What do you think?
Rate this book
A Stranger Came Ashore
A wild, stormy night . . . A shipwreck . . . The sudden appearance of a stranger . . . That is how it all begins. The stranger is Finn Learson, a young and handsome man who seems to be the only survivor of the wreck. Finn Learson is charming and generous, and the Henderson family gladly give him shelter. Only young Robbie Henderson does not trust Finn Learson and his oddly unsettling secret smile. Robbie is sure that he is hiding something--but what? The clues Robbie finds are Finn Learson's love of dancing; an ancient gold coin that Finn gives to the family; strange omens in the ashes of a fire; and beautiful young Elspeth Henderson's increasingly odd behavior. Then, in one frightening moment, Robbie recalls his grandfather's warning and discovers at last the terrible, incredible truth about Finn Learson. And Robbie knows it's up to him to save his sister . . . before it's too late. Only 12-year-old Robbie knows that the mysterious Finn Learson is the evil Great Selkie, the seal-man of Shetland Islands legend. Phoenix Award winning author Mollie Hunter "has written another suspense story finely laced with folklore; her storytelling is as spontaneous as it is irresistible."?H. ?Sure to keep readers spellbound.? ?SLJ. Notable Children?s Books of 1971-1975 (ALA)
1976 Boston Globe?Horn Book Award Honor Book for Fiction
Best Books of 1975 (SLJ)
Outstanding Children's Books of 1975 (NYT)
Children's Books of 1975 (Library of Congress)
Kirkus Choice 1975
1976 Boston Globe?Horn Book Award Honor Book for Fiction
Best Books of 1975 (SLJ)
Outstanding Children's Books of 1975 (NYT)
Children's Books of 1975 (Library of Congress)
Kirkus Choice 1975
163 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1975
25 people are currently reading
687 people want to read
About the author
Mollie Hunter
42 books50 followersMaureen Mollie Hunter McIlwraith was a Scottish author. She wrote under the name Mollie Hunter. Mollie Hunter is one of the most popular and influential twentieth-century Scottish writers of fiction for children and young adults. Her work, which includes fantasy, historical fiction, and realism, has been widely praised and has won many awards and honors, such as the Carnegie Medal, the Phoenix Award, a Boston Globe - Horn Book Honor Award, and the Scottish Arts Council Award.
There has also been great interest in Hunter's views about writing fiction, and she has published two collections of essays and speeches on the subject. Hunter's portrait hangs in the Scottish National Portrait Gallery, and her papers and manuscripts are preserved in the Scottish National Library.
Her books have been as popular in the United States as in the United Kingdom, and most are still in print. Critic Peter Hollindale has gone so far as to assert that Hunter "is by general consent Scotland's most distinguished modern children's writer."
There has also been great interest in Hunter's views about writing fiction, and she has published two collections of essays and speeches on the subject. Hunter's portrait hangs in the Scottish National Portrait Gallery, and her papers and manuscripts are preserved in the Scottish National Library.
Her books have been as popular in the United States as in the United Kingdom, and most are still in print. Critic Peter Hollindale has gone so far as to assert that Hunter "is by general consent Scotland's most distinguished modern children's writer."
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 95 reviews
March 15, 2024
It was a while ago, in the days when they used to tell stories about creatures called the Selkie Folk.
Robbie Henderson, the protagonist of this exciting YA novel is 12 years old — the same age I was when I first read A Stranger Came Ashore. The combination of uncanny foreboding, unfamiliar folklore, and adventure entranced me then, and it’s memory has stuck with me all these years. I passed the book on to my son when he was around 12, and he loved it. And here I am, old enough to be Robbie’s Old Da, reading it again and finding it is still an excellent tale.
Mollie Hunter weaved an enthralling tale of a mysterious stranger who came ashore one of the Shetland Islands during a storm that foundered a ship. Robbie’s family and the rest of the islanders assumed him the sole survivor of the wreck, but Robbie and his wise Old Da suspect that he is more than what he seems, and fear that he may be a serious danger.
Hunter here combined the folklore of the Shetlands and Scotland, with a focus on the Selkie Folk (a sort of wereseal) with a surprisingly detailed description of Shetland life and customs. She folded this all into her exciting tale of young Robbie’s quest to save his sister from the fate the uncanny stranger would bring her. With the knowledge given him by his Old Da, and the help of a sinister school master, Robbie must challenge the power of the Great Selkie himself. The tale comes to its thrilling climax on the celebration of Up Helly Aa, backlit by the eerie Northern Lights — the Merry Dancers.
