OXBOW ISLAND GANG: LOBSTER GRAVEYARD

In this middle-grade novel, a boy works with friends to investigate illegally caught lobsters.

Last September, Berend “Bear” Houtman stayed with his grandmother on Oxbow Island (near Portland, Maine) while he was suspended from sixth grade; he redeemed himself by helping to catch a poacher. This year, with Halloween approaching, Bear has gotten permission to carry out an ocean research project there. He also hopes to build a record-setting pumpkin pyramid, but for both projects, Bear runs into problems figuring out the proper equipment and procedures. For the science part, many recommend he ask Hiram Wiley, a battered old lobsterman and “practically an oceanographer.” But Bear feels uncomfortable around Hiram after he warned Bear about an especially large lobster claw he’d found: “Never tell anyone about that. Never. Do you hear me?” But more claws from lobsters that should have been thrown back keep turning up, indicating someone’s been catching them illegally, so Bear—wondering whom to trust—investigates with his friend Olivia Anaya, also a seventh grader. Whether building a pyramid, catching illegal lobster catchers, or thwarting Olivia’s sexist, racist track-team coach, the quirky island community comes together to make things right. As in her first novel, Chalmers conjures up the warmth, charm, and eccentricity of Oxbow Island’s widely diverse but close-knit residents (plus some Portlanders). It’s heartening to see how they creatively rally round each other again and again for problem-solving and protection. Chalmers also makes math and science attractive, as with Bear’s increasing enthusiasm for his project or when calculating how many pumpkins are needed for a pyramid. A satisfying conclusion ties things up. Hogan contributes monochrome chapter-head illustrations that reflect the island’s appeal and quirky characters.

An equally wholesome and amusing tale that celebrates friendship, nature, and curious inquiry.