Sea Gift

by John Ashby

After a long Nova Scotia winter of playing hockey, Lauchie convinces his mother to let him fish lobster for the summer with a close family friend. One day out on the lobster boat, Lauchie pulls up a trap that holds a very old, carefully sealed container—a gift from the sea. In the crock he finds an antique pistol, a letter dated 1608 from a Scots doctor whose ship sank in a storm, and a map describing where to find gold and silver coins salvaged from the ship. What ensues is a dangerous quest into a hidden cave tucked into a coastal cliff. Suspenseful and riveting, Lauchie’s adventure is also a journey of self-discovery on which he learns valuable lessons about himself and his community.

208 pages, Hardcover

First published October 20, 2003

Reviews

[Sunday Hollis]

Very fun youth book! Growing up, making friends from competitors, finding adventure and treasure hunting! This book has everything!

[Sarah Sammis]

I have a thing for nautical stories: whether just near or actually on the sea. Sea Gift by John Ashby caught my attention at my local library for the painting of a boy dangling on a rope over the ocean.

When the book starts off with a lengthy chapter about a hockey game with the two lead characters against rivals from the other side of Cape Breton Island (off the coast of Nova Scotia) I was worried that my choice was based on cover art by an artist who hadn't read the book. Fortunately though, the hockey game is confined to that first chapter.

Sea Gift is mostly a coming of age tale set against lobster fishing and treasuring hunting. The treasure in question is presented as an old scrap of parchment found in an old tar sealed bottle under a cairn. The note inside describes a pirate treasure and a doctor's meeting with members of the Mi'kmaq Nation, years before recorded settlement by Europeans.

The parchment sparks the boys' interest in Cape Breton's history and a friendship with their old rival, Maurice aka "Moose" who is Mi'kmaq. I liked following along with Lauchie and Angus as they learn about their home and its rich history. Watching their perceptions of Moose change felt real.

[Phoebe]

Set in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, this book has knock-your-socks-off descriptions of the geography of the area, and the descriptions of winter storms, hockey games, and lobster fishing feel exotic as well. Lauchie’s father died while fishing in a storm, and Lauchie’s mother is strongly against his going to sea too soon. The summer he is 14, however, he talks her into letting him help his uncle Ian on his lobster boat. Then one day a lobster trap disgorges a strange container that looks very old—and it certainly is. Lauchie and his friend Angus are suddenly in the middle of a history mystery, and readers will be on the edges of their seats at the last few chapters. A gorgeous book, that will take some getting into for those who don’t like descriptive writing, but really atmospheric, strong storytelling makes Ashby a writer to watch for. 5th grade and up.

[Faith]

Lauchie was able to convince his mother that he could go catch lobsters. In an old lobster trap, he finds a cylinder shaped container. Inside the container there is a flint-lock pistol, an old letter and a treasure map. These items were a gift from the sea.

Reasons why I like this book-

Reason 1- There is adventure.

Reason 2- I could imagine what was happening.

Reason 3- It made me wonder, what gifts will mother nature or mother sea give us?

[June]

Treasure hunt and adventure story set on Cape Breton Island, NS. The setting makes this book very interesting. There are not many juvenile fiction books that feature NS.
A good depiction of the life of fisherman and lobsterman and their families. I liked the addition of a character of the Mi'kmaq tribe as well as some history about the First Nations people.