Advice & Info: Book Review - Last Cast By Steve Dickinson |
 Rated 5 time(s). |
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By Steve Dickinson
Scholastic (NZ) Ltd
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Fishing is enjoyed by a large number of Kiwi youngsters, from wharves, jetties, streams, rivers and drains.
Many get to fish on a regular basis from boats on the myriad of lakes and around the coastlines for everything from trout through to snapper and marlin. These early experiences often result in a life-long partnership with angling, which stands the youngsters in good stead in later life.
Last Cast is a fictional work especially for young readers which charts the fishing progress of two boys, Zac and Rex, who fish together on Auckland's west coast. These boys enjoy the same angling evolution many of us have undergone where sprat fishing turns into rock fishing, perhaps surfcasting, and then onto a boat to explore the wider horizons of the endless oceans beyond the beach. |
Along the way the pair explore not only the fishing grounds but also their own relationships as they face various situations, including the strong element of competition between them. Slowly the good mates drift apart and it takes a competition of another kind to bring them back together.
Last Cast is an excellent book for young readers and is one of a series published by Scholastic as part of its Sports Max series. The author is a keen angler and is a freelance writer, photographer and editor, much of whose work is based around and boats and fishing travel.
His dedication, to his dad, acknowledges the 'years of long suffering weekends tying knots, baiting hooks and letting the big ones get away - to make sure that his son didn't.' Amen to that!
Reviewed by Grant Dixon. 
