When high school senior Noah Gallagher and his adopted teenage sister, Lo, go to live with their grandmother in her island cottage for the summer, they don’t expect much in the way of adventure. Noah has landed a marine biology internship, and Lo wants to draw and paint, perhaps even to vanquish her struggles with bulimia. But then things take a dramatic turn for them both when Noah mistakenly tries to save a mysterious girl from drowning. This dreamlike, suspenseful story—deftly told from multiple points of view—dives deeply into selkie folklore while examining the fluid nature of love and family.
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### From School Library Journal
Gr 8 Up-Contemporary issues merge with Irish lore in this richly detailed, lyrical fantasy set off the coast of New England. The narrative, which revolves around mythic creatures called selkies, starts slowly but quickly gains momentum. Eighteen-year-
### From Booklist
A contemporary setting and selkie folklore intertwine in this graceful debut novel. Noah Gallagher accepts a summer job on the Isle of Shoals, off the coast of New Hampshire, with his idol at the Marine Science Research Center. His younger sister, Lo, comes along, mainly to escape her intense parents and to continue to fight bulimia. They stay with their grandmother, Gemm, and come to realize that her partner, Maebh, is a selkie who sheds her seal skin to become human on shore. Not long after arriving, Noah meets Mara, also a selkie and a member of Maebh’s pod, and they are immediately drawn to one another. But this novel’s not all about love. Someone is stealing seal skins, and when a tragedy occurs, Cornwell ramps up the suspense as Noah and Lo set off on a dangerous mission to reveal the truth—and save the selkies. The selkie lore is well described and seamlessly interweaves with the other themes of the novel, including same-sex relationships and callous scientific research. The narrative shimmers and haunts, and will appeal to readers who don’t typically like fantasy. Grades 7-12. --Ann Kelley
Description:
When high school senior Noah Gallagher and his adopted teenage sister, Lo, go to live with their grandmother in her island cottage for the summer, they don’t expect much in the way of adventure. Noah has landed a marine biology internship, and Lo wants to draw and paint, perhaps even to vanquish her struggles with bulimia. But then things take a dramatic turn for them both when Noah mistakenly tries to save a mysterious girl from drowning. This dreamlike, suspenseful story—deftly told from multiple points of view—dives deeply into selkie folklore while examining the fluid nature of love and family. ** ### From School Library Journal Gr 8 Up-Contemporary issues merge with Irish lore in this richly detailed, lyrical fantasy set off the coast of New England. The narrative, which revolves around mythic creatures called selkies, starts slowly but quickly gains momentum. Eighteen-year- ### From Booklist A contemporary setting and selkie folklore intertwine in this graceful debut novel. Noah Gallagher accepts a summer job on the Isle of Shoals, off the coast of New Hampshire, with his idol at the Marine Science Research Center. His younger sister, Lo, comes along, mainly to escape her intense parents and to continue to fight bulimia. They stay with their grandmother, Gemm, and come to realize that her partner, Maebh, is a selkie who sheds her seal skin to become human on shore. Not long after arriving, Noah meets Mara, also a selkie and a member of Maebh’s pod, and they are immediately drawn to one another. But this novel’s not all about love. Someone is stealing seal skins, and when a tragedy occurs, Cornwell ramps up the suspense as Noah and Lo set off on a dangerous mission to reveal the truth—and save the selkies. The selkie lore is well described and seamlessly interweaves with the other themes of the novel, including same-sex relationships and callous scientific research. The narrative shimmers and haunts, and will appeal to readers who don’t typically like fantasy. Grades 7-12. --Ann Kelley