Robbie Henderson, the protagonist of this exciting YA novel is 12 years old — the same age I was when I first read A Stranger Came Ashore. The combination of uncanny foreboding, unfamiliar folklore, and adventure entranced me then, and it’s memory has stuck with me all these years. I passed the book on to my son when he was around 12, and he loved it. And here I am, old enough to be Robbie’s Old Da, reading it again and finding it is still an excellent tale.
Mollie Hunter weaved an enthralling tale of a mysterious stranger who came ashore one of the Shetland Islands during a storm that foundered a ship. Robbie’s family and the rest of the islanders assumed him the sole survivor of the wreck, but Robbie and his wise Old Da suspect that he is more than what he seems, and fear that he may be a serious danger.
Hunter here combined the folklore of the Shetlands and Scotland, with a focus on the Selkie Folk (a sort of wereseal) with a surprisingly detailed description of Shetland life and customs. She folded this all into her exciting tale of young Robbie’s quest to save his sister from the fate the uncanny stranger would bring her. With the knowledge given him by his Old Da, and the help of a sinister school master, Robbie must challenge the power of the Great Selkie himself. The tale comes to its thrilling climax on the celebration of Up Helly Aa, backlit by the eerie Northern Lights — the Merry Dancers.
September 20, 2020
Good supernatural novel with plenty of Scottish flavor. A quick read, but satisfying.
September 19, 2018
I read this as a kid and could never remember the name of it! I loved it at the time :)
June 11, 2019
Un extraño naufrago es acogido en la casa de la familia Henderson; en Black Ness. Nadie se pregunta porqué él fue el único superviviente de su tripulación. Sin embargo, el viejo Henderson, siempre a cuestas con sus mitos locales, despertará en su nieto Peter la suficiente curiosidad para desconfiar del amable extranjero...
“Ha llegado un extraño” bebe, indudablemente, de las fuentes Mitológicas clásicas, las leyendas Nacional propias de la ínsula Escocesa, con su folclore, a parte de tener notas de los hermanos Green y sus fábulas. La autora nos narra una historia previsible pero de fondo siniestro; parejo a una sirenita sombría.
La obra está estructurada en forma de cortos capítulos, de corte y estilo sobrio y formal, en la que reina más el aspecto figurativo - imaginativo por parte del chico en disputa con el extraño, que el tangible y expuesto. Cierto es, que esto es muy común en toda narración que se aprecie de misterio, pero para tratarse de una destinada al público más temprano, le falta algo de garra, enjundia. a todo el asunto (su nudo).
Cabe destacar, no obstante, ciertos pasajes muy sombríos, y la inclusión de las supersticiones y los ritos paganos en todo el aparejo narrativo.
En resumen, una historia bien narrada, con un ritmo bastante equilibrado, de corte clásico y sombrío, pero a la cual le falta chispa, peca de predecible y no se le ha aprovechado su atractiva mezcla argumental para derivar en algo más apasionante y extenso (esto último, seguramente debido al publico objetivo de dicha lectura). Igualmente, un libro estimable para lo que hoy en día acontece en el panorama pre adolescente.
“Ha llegado un extraño” bebe, indudablemente, de las fuentes Mitológicas clásicas, las leyendas Nacional propias de la ínsula Escocesa, con su folclore, a parte de tener notas de los hermanos Green y sus fábulas. La autora nos narra una historia previsible pero de fondo siniestro; parejo a una sirenita sombría.
La obra está estructurada en forma de cortos capítulos, de corte y estilo sobrio y formal, en la que reina más el aspecto figurativo - imaginativo por parte del chico en disputa con el extraño, que el tangible y expuesto. Cierto es, que esto es muy común en toda narración que se aprecie de misterio, pero para tratarse de una destinada al público más temprano, le falta algo de garra, enjundia. a todo el asunto (su nudo).
Cabe destacar, no obstante, ciertos pasajes muy sombríos, y la inclusión de las supersticiones y los ritos paganos en todo el aparejo narrativo.
En resumen, una historia bien narrada, con un ritmo bastante equilibrado, de corte clásico y sombrío, pero a la cual le falta chispa, peca de predecible y no se le ha aprovechado su atractiva mezcla argumental para derivar en algo más apasionante y extenso (esto último, seguramente debido al publico objetivo de dicha lectura). Igualmente, un libro estimable para lo que hoy en día acontece en el panorama pre adolescente.
