The Line Tender

by Kate Allen

Scott County Library hardcover 371 pages

Published: 2019

Genre: YA realistic fiction . . . a little historical

 

This is one of the Maud Hart Lovelace award nominees for 2021-22. I enjoyed it, but it definitely demanded more of my attention than some of the other titles. 

 

Lucy lost her shark-studying mom at age 7. She and her dad are both fascinated with the ocean and the marine life they encounter. Lucy spends a lot of time with her best friend Fred, who loves biology and is a bit of a nerd.

These main characters are 13 years old for most of the story, though there are flashbacks to her earlier childhood. (Somewhere I wrote down a mini timeline . . . the year her mom died when Lucy was seven, her current age, the year . . . this book is set in the near past.)

Pages 84-85. Lucy and Fred are doing some research but they're also kind of flirting. It was a really weird juxtaposition of two very relatable tween / teen issues. "My mom had always used anatomical names for private parts, but for some reason, seeing vagina in print while lying on the floor with Fred seemed indecent." . . . "His face was so close, I could smell his sunscreen."

Page 223 - I loved that Lucy sent postcards to Fred. It was sweet and heart-rending. The one on this page surprised me. Lucy's caption said, "Bad photography can ruin a couple of good loons." and it actually had the title "Photo of Loons on the Saco River. Photo credit: Laurie Bowman." So of course I wondered if this postcard really exists and how did this photographer feel about this . . . but I couldn't find it by googling and I can't imagine Kate Allen would throw someone under the bus. Weird.

Page 299 - Mr. Patterson was such a cool character. I love how he explained the meaning of the mermaid necklace to Lucy. I also loved how he looked out for her. And went on the road trip to Maine. 

Page 348 - When Lucy's dad tells her she'd make a good line tender, she quips, 

"'Cause I avoid the water?" I asked, not even joking.

"No. The line tender sees everything. Reads the divers' signals, the terrain, the equipment. Uses all the resources to stay connected to the other end of the line."

This was a book about loss, friendship, belonging, and it was beautiful. This is the author's first title. I hope she writes more!