Crazy Fish - by Norma Fox Mazer (Paperback)

About the Book

Eccentric Mrs. Fish, the school custodian, teaches Joyce, an 11-year-old misfit, to cherish what makes her unique. Fish, Ape, and Me, the Dump Queen".

Book Synopsis

Eleven-year-old Joyce lives with her reclusive uncle, Old Dad, who runs the town garbage dump--which is why the kids at school call her the Dump Queen. Her only friend is Mrs. Fish, the new school custodian whose wild outfits and uninhibited personality inspire her nickname, "Crazy Fish." When Mrs. Fish is around, everything in Joyce's life seems okay. So when fiercely independent Old Dad falls ill, Joyce must convince him to accept her friend's help.

From the Back Cover

Eleven-year-old Joyce doesn't mind living near a garbage dump. She likes helping her uncle, Old Dad, run it. What she does mind is being different, and getting called Dump Queen. Even worse than her classmates' teasing is knowing that her mother isn't there to shield her from the pain.

Being different doesn't bother Mrs. Fish, the new school custodian, who dresses oddly and sings in the hallways. At first, like the other kids. Joyce thinks Mrs. Fish is crazy and shuns her. But "Crazy Fish" turns out to be the one person who shares everything with Joyce -- her food and her cat, her stories and her wisdom. If only Joyce's new friend could come and live with her. But can Joyce convince Old Dad, who doesn't trust anyone, that he needs Mrs. Fish as much as she does?

Review Quotes

"The most imaginative and impressive novel of Norma Fox Mazer's award-winning career."--Publishers Weekly

"Mazer is one of the best of the practitioners writing for young people today."--The New York Times --

About the Author

NORMA FOX MAZER is an award-winning novelist and a faculty member for the Vermont College MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults Program. Her many awards include a Newbery Honor, a Christopher Award, an Edgar Allan Poe Award for Best Juvenile Mystery, and a National Book Award nomination, among others. She lives in Montpelier, Vermont.