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A Crack in the Sea
A Crack in the Sea
An enchanting historical fantasy adventure perfect for fans of Thanhha Lai's Newbery Honor-winning Inside Out and Back Again
No one comes to the Second World on purpose. The doorway between worlds opens only when least expected. The Raft King is desperate to change that by finding the doorway that will finally take him and the people of Raftworld back home. To do it, he needs Pip, a young boy with an incredible gift--he can speak to fish; and the Raft King is not above kidnapping to get what he wants. Pip's sister Kinchen, though, is determined to rescue her brother and foil the Raft King's plans.
This is but the first of three extraordinary stories that collide on the high seas of the Second World. The second story takes us back to the beginning: Venus and Swimmer are twins captured aboard a slave ship bound for Jamaica in 1781. They save themselves and others from a life of enslavement with a risky, magical plan--one that leads them from the shark-infested waters of the first world to the second. Pip and Kinchen will hear all about them before their own story is said and done. So will Thanh and his sister Sang, who we meet in 1978 on a small boat as they try to escape post-war Vietnam. But after a storm and a pirate attack, they're not sure they'll ever see shore again. What brings these three sets of siblings together on an adventure of a lifetime is a little magic, helpful sea monsters and that very special portal, A Crack in the Sea.
From the Hardcover edition.
No one comes to the Second World on purpose. The doorway between worlds opens only when least expected. The Raft King is desperate to change that by finding the doorway that will finally take him and the people of Raftworld back home. To do it, he needs Pip, a young boy with an incredible gift--he can speak to fish; and the Raft King is not above kidnapping to get what he wants. Pip's sister Kinchen, though, is determined to rescue her brother and foil the Raft King's plans.
This is but the first of three extraordinary stories that collide on the high seas of the Second World. The second story takes us back to the beginning: Venus and Swimmer are twins captured aboard a slave ship bound for Jamaica in 1781. They save themselves and others from a life of enslavement with a risky, magical plan--one that leads them from the shark-infested waters of the first world to the second. Pip and Kinchen will hear all about them before their own story is said and done. So will Thanh and his sister Sang, who we meet in 1978 on a small boat as they try to escape post-war Vietnam. But after a storm and a pirate attack, they're not sure they'll ever see shore again. What brings these three sets of siblings together on an adventure of a lifetime is a little magic, helpful sea monsters and that very special portal, A Crack in the Sea.
From the Hardcover edition.
384 pages, Paperback
First published January 3, 2017
80 people are currently reading
1903 people want to read
About the author
H.M. Bouwman
8 books58 followersH.M. Bouwman is the author of middle grade fantasy and historical fantasy, including Gossamer Summer, as well as the Owen and Eleanor chapter book series. She lives in St. Paul, MN with her family, where she teaches literature and creative writing at the University of St. Thomas. She is probably reading a book right now.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 172 reviews
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April 25, 2018Oh wow, I loved so much about this. I'd been looking for middle grade fantasy that was based in non-European cultural myths/histories/stories, and when it comes to black people I was finding that much of it (for logical and good reason) is based in traditions of the American South and Yoruba heritage, which is legit and awesome but which I don't have a lot of personal connection to. So enter this book, which is the second book I've ever encountered that mentions the Zong (a crime, literally, but also a crime to have not written more books that deal with this, in fiction or non) and which plays with that story in a really interesting way. Like slave myths of sprouting wings and flying back to Africa, this story allows the Africans thrown off the ship to sprout metaphorical wings and literally walk across the ocean floor to another world. And then we have the Raft King, who is descended from those Africans but was raised by a white adoptive mother, so hello, personal relevance to Hannah Gomez's own life, and is struggling to reconcile what he owes to his people as a king and as a member of a community with his own desire to a) follow his mother, who left him for her own (white, earthen, first world) home, and b) discover his own roots in Africa.
