Summary of The Young Man and the Sea

Samuel (Skiffy) Beaman is having a tough time. His sensitive and sensible mother has died after a long illness, and his fisherman father deals with his grief by drinking beer and watching television. It’s up to Skiff to raise his father’s sunken fishing boat and then to try to raise the money needed to repair the motor. When his lobster traps are vandalized by a local bully, Skiff is desperate to find another source of money. Armed only with a "borrowed" harpoon, a compass, peanut butter sandwiches, and a stubborn determination, Skiff takes off in his own small boat to pursue the valuable Bluefin tuna found in the ocean 30 miles offshore. After battling with the fog and hooking a fish, Skiff's fuel runs out, and he has no choice but to row many miles back to shore — a feat that finally shocks his father out of lethargy. Skiff’s story is one of youthful courage and fierce determination in the face of nearly impossible odds.

(Courtesy of Scholastic)