February 7, 2011
First read this book when I was at uni, way back when we were all dancing away to Adam Ant!!! Pam Macintyre (my lecturer extraordinnairre, and the person who reintroduced me to children's and YA lit. as an adult) recommended it to me. It is a selkie tale about a stranger, Finn Larson who comes ashore one stormy night and is taken in by a farming family on Orkney. It is a thriller, as the supernatural forces of the selkies battle with the superstitious people of the Orkneys. Probably my favourite book of ALL time.
September 2, 2020
I do love me some selkies, but that's really all this book has going for it.
The basic premise is fine, but the author goes out of her way to drain it of any kind of suspense or mystery. You know what's going on literally from page 1, and you have to spend the first half of the book watching our incredibly bland protagonist slowly putting all of the blatant clues together to figure out what we've already known for 50 pages.
The writing is mediocre, the characters flat and the only thing that adds a little bit of flavour is the Shetland setting and the folklore sprinkled throughout.
The basic premise is fine, but the author goes out of her way to drain it of any kind of suspense or mystery. You know what's going on literally from page 1, and you have to spend the first half of the book watching our incredibly bland protagonist slowly putting all of the blatant clues together to figure out what we've already known for 50 pages.
The writing is mediocre, the characters flat and the only thing that adds a little bit of flavour is the Shetland setting and the folklore sprinkled throughout.
November 3, 2015
I love folklore and all things Scottish so I fell in love with this suspense story. I have requested a number of this author's other works from the library because I appreciated her treatment of the selkie legend and I look forward to experiencing how she handles other myths as well as some historical periods. I recommend this one highly.
February 22, 2017
I read this book in English, and it was not to my liking. The story trailed on and on and the ending was pretty bad. Although I didn't like this book, the characterisation was good but it was worded very strangely.
February 15, 2009
meh. I never got caught up in the magic.
May 24, 2018
Popsugar 2018 reading challenge: BÁSICO
7. Un libro ambientado en un país que te fascine - Escociay sus sensuales escoceses
No puedo creer que tengo este libro en mis manos y que pude volverlo a leer. La primera vez que lo leí tenía 12 años, no dominaba mucho del mundo literario y quedé fascinada por la historia. Honestamente, no recordaba toooodos los detalles de la trama pero sí la sensación que me dejó, razón por la cuál paséliteralmente años buscando una copia (la que había leído a los 12 era parte de la biblioteca escolar) y al fin lo encontré.
Es una historia simple, que pretende ser de misterio y puede que incluso un poco de miedo y que se basa en un mito tradicional de las costas de Escocia (desconozco si también forma parte del folklore de otras tierras), típico entre marinos y pescadores.
La verdad es que la trama no se complica mucho y claramente trata el mito de una forma más infantil pero aún así resulta bastante entretenido. En lo personal, fue un placer volver a leer un libro que recordaba haber disfrutado mucho aunque no recordaba tan bien como me hubiera gustado y quela verdad sea dicha cooperó bastante para convertir la lectura en mi hobbie favorito.
7. Un libro ambientado en un país que te fascine - Escocia
No puedo creer que tengo este libro en mis manos y que pude volverlo a leer. La primera vez que lo leí tenía 12 años, no dominaba mucho del mundo literario y quedé fascinada por la historia. Honestamente, no recordaba toooodos los detalles de la trama pero sí la sensación que me dejó, razón por la cuál pasé
Es una historia simple, que pretende ser de misterio y puede que incluso un poco de miedo y que se basa en un mito tradicional de las costas de Escocia (desconozco si también forma parte del folklore de otras tierras), típico entre marinos y pescadores.
La verdad es que la trama no se complica mucho y claramente trata el mito de una forma más infantil pero aún así resulta bastante entretenido. En lo personal, fue un placer volver a leer un libro que recordaba haber disfrutado mucho aunque no recordaba tan bien como me hubiera gustado y que
August 30, 2022
I really liked this one! It drew me into this magical world and I enjoyed my time with Robbie on the cliffs, in the geo, by the fire on a stormy night.
Dark, mysterious folklore interwoven with beautiful writing. Infused with the scent of salt air, Selkie song drifting across the shore, the piercing eyes of Finn Learson, and the image of the golden hair of maidens floating underwater.