Add to that that we have a black utopia (Raftworld) that trades mostly peacefully with a white(r) island nation but refuses to settle down because it feels it hasn't found the exact place it's supposed to be, and that utopia exists in the second world, whereas our actual earth is the first world, and my oh my isn't that A Statement.
There is so much interesting stuff happening in the setup of this world and in the history and backstory Bouwman constructed for it, and really the only criticism I have for it is that all of that was miles more interesting than the purported main plot of the book, so that's weird. I am also having trouble with , and I'm trying to figure out how much and whether I should care that this incredibly complex and racialized world and story was constructed by a white author, but ultimately I feel like it's a white writer who did hella homework and did a very good job. This was a read like no other.
Add to that that we have a black utopia (Raftworld) that trades mostly peacefully with a white(r) island nation but refuses to settle down because it feels it hasn't found the exact place it's supposed to be, and that utopia exists in the second world, whereas our actual earth is the first world, and my oh my isn't that A Statement.
There is so much interesting stuff happening in the setup of this world and in the history and backstory Bouwman constructed for it, and really the only criticism I have for it is that all of that was miles more interesting than the purported main plot of the book, so that's weird. I am also having trouble with , and I'm trying to figure out how much and whether I should care that this incredibly complex and racialized world and story was constructed by a white author, but ultimately I feel like it's a white writer who did hella homework and did a very good job. This was a read like no other.
September 4, 2016
A CRACK IN THE SEA is a completely original, eye-opening, and gorgeously rendered middle grade fantasy. The roots of this novel thread real historical events together with the stories of three fictional families who are each searching for home.
We are first introduced to Kinchen and Pip, both Islanders who live in the "second world," a mysterious and fascinating place that resembles our world but with key differences: the second world is mostly all water--which is fresh--and its people are divided into Islanders and Raft People. Fascinatingly, Raft People live year-round on a giant network of floating rafts, which travels in search of the portal that brought them to this second world hundreds of years before.
This portal also delivered the Islanders at a much earlier time, the very beginning of this second world. Their story--that of Venus and Swimmer--is a triumph of magic over bondage, as well as a close study of siblings, family, and what it means to live free.
And finally, we have Thanh and Sang, two more siblings seeking to escape war-torn Vietnam. After a vicious storm and a pirate attack, they too face a choice: go where the portal leads, or remain lost at sea.
All three stories are woven together by a witty narrator who skillfully draws connections between the three narratives. With stunning illustrations and rich narration, A CRACK IN THE SEA offers a unique reading experience that will leave you thinking about the connections to our modern-day world, what could have been, and what might still be, if we are up to the challenge.
We are first introduced to Kinchen and Pip, both Islanders who live in the "second world," a mysterious and fascinating place that resembles our world but with key differences: the second world is mostly all water--which is fresh--and its people are divided into Islanders and Raft People. Fascinatingly, Raft People live year-round on a giant network of floating rafts, which travels in search of the portal that brought them to this second world hundreds of years before.
This portal also delivered the Islanders at a much earlier time, the very beginning of this second world. Their story--that of Venus and Swimmer--is a triumph of magic over bondage, as well as a close study of siblings, family, and what it means to live free.
And finally, we have Thanh and Sang, two more siblings seeking to escape war-torn Vietnam. After a vicious storm and a pirate attack, they too face a choice: go where the portal leads, or remain lost at sea.
All three stories are woven together by a witty narrator who skillfully draws connections between the three narratives. With stunning illustrations and rich narration, A CRACK IN THE SEA offers a unique reading experience that will leave you thinking about the connections to our modern-day world, what could have been, and what might still be, if we are up to the challenge.
September 27, 2018
I like how the author wrote about the raft world part, but I didn't get how the author jumped from the second world to the first world. I didn't get how was the part about Thanh important.
June 27, 2017
The author's ambition exceeds my attention. Or possibly she tried too hard to include too much. In any case, I needed post-it notes to keep track of the characters in the story, their years of existence, and their location - a difficult job.
