The Last Voyage of the Misty Day

by Jackie French Koller

Having reluctantly moved to Maine after her father's death in Manhattan, fourteen-year-old Denise forges a healing friendship with a boat owner surrounded by considerable mystery.

Genres: Young Adult

160 pages, Hardcover

First published April 30, 1992

About the author

Jackie French Koller (born 1948) is an American author of picture books, chapter books, and novels for children and young adults. She lives and writes in western Massachusetts.

Koller is also an accomplished painter. Her interest in art inspired her to open The Little Black Dog Gallery in Westfield, Massachusetts.

Koller's young-adult novel If I Had One Wish was adapted into a Disney Channel Original Movie under the title You Wish!.

Reviews

[Book2Dragon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Koller is a wonderful writer and this book has all the elements that show that. Enjoyable story with some depth and some suspense and lots of humanity. I'd recommend for adults and YA.

[Andrea · Rating 2 out of 5]

Definitely from another time when a book starts out with kids smoking on the bus. It's amazing what used to fly. Not Denny, mind you. And the bus driver did get mad.

It's set in the early 90s I think, because Rufus Day disappeared on his boat in 54 and that was over 3 decades ago. 20 years later the boat came back. It was confusing and I had to go back and read it and really think about it.

Denny didn't start off on a good note. I can't stand when authors have people call animals stupid. She yells at a seagull, asks it if it's stupid, why it's stayed and then calls it a dumb bird. The person yelling at the bird is way dumber. That just makes me dislike the character.

The insight into Maine and their way of life was interesting. In her letter to her best friend back in Brooklyn, Denny wrote that their school had a moose head and Moose was part of the name. Most people wear a lot of L.L. Bean clothes and smell like bug spray. The weather is really cold and windy early in the fall.

I appreciated her sarcasm though, because that's the kind of humor that I have. Her mom said it was toasty in the house and she mumbled sure, as long as you stay in the living room, because the fireplace only warmed up that one room. When her mom said they were having fish again for supper Denny said she was going to turn into a seal. Her mom asked if she wanted a fire and she said no, she didn't bring her gas mask.

I had to put the book down for the day when she had the argument with her mom about her dad's death. What a little brat. She started out by saying "Okay, so Daddy died. Does that have to change everything?" which sounded like she wasn't affected by her dad dying. When her mom turned away I thought she would realize what a mistake she had made and how unsympathetic she sounded. But nope. She takes a breath of air and lets it out slowly like she's trying to find patience or something, and then sounded sarcastic when she apologized and said "I said the D word again." How flippant. She went on to tell her mom that she'll have to get used to it because she isn't the only one who's hurting, "you know." That sounded so mature, way older than a kid her age would say. And it doesn't seem like she's hurting one bit over her own dad's death.

Her mom even apologized, which I sure wouldn't have done, but Denny didn't stop there. She actually had the nerve to say she couldn't believe there wasn't any money, and this freaking colossal ungrateful brat asked how her dad could be so dumb because he had no savings or insurance. When her mom said he didn't plan to die at 36 she didn't let it go either. "Well, he should've thought. You should've thought. You had a kid. Parents are supposed to think of these things."

She made her mom cry. Way to go. At least her mom asked if all she cared about was her cushy little lifestyle. And what about her dad, he's dead, does she care about that. This brat needed to be put in her place. Or slapped.

But Denny was somehow self-righteously indignant. She says of course she cares, storms out of the room and then complains because she can't sulk in her room because it's so cold. Instead of feeling like a piece of crap and guilty that she values materialistic things over her dad's life, she thinks she's got it bad because she's stuck with a crazy woman. Yeah, a single mom coming in with groceries, trying to fix the shower and the heat problem is crazy.

It was such a jolt when I read that Denny said it was a beautiful day and felt like an Indian summer, and if she'd been in Brooklyn she would've been shivering, because she'd been complaining the whole time about how cold and dreary it was. Then the very next day she's complaining that it's cold. What about the beautiful day yesterday?

I really didn't like the theme of borderline abuse present with the man's dog. It latched onto her sock and she kicked and then the man whacked him repeatedly on the nose, and the man gave him a "gentle kick" to go back to the boat. Denny also asked if he was a pit bull. That sure wouldn't fly today. It was really a pug and said it based on the way he had acted.

The term Mainiac was kind of amusing, but it's offensive since it was coming from her. It's a title she created for those living in Maine, and it was clever.

It's so irritating when people say there's no such thing as ghosts, like in a TV show or book, and then go on to have the supernatural occurrence be from a real person and not a ghost. Idk what the deal is with people and ghosts.

It ticked me off to no end the way she spoke to Mr. Jones, especially after he told her she was on his property and wanted to know why she was there. She didn't back down, accused him of taking the island from Rufus Day. And she totally deserved when he called her son and Dennis thinking she was a joy. That's called just desserts. Then she was impatient and smart with her mom. And I almost lost it when she frowned at her mom's sarcasm. So she can be sarcastic but no one else can?

Typo pg. 58 Before Denny could ask where he was going he had run out to his Jeep and was back with a very odd-looking contraption in his hand."

