Lucy the Giant

Lucy Otswego is a big girl who towers over just about everyone and everything in her small Alaskan town, except for her father's horrible reputation as a mean drunk. At 15, she runs away from the cruel classmates who see her only as "the Giant," the embarrassed adults who pity her, and the abusive father whose fleeting attentiveness is worse than his indifference. When the crew of a crabbing boat assumes she's much older than she is and invites her to join them for the season, she thrills at the possibility of escaping her teenaged life. Buoyed by the camaraderie and support of her new shipmates, Lucy quickly masters the mind-numbing cold and backbreaking work. But when her masquerade is threatened, she learns that there are no shortcuts to growing up. From the Hardcover edition.