I think there are readers for it, but I am not sure yet exactly who would like this. Most likely, readers of Echo - it's the most similar book I can think of, or possibly the series Where the Mountain Meets the Moon, Savvy, Akata Witch, or just maybe So You Want to Be a Wizard, if I think loosely. (Although I liked every one of those books better than this one.)
Many of the characters have a special magical talent - like talking to fish or walking on water, and half of them are aware of it, the other not. Each story comes to a point where the principal characters escape desperate circumstances by traversing a door in space/time that connects the earth that readers live in with an alternate earth that has an even higher proportion of ocean to land, has kraken, and enhances people's magical powers.
On page 249, one character muses about the ethics of being asked to help a person who has deceived her community, her, and her brother. The language she uses is jarringly similar to the language of news reports from today's urban, televised, modern world, although the setting is an isolated community in a starkly underpopulated, low-tech island world, "...if that person had done something terrible, like drugging and kidnapping your brother, then did you really have to help him..?"
There are many ethical ambiguities that are not overtly discussed by the characters, so it's odd that the author chose to focus on this one. The biggest question that the characters don't ask is WHY of all the trauma and troubles in our world, WHY do so few people happen to find this escape into a peaceful, nearly-conflict-free alternate world? And is it enough that the folks who made their way there just let the doorway shut and put the troubles of the rest of the world out of their minds?
I'm not sure what the point of this book is. Some part of me thinks the author just wanted to provide an escape - a fantasy that lets one boatload of people escape slavey, and then decided to toss in a few other refugees from another place/time and a famous aircraft accident victim. Why didn't any Syrian refugees get sucked through the magic door? Why no Armenian holocaust victims? Why no Jews escaping Nazis?
I think there are readers for it, but I am not sure yet exactly who would like this. Most likely, readers of Echo - it's the most similar book I can think of, or possibly the series Where the Mountain Meets the Moon, Savvy, Akata Witch, or just maybe So You Want to Be a Wizard, if I think loosely. (Although I liked every one of those books better than this one.)
Many of the characters have a special magical talent - like talking to fish or walking on water, and half of them are aware of it, the other not. Each story comes to a point where the principal characters escape desperate circumstances by traversing a door in space/time that connects the earth that readers live in with an alternate earth that has an even higher proportion of ocean to land, has kraken, and enhances people's magical powers.
On page 249, one character muses about the ethics of being asked to help a person who has deceived her community, her, and her brother. The language she uses is jarringly similar to the language of news reports from today's urban, televised, modern world, although the setting is an isolated community in a starkly underpopulated, low-tech island world, "...if that person had done something terrible, like drugging and kidnapping your brother, then did you really have to help him..?"
There are many ethical ambiguities that are not overtly discussed by the characters, so it's odd that the author chose to focus on this one. The biggest question that the characters don't ask is WHY of all the trauma and troubles in our world, WHY do so few people happen to find this escape into a peaceful, nearly-conflict-free alternate world? And is it enough that the folks who made their way there just let the doorway shut and put the troubles of the rest of the world out of their minds?
I'm not sure what the point of this book is. Some part of me thinks the author just wanted to provide an escape - a fantasy that lets one boatload of people escape slavey, and then decided to toss in a few other refugees from another place/time and a famous aircraft accident victim. Why didn't any Syrian refugees get sucked through the magic door? Why no Armenian holocaust victims? Why no Jews escaping Nazis?
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 8, 2022
This was such an incredible and original story. Perfect for middle school and up. The story begins in the second world. Pip is a young boy with a gift for being able to talk to fish. Kinchen is his older sister. When Pip is kidnapped by the Raft King, Kinchen along with another young girl begin a search for Pip. We learn that there is a first world (the one we live in) but at certain times when there is a storm or maelstrom, a door will open up in the ocean that leads to the second world.
What was so great about the book was that it was not always told in perfect order. Some chapters are stories of the past that explain how things came to be. The author also weaves in real stories of history and then transforms them in the second world with magic.
