One of my favorite young ladies recommended this to me, and was she ever right that this is a great story! If you've ever watched an episode of Ice Road Truckers or Deadliest Catch, this will remind you of those. Set in small-town Alaska, Lucy Otsego is very, very tall girl -- over six feet. Her father is a mean drunk, Lucy's classmates are cruel about her differences and her situation, and the few adults she knows in town pity her but can do nothing to help her. Lucy runs away from home and because of her size is mistaken for an adult looking for work on a crabbing boat. She signs on for the season, hoping she has finally escaped her life. Lucy finds friends, but also finds out that growing up is a process everyone has to finish -- there are no short cuts. Good realistic fiction for 7th grade and up. ( )