Fish Out of Water

by Joanne Levy

Overview

Twelve-year-old Fishel (Fish) Rosner doesn’t like regular “boy” things. He hates sports and would prefer to read or do crafts instead of climbing trees or riding dirt bikes with his friends. He also loves to dance.

But all his interests are considered “girly.” Fish doesn’t get why that’s a bad thing. He’s just interested in different things than other boys. When he asks his Bubby to teach him to knit, she tells him to go play outside. When he begs his mom to take him to Zumba, she enrolls him in water polo instead. Why does everyone else get to decide what Fish should or shouldn't do?

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781459826595
Publisher:	Orca Book Publishers
Publication date:	09/22/2020
Series:	Orca Currents Series
Pages:	144
Sales rank:	558,142
Product dimensions:	5.00(w) x 7.50(h) x 0.32(d)
Lexile:	HL470L (what's this?)
Age Range:	9 - 12 Years

About the Author

Joanne Levy is the author of a number of books for young people, including Double Trouble in the Orca Currents line and the middle-grade novels Crushing It and the Red Maple Award-nominated Small Medium At Large. She lives in Clinton, Ontario.

Editorial Reviews

An excellent story about gender roles and growing up…Fast-paced, and the ending is both satisfying and heartwarming…An excellent read-aloud choice, and its contents would provide many opportunities for discussion. Highly Recommended.

CM: Canadian Review of Materials

High­ly rec­om­mend­ed...Fishel’s sto­ry zips along and the vocab­u­lary and length make it acces­si­ble even for reluc­tant read­ers…Read­ers will sup­port [Fish] through­out his strug­gle to pur­sue his own inter­ests and rise beyond labeling.

Jewish Book Council

Uplifting, gentle…Exudes inter-generational warmth, family love, and friendship.

Association of Jewish Libraries

2020-05-17
A slim hi-lo tackles toxic masculinity.

Fishel “Fish” Rosner doesn’t want to play water polo. Nor does he want to collect used sports equipment for his bar mitzvah project. What Fish really wants to do is learn to knit, but his grandmother won’t teach him, just as his mother and stepfather, Darren, won’t let him wiggle out of playing team sports at the Jewish Community Center when Fish would rather do Zumba. And when Fish tells his best friend, Seth, that he is joining the school knitting club, Seth responds by telling Fish that his interests are “weird” and “girly,” embarking on a campaign of relational aggression. Fish still desperately wants to incorporate knitting into his bar mitzvah project, and both his rabbi and a math teacher become his champions, affirming that all people may participate in all activities, regardless of gender identity. Fish is assertive and brave, outspoken in his critique of rigid gender norms. Readers will rejoice as he stands up to other boys and to his stepfather, contesting Darren’s shallow exhortation that “boys don’t cry” with tearful truth. He is a formidable ally to girls and women. Though brief, this text masterfully connects the toxic masculinity to its roots in deep misogyny, making Fish a hero people of all genders can stand up and cheer for.

All readers will appreciate this book’s nuanced messaging around gender roles and trusting yourself. (Fiction. 9-12)

Kirkus Reviews

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