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A review by mindfullibrarian
Beyond the Bright Sea by Lauren Wolk
5.0
An excellent new middle grade classic that I would highly recommend as a replacement for ISLAND OF THE BLUE DOLPHINS in all classrooms (so much has been written about the portrayal of American Indians in IOTBD - if you still use that book in the classroom, seek out a modern analysis before reading again) - BEYOND THE BRIGHT SEA retains much of the adventure, island life and abandoned child storylines that draw readers to that old story.
Admittedly, this book was a rather slow start for me as I recently finished ORPHAN ISLAND by Laurel Snyder and the storylines seemed similar at the start (abandoned children set afloat in boats to wash up on islands), but not long into BEYOND THE BRIGHT SEA, I fell in love with Crow, Osh, and Miss Maggie. One thing I loved about Wolk's telling of this story was the timelessness of it - it took reading the fascinating author's note at the end of the book to discover she was writing about the 1920s. This is a story of the Atlantic coastal islands, of course, but it is also a story of belonging, family and love.
Required purchase for all elementary and middle school libraries, and highly recommended as a middle grade read aloud.
Admittedly, this book was a rather slow start for me as I recently finished ORPHAN ISLAND by Laurel Snyder and the storylines seemed similar at the start (abandoned children set afloat in boats to wash up on islands), but not long into BEYOND THE BRIGHT SEA, I fell in love with Crow, Osh, and Miss Maggie. One thing I loved about Wolk's telling of this story was the timelessness of it - it took reading the fascinating author's note at the end of the book to discover she was writing about the 1920s. This is a story of the Atlantic coastal islands, of course, but it is also a story of belonging, family and love.
Required purchase for all elementary and middle school libraries, and highly recommended as a middle grade read aloud.