The Sea Child

Sloan, Carolyn

ISBN 10: 0823407233 ISBN 13: 9780823407231

Publisher: Holiday House, 1988

Synopsis

A mysterious "sea child" ventures into a nearby village where she meets a lonely nine-year-old.

About this title

From School Library Journal:

Grade 4-6 An aura of mystery underlies this book about The Sands, a strange land cut off from the mainland by an unusual sea storm nine years earlier and rumored to be inhabited by ghosts. The story, however, unfolds in a choppy fashion, and characters are never clearly developed enough to make readers responsive to them. The plot centers around Danny and Jessie, a father and daughter who have lived in isolation on The Sands. The tale begins with a reporter's unsuccessful attempt to unearth the truth about The Sands and perhaps save a child rumored to be held captive there. Readers know, though, that Jessie has lived a rich life with her father, and this duo is paralleled by Lisa and Morgan, a girl and her father on the mainland. Jessie's absent mother is described but remains an enigma, as does the force which directs Jessie's life. She is the ``sea child,'' but the meaning of this term remains unclear. An inexplicable use of run-on sentences is a curiosity, and one wonders if it is intentional. Sloan is a creative storyteller, as evidenced in Skewer's Garden (Merrimack, 1983). Sea Child could have been a gripping fantasy, but the inconsistent style and poorly developed characters work against it. Renee Steinberg, Fieldstone Middle School, Montvale, N.J.
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: Holiday House
• Publication date: 1988
• ISBN 10: 0823407233
• ISBN 13: 9780823407231
• Binding: Library Binding
• Number of pages: 127