What was so great about the book was that it was not always told in perfect order. Some chapters are stories of the past that explain how things came to be. The author also weaves in real stories of history and then transforms them in the second world with magic.
September 19, 2024
This story itself is right up my alley, it being a blend of historical fiction and fantasy. I thought it had a lot of interesting and unique elements and one plot answer that I absolutely should have seen coming, but didn't.
Bouwman's main idea is to present a story involving the slave ships of the 1700's to a new generation of readers, helping them to understand the evils of the trade and what it might have been like to be onboard one of those ships. The IDEA of his book was great. I liked her supposals. I just felt that some of the "umph" it needed to make it all believable was somewhat lacking. Bouwman's style wasn't my personal favorite but I still blazed through this book, eager to find out how she was going to tie everything together. As I say, I think all of her ideas are great. I'm not too keen on the execution, but having attempting a similar genre myself, I have no interest in knocking her review rankings. :)
It's fun to read another author who likes the same things I do (i.e., history and fantasy) and to see how they play with stories and words. My motivation in picking up this read was to study how someone else did their work. In this, I was not disappointed.
Bouwman's main idea is to present a story involving the slave ships of the 1700's to a new generation of readers, helping them to understand the evils of the trade and what it might have been like to be onboard one of those ships. The IDEA of his book was great. I liked her supposals. I just felt that some of the "umph" it needed to make it all believable was somewhat lacking. Bouwman's style wasn't my personal favorite but I still blazed through this book, eager to find out how she was going to tie everything together. As I say, I think all of her ideas are great. I'm not too keen on the execution, but having attempting a similar genre myself, I have no interest in knocking her review rankings. :)
It's fun to read another author who likes the same things I do (i.e., history and fantasy) and to see how they play with stories and words. My motivation in picking up this read was to study how someone else did their work. In this, I was not disappointed.
June 10, 2025
In the beginning, I wanted to DNF this. But I told myself to just read it, even if I don’t want to.
Turns out that this book is Amazing!! And very well written.
It’s fiction, but there are a few things in there that actually are real. Like Amelia Earhart, or the Vietnam war.
I really enjoyed this, and recommend everyone read this!
Totally 5 stars!💫🌟💫
Turns out that this book is Amazing!! And very well written.
It’s fiction, but there are a few things in there that actually are real. Like Amelia Earhart, or the Vietnam war.
I really enjoyed this, and recommend everyone read this!
Totally 5 stars!💫🌟💫
July 8, 2021
it was so good that i loved it so much. it covered a large topic that most of us usually ignore, and it also contained real life events and historical things. it made me feel like i had a chance, a feeling of comfort. i would give it 10000000 stars. the characters and plots was so good.
May 23, 2018
A Crack in the Sea by H. M. Bouwman
This book is a bit complicated. The story is told through the tales of three sets of siblings: Venus & Swimmer escape from a slave ship in 1781 and end up in the Second World, Kinchen & Pip live in the Second World, and Thanh & Sang are trying to escape Vietnam with a few relatives, in the First World in 1976.
When Pip is taken by the Raft King, Kinchen must find and protect her younger brother. At one point, other characters tell the story of Venus and Swimmer and their journey. Then we learn about Pip's experiences on Raftworld. Other characters are sprinkled throughout and we eventually meet Thanh & Sang and follow their adventure.
This book combines fables and magic with historical fiction. The Vietnamese family is trying to escape what is left of their country after the war in Vietnam. The original colonists of the Second World are escapees from slave ships who used magic to find a portal through from the First World. Inhabitants of the Second World include a large group of people who live on a group of connected rafts, islanders, sea monsters, people who can talk to sea creatures, and others who can walk through water.
I found this book overly long and it had difficulties keeping my attention. The child characters are too similar and I found myself forgetting who was who. The story will appeal to some kids, but I don't think it will be overwhelmingly popular.
Recommended to: Middle School students who enjoy complex tales with multiple characters and a bit of magic.