It was so sweet that Mr. Jones gave her The Polar Express for her Christmas book collection, because at Thanksgiving they had talked about the tradition they had of bringing out the Christmas books and reading them. Her dad bought her a book every year of her life. It was so nice that Mr. Jones carried on the tradition for her.

And so cute that when she hugged him he got all flustered and tongue-tied.

It was cute the sign she gave him that said Old Sailors Never Die, They Just Get a Little Dinghy.
I thought it was such a copout to blow through so much time. It started off in November and then was Thanksgiving. Then from one page to the next it went from Thanksgiving to Christmas Eve. Denny threw her mom's gift at her mirror and it broke, so reconciling that angry brat to the one at Christmas hugging her mom when she noticed she was sad just didn't work. It didn't compute. More time was dispensed with as the whole winter passed next. And "Denny came to know the island creatures too, the deer, the rabbits, the winter birds . . . came to know them in a way that the old Denny, the busy, hurried, noisy Denny, never could."

Hah. I think the old Denny didn't go anywhere. And she wasn't just busy and noisy. She was rude, mean, insensitive, demanding and bratty. I don't believe those character traits can be grown out of. Those are how a person is, so I don't believe any progression. And certainly not in a few months' time.

I thought it was odd how her mom was writing a love story about a woman named Kathy and a man named John, because that's her and her husband's name.

It was amusing when Denny went to visit Mr. Jones and saw a guy from school there, thought what was he doing with that loser? And said "Some judge of character he is." Spence said "Well, if it isn't Miss High and Mighty from New Yawk."

I was so excited that a boy had come into the story because I didn't expect it and always like a little love.
It was amusing when she was scraping the boat and had paint chips all in her hair and when Spence came she started combing her hair. And amusing that she told herself she's been away from civilization too long if someone like him starts looking good.

I hated that he cursed at her though and then Mr. Jones got onto him. I wish that hadn't happened. Because the first time he was there, Mr. Jones had her bring Spence some wrenches because he's his new hired hand, and when she did Spence grabbed her hand. I wanted to see where it went, but she jerked her hand away and he said he was just trying to be friendly. In typical fashion she ruined it by saying She didn't need his kind of friends. He said it didn't seem to him that she's been winning any popularity contests and she said maybe she doesn't care.

At school--and I was so glad for the change of scenery. I was getting so sick of her house and the boat--someone said going to work for Rufus and Spence said he was just a crazy old blow-in with a fat bankroll. That was disappointing. One of his friends said leave it to Spence to help relieve an old outside of his bankroll, and then Denny went and told Mr. Jones that Spence said that and he didn't! His friend said it. All Spence said was nah, I think I can manage. She totally told it wrong and that was unfair.
She was surprised that he was still letting him work. He said Spence is okay, just a little rough around the edges and he can tell by his eyes. He asked if she's really looked in his eyes and I couldn't wait until she did.

I hated that Mr. Jones got so mad when he had found her reading the journal of Rufus Day, and sometime after they argued and she left he apologized and let her see it, but she could tell the pages had been wet and the only page that could be read was the first. He just ruined it!

It was so funny the way Mr. Jones manipulated Spence into not smoking by making him think he was giving up his pipe, when in truth he didn't smoke anymore and just carried the pipe around as habit. That was good.

It was pretty bad when Marty growled at her and she resisted the urge to kick him. Probably not a good idea to have her have violent tendencies towards the dog this late in the book.

It was so nice when the next day, after they saved the boat from going out to see together, he asked if he could sit beside her on the bus. When she found out he was reading The Red Badge of Courage for fun, she said it was hard and he got mad and said he could read, he gets good grades and wants to go to college. He got up and went to another seat and I was so glad when she wrote him a note and had a girl pass it to him. He was still mad and wouldn't look at her and wouldn't read it. It was funny when she spent the rest of the ride calling herself names under her breath. It was nice when he got off the bus with her. He obviously read it after she turned back.

She immediately started crying and it was so nice that he was concerned and asked what was wrong. She told him she's been such a jerk and he said that's okay, she's had a rough year with her dad dying. He took her hand as they walked and it was cool that he pointed out that these birds were back. He said the island agreed with her, because she looked "real pretty" with her cheeks pink and her hair long.
I hated the skipping of time. Flip the page and it went from March to the end of May. Terrible pacing. And I was mad at Denny for being excited they might get to move back to New York. Her mom said the publisher is interested and if they bought it they could go back. Didn't she want to stay with Spence? It hit her only after she sat down to write her friend a letter with the good news of the times Spence told her about these different types of birds that she even remembered him.

Denny making the mayday call on the ship-to-shore was funny. The guy on the radio asked her what her position was and she said she didn't know. And then when he asked if she was aground, she said "No...yes...I don't know."

It was so dramatic the way she said she hated Spence, three times she said it, and then said if Mr. Jones died she'd kill him. Whoa. I don't actually know how old she is, but I'm assuming she's 16 because that's how old Spence is. That's pretty young to be talking about killing someone. I was irritated by how quick she was to think badly of Spence and accuse him of wrongdoing. Just because she saw a red boat leave the island doesn't mean it was him or that he had anything to do with it. How could she think Spence could hit Marty and Mr. Jones? Shame on her for thinking Spence could almost murder an old man and a little dog.