Dark, mysterious folklore interwoven with beautiful writing. Infused with the scent of salt air, Selkie song drifting across the shore, the piercing eyes of Finn Learson, and the image of the golden hair of maidens floating underwater.
August 27, 2020
Me encantó la forma de proyectar esta historia, como si fuera una leyenda.
October 18, 2025
A Stranger Came Ashore is a lovely story based on selkie myths from the Islands. It offers just enough suspense to keep the reader hooked, even though one senses that it will end well. Molly Hunter draws skilfully on selkie lore to create an engaging tale that also gives a vivid portrayal of crofting and fishing life in Shetland. I thoroughly enjoyed this book.
March 11, 2023
ASCA, to my surprise, had a great plot. Regardless of when it was written i found it to be very enjoyable. the book started off eerie and unsettling, and soon turned into the genre of adventure/mystery. i loved the way the plot resolved itself in the end. I was looking for a stranger came ashore to be a little more “scary” and was somewhat disappointed that it wasn’t. i would still recommend this classic to anyone who’s looking for a quick, enjoyable, and classic read.
May 14, 2013
I had only read the other kind of selkie myth: the beautiful woman who abandons her seal-skin to frolic naked on the shore until some local-yokel snatches it, forcing her to be his slave/bride. I guess that's only the she-selkies. The males apparently lure land-women to the kingdom under the sea. What a sexist myth...
Robbie's Old Da always told stories about the selkie-folk, of the Great Selkie whose palace is roofed with the golden hair of his drowned brides. Old Da soon becomes suspicious of the stranger, Finn Learson - and Robbie's beautiful golden-haired sister soon catches Finn's eye.
The stranger came ashore after a nasty storm, but is he really the only survivor of a shipwreck? If this is a mystery, it's a transparent one, as almost the entirety of the plot is given away in the blurb. Where did the stranger come from? Robbie's worked it out, but is unable to convince his family. But that's okay, because
Robbie's Old Da always told stories about the selkie-folk, of the Great Selkie whose palace is roofed with the golden hair of his drowned brides. Old Da soon becomes suspicious of the stranger, Finn Learson - and Robbie's beautiful golden-haired sister soon catches Finn's eye.
The stranger came ashore after a nasty storm, but is he really the only survivor of a shipwreck? If this is a mystery, it's a transparent one, as almost the entirety of the plot is given away in the blurb. Where did the stranger come from? Robbie's worked it out, but is unable to convince his family. But that's okay, because
December 30, 2021
Reading this was part of my goal to reread all of the books I own but haven't read since joining Goodreads ten years ago, to help me weed out books that I maybe don't really need to own.
This is one that my 4-6 grade teacher read to our class, so it has a certain amount of nostalgia. I remember it being spookier than it felt this time around. Although I enjoyed the feel of the Shetlands and the Selkie folklore sprinkled throughout the book, the plot itself didn't quite hold up for me.
This is still a magical little book that would be good for younger readers who are new to folklore and want an eerie midwinter tale, but I no longer feel the need to hold onto my own copy.
This is one that my 4-6 grade teacher read to our class, so it has a certain amount of nostalgia. I remember it being spookier than it felt this time around. Although I enjoyed the feel of the Shetlands and the Selkie folklore sprinkled throughout the book, the plot itself didn't quite hold up for me.
This is still a magical little book that would be good for younger readers who are new to folklore and want an eerie midwinter tale, but I no longer feel the need to hold onto my own copy.
August 7, 2020
It all starts with this boy Fenn Learson who came upon shore. He met Robbie's family and his sister and him are a couple they might get married. Robbie's sister does not know that what Fenn is doing with her. Fenn is trying to marry Robbi's sister so he can get the great selkie skin that is why he came ashore A person named Yarl Carbie his the selkies skin and Robbie found it and hid it so Fenn can not get it. He wants to get the skin to get revenge on the selkies because the selkie hurt him so he wants to hurt it. Fenn did not get the skin so he just went to set sail. Robbi's sister married another guy named Nicol.
December 21, 2016
I like Mollie Hunter's book - they're nice and short and do justice to Scottish folklore. I also have The Walking Stone and The Haunted Mountain in my collection.
This one also involves the Shetland festival 'Up Helly Aa', some that from what I've seen online, is a most fantastic looking festival.
This story is not like Roan Inish - it's not a selkie woman coming ashore and marrying a human only to go home again, this one is far more sinister and more of a danger to humans, so it's a nice change in the myth and a good read.