This book is a bit complicated. The story is told through the tales of three sets of siblings: Venus & Swimmer escape from a slave ship in 1781 and end up in the Second World, Kinchen & Pip live in the Second World, and Thanh & Sang are trying to escape Vietnam with a few relatives, in the First World in 1976.
When Pip is taken by the Raft King, Kinchen must find and protect her younger brother. At one point, other characters tell the story of Venus and Swimmer and their journey. Then we learn about Pip's experiences on Raftworld. Other characters are sprinkled throughout and we eventually meet Thanh & Sang and follow their adventure.
This book combines fables and magic with historical fiction. The Vietnamese family is trying to escape what is left of their country after the war in Vietnam. The original colonists of the Second World are escapees from slave ships who used magic to find a portal through from the First World. Inhabitants of the Second World include a large group of people who live on a group of connected rafts, islanders, sea monsters, people who can talk to sea creatures, and others who can walk through water.
I found this book overly long and it had difficulties keeping my attention. The child characters are too similar and I found myself forgetting who was who. The story will appeal to some kids, but I don't think it will be overwhelmingly popular.
Recommended to: Middle School students who enjoy complex tales with multiple characters and a bit of magic.
July 6, 2017
Excellent fantasy novel for 5 or 6th grade and up. Would be great for teens too. There is a doorway that sometimes opens up in the sea between our world and a second realm. At various times, people with special abilities have travelled through the watery doorway and brought companions with them. There are now two settlements in the second world, the islanders who live on the one small island and the Raftworld people who roam the sea looking for the doorway to go back to the first world. But does everyone want to go back and are people required to use their gifts to help the king if they do not choose to? What lengths will the king go to and what are his real motives? Would work well as a book club pick with many interesting themes to discuss including family relationships, racism, disabilities vs gifts, slavery, civic responsibility, leadership and redemption.
September 21, 2019
I didn't finish the book, so I'm not ready to review it yet, but I have some thoughts.
The pace of this book is slow. There are kidnappings and magical gifts and adventures in new lands and storytelling, so it seems like it should be more snappy than it is.
So this book is all about Africans sold into slavery, but the author is white and the illustrator is Japanese. A little puzzling.
Update, I finally did finish. Turns out it isn't all about Africans sold into slavery, it is also about Vietnamese refugees. And a portal to the second world. And Amelia Earhart. And a sea monster. Looking for his wife.
I don't get it. It was all over the place. The illustrations were gorgeous, and there were slices of writing that were beautiful, but the story just seemed random and didn't ever coalesce into anything that I understood.
The pace of this book is slow. There are kidnappings and magical gifts and adventures in new lands and storytelling, so it seems like it should be more snappy than it is.
So this book is all about Africans sold into slavery, but the author is white and the illustrator is Japanese. A little puzzling.
Update, I finally did finish. Turns out it isn't all about Africans sold into slavery, it is also about Vietnamese refugees. And a portal to the second world. And Amelia Earhart. And a sea monster. Looking for his wife.
I don't get it. It was all over the place. The illustrations were gorgeous, and there were slices of writing that were beautiful, but the story just seemed random and didn't ever coalesce into anything that I understood.
February 17, 2017
I have mixed feelings about this book. It's a beautiful story in a well imagined world, with interesting characters. The part of the story that follows the Vietnamese family fleeing their home in a small boat is gripping; I loved getting an intense lesson in the journey of refugees. As it becomes more and more clear that they will be saved by magic, I started to lose faith in the story; seeing this family enter the crack in the sea underscores the fact that in the real world, they would have died, just as so many die when fleeing their war torn homes. I wasn't fully able to be happy for them, knowing that the truth behind their story is much uglier than this.
October 19, 2017
A mystical story which perfectly blends fantasy with history. The author uses an actual event, the tragic sinking of a slave ship, the Vietnam War, and other individuals throughout history to weave a fantastic narrative between worlds. Overpopulation, overcoming obstacles, the value of family, government/leaderships, refugees, active citizenship, folklore, and so many more topics are brought up in the pages and can bring about conversations with youth. A new favorite!
