drawn in to this novel. JD Mcneil has beautifully rendered the pain and sense of loss experienced by her main character, a teenaged boy named Tut. A traumatic experience has left him speechless and his father, a struggling fisherman, an alconolic. Life can be bleak in this coastal Maine town, yet ample warmth is provided by the fellow townfolk, who are supportive while maintaining their distance. One person who does not maintain her distance is Alex, a new girl Tut's age with family problems of her own. She reaches out to Tut, and she serves as an accent of bright color in this story, otherwise painted with subdued tones. This book hooked us in from beginning to end.