This one also involves the Shetland festival 'Up Helly Aa', some that from what I've seen online, is a most fantastic looking festival.
This story is not like Roan Inish - it's not a selkie woman coming ashore and marrying a human only to go home again, this one is far more sinister and more of a danger to humans, so it's a nice change in the myth and a good read.
July 30, 2018
Scratch that. Did read it previously.
3.5
Nice sense of quite menace and atmosphere throughout the book, as well as a decent take on selkie folklore. Some of the side characters are memorable enough to keep a reader interested.
Having said that though, not sure there's enough going in the book to keep a child from the 21st century that interested outside of a classroom. While the sinister atmosphere is there, the book lacks any real sense of urgency for an adventure story aimed at children, I don't think.
3.5
Nice sense of quite menace and atmosphere throughout the book, as well as a decent take on selkie folklore. Some of the side characters are memorable enough to keep a reader interested.
Having said that though, not sure there's enough going in the book to keep a child from the 21st century that interested outside of a classroom. While the sinister atmosphere is there, the book lacks any real sense of urgency for an adventure story aimed at children, I don't think.
March 8, 2017
This is a wonderful book, like all of Molly Hunter's.
But what an odd cover! It looks more like a teen romance than a children's book!
But what an odd cover! It looks more like a teen romance than a children's book!
Read
November 9, 2024Different to what I read in my spare time. Read it for school. Was definitely interesting but reading it for school definitely removed some of the enjoyment.
June 27, 2024
This Horn Book Award winner from 1975 is a folklore retelling of the Selkie myth of Scotland, specifically the Shetland islands between Scotland and Norway. The names are accurate for the time, and little details about what things were called back then are in the story. It is a children's chapter book about a boy named Robbie Henderson who's sister Elspeth is being wooed by a man named Finn Learson who is not really a man - Robbie has trouble finding allies and and convincing them that he is really the Selkie King from Old Da's stories.
I bought and donated this book to my school library in 1985, and I wanted to re-read it for nostalgic reasons.
I bought and donated this book to my school library in 1985, and I wanted to re-read it for nostalgic reasons.
December 28, 2023
This story was first read aloud to me in my elementary school. It stayed with me throughout my life due to Mollie Hunter's incredible prose in which her Scottish upbringing beautifully details her world building and local mythology brought to life in her work. Mollie Hunter is one of my all time favorite authors, her work is timeless and each story pulls you into the era she writes of. You truly feel the magic of this small fishing village and the mythology feels more real than not.
July 20, 2024
A short novel and very predictable. To be honest, I didn't like it. The first half is slow and doesn't show where it's going. In the second half, the story starts to pick up, and suddenly new characters appear. These new characters don't have an arc. The second half feels very rushed, and have a lot of plot convenience. To be short, this story started like a sea tale and quickly moves forward to a magical adventure. One point in favor is the inclusion of Shetland folklore.
June 5, 2021
Ha llegado un extraño es un libro infantil y ameno realmente. La historia contiene muchísima fantasía y considero que está muy bien desarrolla. Al igual que con las películas infantiles, tiene una fantasiosa trama dirigida a niños pero un tipo de mensaje para adultos. Es corta y se lee rápido. Me gustó mucho.
June 24, 2021
This is a very well paced children's novel about a stranger that mysteriously appears after a shipwreck in a remote coastal town near the Shetland islands. The novel's protagonist is a young boy who fears the stranger poses a threat to his older sister. I enjoyed the story - it definitely kept my attention and I especially enjoyed how it introduces the reader to Scottish folklore.
December 15, 2017
not the best of book cos yeno its quite sad because 1 or 2 people die in the book and then someone goes into a crow and takes out someone's eye which is very confusing but i wouldn't really recommend the book to anyone because as i said before it isn't very interesting
September 8, 2020
What a spooky and haunting book! This is definitely a page-turner with the ethereal feel of a myth/legend. I read this book when I was younger and when I found a book report I created about it, I had to find the book and read it again. I’m so glad I did, it was such a fun and thrilling read.
August 4, 2022
Kinda wound up skimming it more than reading it. Language was too self-gratifying. I don't know really what happened or where a selkie came in to play. Just that someone threatened the MC with a knife. Meh.
October 7, 2017
Amazing YA book, one of the first Fantasy/Mysteries I read as a child and used to reread it.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 95 reviews