April 19, 2019
It was awesome! I really liked that it was a mix of two genres: fantasy and historical fiction. At first, I didn't understand how Thanh's story was connected to Venus's story and Pip's story, but I finally figured out
The book actually has three stories that all connect in the end. The first one is about Kinchen and Pip, two orphan siblings that live with their adopted grandfather, Old Ren, in the second world. The Raft King, the king of Raftworld, wants to take Pip to Raftworld because Pip has a gift: being able to talk to fish. Kinchen wants to stop the Raft King from taking him, and when Pip gets taken, she tries to find him. The second story is about Venus and Swimmer, two siblings with water gifts that are trying to escape a slave ship. The third story is about Thanh and Sang, two orphan siblings that are trying to find a new home after the Vietnam War.
The book actually has three stories that all connect in the end. The first one is about Kinchen and Pip, two orphan siblings that live with their adopted grandfather, Old Ren, in the second world. The Raft King, the king of Raftworld, wants to take Pip to Raftworld because Pip has a gift: being able to talk to fish. Kinchen wants to stop the Raft King from taking him, and when Pip gets taken, she tries to find him. The second story is about Venus and Swimmer, two siblings with water gifts that are trying to escape a slave ship. The third story is about Thanh and Sang, two orphan siblings that are trying to find a new home after the Vietnam War.
November 5, 2017
I would give this book 4 1/2 stars. A seamless melding of fantasy, history and folklore. All the characters are fully developed, even those in stories about the past. This spoken word version includes different voices for all the characters even the Kraken. Don’t forget to read the afterward by the author.
August 30, 2018
Second time around for this book, a really moving story. I read a good bit of it in print this time. There is so much going on and so many characters to keep track of, but I think I have better grasp of the story now. It is a nice mix of fantasy and historical events.
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September 28, 2018Beautiful! Found it because I follow the illustrator, Yuko Shimizu, on FB.
I was relieved to read the author's afterword and find the reading list. These addressed things I hoped the author had considered. I look forward to more from Bouwman.
I was relieved to read the author's afterword and find the reading list. These addressed things I hoped the author had considered. I look forward to more from Bouwman.
January 21, 2022
I love this book so much. It was a little tough to get through when different stories started up but altogether I thoroughly enjoyed this :D I love all the diverse characters that makes me really happy!
August 12, 2022
Awesome book! A YA Cloud Atlas (sort of) in the sense of stories from different times intertwining and augmenting each other. A little predictable but…then again I’m not the target audience so not really a factor. Who wouldn’t want an ocean of sweet water and magical abilities to talk to sea creatures, or walk on or under the water. Magical with a message even more relevant today about respect for the Other (who really isn’t Other but just us). Great world building too (and my favorite artist did the illustrations—thanks Yuko)
July 23, 2018
Slavery, science, fantasy, time travel, WOW!
January 3, 2022
I liked the characters, and the overall story was interesting but the fact that every single part is about different people didn't work for me. Every time you get attached to the characters of a part you switch to the next part.
June 5, 2019
This was pretty intense. I am impressed with the authors ability to take 3 pretty disparate circumstances/stories/cultures and weave them together into a cohesive whole. At a few points it felt like a little bit of a stretch-- , but on the whole it was a really well rendered, complex, and interesting story. The magic and the actual history might have felt incongruent or awkward-- but it didn't. I'll probably be picking up the second in the series.
April 24, 2019
3/27/19
Read for Family Book Group
A great blend of fantasy and historical fiction as well as a work that highlights sibling relationship and slavery. Though I wondered about the use of modern words (kids) in a world that hadn't had contact with our world since the late 18th century. The author's note at the end added important context to the story.
I sat on this review until after Family Book Group so I could report what everyone thought. Alas, the three children in the group read, at the most, half of the book. One of them stopped reading after the first page because he thought he had read the book in third grade. But he had not.
The adults liked the book. Mostly.