It was cool the way she signaled the Coast Guard by flicking the lantern on and off.

And omg, how middle school girl of her to see him come out of his trailer and have her heart flutter. She "loathes him" but her heart is fluttering at seeing him. And when he answered innocently that he was right here she loathed him more.

When his mom confirmed his story Denny had the nerve to say "No wonder he's a scum. He lies and his mother swears to it." How could she say that after they got so close?! And what did she write in that note?! She sucks for thinking that. She should live out the rest of her life knowing she wrongly accused an innocent, nice boy of attempted murder, a 16 year old mind you.

It got worse as Spence came to the cop car--doubt they'd bring a witness to the suspect's house where they could be spotted-and Denny jumped out and started screaming that he was a liar and Mr. Jones might be dying. When he said that he'd lent his boat to friends and they probably did it she "burst into tears," an expression that I hate, and Spence actually hugged her. Um, yeah right. No one accused of her would go and hug their accuser. You get the cops showing up at someone's house asking where you've been because someone saw you at the scene of a crime with an injured dog and a dying old man, and they're not going to comfort you because you were actually wrong.
Looks like "old Denny" never left.

Spence was too nice being so quickly forgiving of her. And here's another teenager ready to kill. He said if anything happens to Mr. Jones he'll kill himself. Denny finally found out the truth when Spence said it was stupid of him to shoot his mouth off at school, trying to act tough. She should've known without him saying it that he didn't hurt him. I can't believe all his friends are capable of almost murdering an elderly man and a tiny dog.

Early on she found a picture of his daughter with the last name Fleming, so we knew his real last name was Fleming and he lied saying it was Jones. Then later she found the journal of Rufus Day, which he went on to destroy. Once the attack happened, his daughter had to be contacted and they knew from Mr. Jones she was a layer in Manhattan and they knew her full name. Learning from her that Mr. Jones had cancer a was such a blow. And he was just an old man that wanted to sail. Not the cool mystery I was expecting and it was such a letdown. I thought he was Rufus Day somehow even though he would have to be 100.

It was sweet how when they went to visit him in the hospital and called him Mr. Jones he said his name is Alexander Fleming and she asked if she could still call him Mr. Jones.

The mystery was finally out when he told them Rufus Day was his captain in Florida. He wanted to sail to the Bermuda Triangle because there was a time warp and he wanted to keep on sailing. He did travel there to the Bermuda Triangle because the boat was found in the area. Mr. Jones caught the bug when he traveled to Maine and saw the Misty Day and he wants to find the triangle based on the coordinates in the journal.

I hated the argument they had on his boat where he told her they had to get Mr. Jones out of the hospital and she didn't agree; she was getting mad and yelling like usual. Lose the freaking attitude. And she thought Mr. Jones must be crazy, ended up telling Spence to shut up twice. That's not okay. Learn how to talk to people.

Spence, who must be a glutton for punishment, just puts up with it and at the end, after she asks why he has to be so smart, kissed her. I wish it had been on the lips and not on her nose though. A middle school me would've been thrilled with the little bit of love though.

It was amusing how Spence concocted this plan to get him out and had it all planned out. He planned to have him dress like a woman, and wear Miss Lizzie's clothes, and when he said "She's waiting for us right now at the edge of town" I felt like laughing because I was picturing this teenage boy with all these plans.

It was so funny when the nurse came in and asked where Mr. Fleming was and she said Mr. Fleming? Denny stammered that he was in the bathroom. When the nurse asked if he was in there long she answered yes and Spence said no.

After they snuck him out of the hospital and got him to the boat, somehow his daughter showed up. I guess she literally arrived at the hospital a second after they left, because Miss Lizzie was with her and had the official boat bring her to her dad. She was finally okay with him taking the voyage and living his life, and just wanted to say bye, so Mr. Jones waited to speak to her.

It was something that he gave Denny the deed to Little Hog's Island and his Jeep to Spence. I wish we would've found out how Mr. Jones faired. If he made it to the Bermuda Triangle or if he ever had the surgery and if his cancer was worse and could even be fixed with the surgery. I didn't like the ending because of that. And because it was a letter to her friend who was coming to visit. She wanted her to meet Spence, who's gorgeous--when did she think he was gorgeous?!--and we didn't find out until the last page that she's 14. I also didn't like that he wanted to take her friend for a drive in the Jeep. I thought that was weird because he doesn't even know her, and that's her friend so it's odd that they'd be together like that. Nice that there was love because I love that in a book and it was a surprise because the summary didn't let on. I did not like Denny at all, not once throughout the entire book because she was a rude, bratty, disrespectful girl.

It was evident that the author had a sense of humor though, as there was a lot of funny things in there and I added quite a few quotes. It was obvious that the author knows about boats and that way of life and that was interesting. I just wish there had been more between her and Spence, some alone time, a ride on his boat, just a lot more.