7/27/17
Read for Librarian Book Group
Combining the middle passage experience of slaves brought to the US, with the post-Vietnam War boat people experience? No problem. It totally works in this tale that mostly takes place in the Second World, a place that can only be accessed once in a great while.
This is not only a story full of tales, it's also a brother/sister tale of adventure and exploration. I loved this book.
Read for Family Book Group
A great blend of fantasy and historical fiction as well as a work that highlights sibling relationship and slavery. Though I wondered about the use of modern words (kids) in a world that hadn't had contact with our world since the late 18th century. The author's note at the end added important context to the story.
I sat on this review until after Family Book Group so I could report what everyone thought. Alas, the three children in the group read, at the most, half of the book. One of them stopped reading after the first page because he thought he had read the book in third grade. But he had not.
The adults liked the book. Mostly.
7/27/17
Read for Librarian Book Group
Combining the middle passage experience of slaves brought to the US, with the post-Vietnam War boat people experience? No problem. It totally works in this tale that mostly takes place in the Second World, a place that can only be accessed once in a great while.
This is not only a story full of tales, it's also a brother/sister tale of adventure and exploration. I loved this book.
July 3, 2017
Reading this book felt like a school assignment. It wasn't repulsive enough for me to abandon it, but I certainly had to force myself to keep going and I kept wishing it was finished already. Too many plot lines. Or maybe separated by chunks that were too large. I was into Ren, Kinchen, and Pip. I was into the Venus backstory. But when the story shifted to Vietnam I was not pleased. A giant detour! It seemed like an annoyance - o.k., author, I see you will need to have these characters in order to tie up your story neatly at the end (which I hope will come soon); can't you give me a more abbreviated version of their story?! But I pushed through Vietnam and made it through to the tidy wrap-up. Nice. This was an okay book, but I don't imagine myself recommending it to anyone. Funny thing is, I still like the plot; I just wish it had been told in a manner to keep my interest.
March 13, 2017
Three story threads, each with siblings with adoptive parents. Venus and Swimmer are captured in Africa and are thrown off the slave ship into the ocean when sickness spreads. Thanh and Sang are escaping Vietnam as boat people, and Kinchen takes care of Pip, who is face-blind but can talk to fishes. A door to a different, watery world, magical watery powers, finding your place and your power, and the necessity of being able to choose for yourself. Oh, and a kraken or 2 as well.
March 18, 2017
What a marvelous story. I loved the interweaving of historical and fantastical events--it made the musings about home, and family, and belonging, and forgiveness, and adoption, and hospitality even more poignant. And storytelling! I love that the telling of stories and being a storyteller featured so strongly here (The Story Girl books by L.M. Montgomery have always been some of my favorites, and the stories here sucked me in just as quickly). And the Kraken; both of them. So much to love here!
January 27, 2019
I thought this was a great book. I loved reading about the different groups of people in the Second World, especially the Raft World. There was so much adventure stuffed into this book, and I appreciate that. It was amazing to see how different our world and the Second World were, and the adventures of Venus and Swimmer were marvelous to read about.
January 27, 2017
If I could, I'd give this book 6 stars. Or maybe 9 or 10.
January pick for the Midwest Independent Booksellers Association
Magic, Kraken, slave ships, and Vietnamese boat people---when's the last time you've read a book with all those combined?
I LOVED this book, read it straight through.
January pick for the Midwest Independent Booksellers Association
Magic, Kraken, slave ships, and Vietnamese boat people---when's the last time you've read a book with all those combined?
I LOVED this book, read it straight through.
February 25, 2017
This is a beautiful historical fantasy novel (how hard is that to pull off?! historical fiction + fantasy world ... and not just one story, but three!). I loved how Heather entwined three stories in a way that brought them all together in the end—and a satisfying end, at that. Bravo!
January 16, 2017
A rich and vibrant tale of young people exploring and developing their gifts to make the world a better place-- a perfect read to bring hope in dark days!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 172 reviews