gilmoregirls13's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
mdettmann's review against another edition
3.0
A sweet “trying-to-find-your-real-family-and-realizing-that-family-isn’t-just-blood” story. I thought it was a little slow though and why I’m not rating it higher.
sarahcoller's review
5.0
This was a truly beautiful story.
I don't usually read a lot of children's or teen fiction, but lately I've kind of been on a kick. Part of me wants to show myself that not all fiction written for kids lately is demonic indoctrination as I often hear, left and right, from some conservative sources.
Beyond the Bright Sea is simply the story of a confident and wise young girl who is looking for information on her birth parents. Crow was adopted as an infant and, as a young teen, discovers clues about her origins. She begins a search for information, rather than identity, and that's what makes this story so sweet. She already knows who she is and what she finds out further cements her good character, rather than changing it. With a little adventure and a little perilous action thrown in, this is the perfect story for my middle grade kids.
I don't usually read a lot of children's or teen fiction, but lately I've kind of been on a kick. Part of me wants to show myself that not all fiction written for kids lately is demonic indoctrination as I often hear, left and right, from some conservative sources.
Beyond the Bright Sea is simply the story of a confident and wise young girl who is looking for information on her birth parents. Crow was adopted as an infant and, as a young teen, discovers clues about her origins. She begins a search for information, rather than identity, and that's what makes this story so sweet. She already knows who she is and what she finds out further cements her good character, rather than changing it. With a little adventure and a little perilous action thrown in, this is the perfect story for my middle grade kids.
cgill1710's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
pandacat42's review against another edition
3.0
The writing was a little slow at times because Lauren Wolk likes to write in a poetic prose.
I was frustrated with this title because I thought Crow would do something that she didn't end up doing. I'm also annoyed with the author because something with a certain character didn't resolve. I guess that is similar to real life, not everything resolves... but I didn't care for it.
I was frustrated with this title because I thought Crow would do something that she didn't end up doing. I'm also annoyed with the author because something with a certain character didn't resolve. I guess that is similar to real life, not everything resolves... but I didn't care for it.
teachergetslit's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
4.0
egbella's review against another edition
4.0
I don't know how to describe this book other than beautiful.
When I found it, I didn't realize that it's considered middle-grade, or that the prose/story would be simpler than I expected. At least externally. But the themes and truths explored, the glimpses into the characters' hearts and how real they were, those were far from simple. I enjoyed this book, and was continually struck by how effortlessly and beautifully hard truths were addressed. I absolutely loved the characters I was meant to love, detested the ones I was meant to detest, and - while the first few chapters were slow - the book gripped me after that.
I'm so glad I read this one, and would absolutely recommend it.
When I found it, I didn't realize that it's considered middle-grade, or that the prose/story would be simpler than I expected. At least externally. But the themes and truths explored, the glimpses into the characters' hearts and how real they were, those were far from simple. I enjoyed this book, and was continually struck by how effortlessly and beautifully hard truths were addressed. I absolutely loved the characters I was meant to love, detested the ones I was meant to detest, and - while the first few chapters were slow - the book gripped me after that.
I'm so glad I read this one, and would absolutely recommend it.
basketballtf25's review against another edition
3.0
great book with a great message but the story was slow sometimes and didn't end fullfilling the ending I feel should have had.
tracybabler's review against another edition
4.0
Thanks to the Kid Lit Exchange for the review copy of this book. As always, all opinions are my own.
BEYOND THE BRIGHT SEA is the story of Crow, a 12-year-old girl with a mysterious background. As an infant, she washed ashore one of the Elizabeth Islands in a skiff. The man who found her, Osh, is a recluse escaping his own mysterious past. But he has room in his heart for Crow. As the girl grows, she starts to question her own past—not just where she came from and who her parents were, but why the other islanders seem to avoid touching her. Her only friend is Miss Maggie, a neighboring healer who tells her that the townspeople fear Crow came from a nearby island that was once a leper colony. As Crow begins to search for clues from her past, she uncovers more danger and unanswered questions than she could have predicted. Along the way, she learns what true family and friendship are made of.
BEYOND THE BRIGHT SEA is a joy for adults as much as it will be for mature middle grade readers. It is full of rich character development, and it leaves us to fill in the blanks about the characters’ pasts, their motivations, and their true desires. The book is part mystery and part thriller. As Crow slowly unravels her complicated story, there is an ever-present feeling of imminent danger. It’s not scary, merely tense in a way that keeps you glued to your reading chair to find out what will happen next.
This was a true joy to read, and I highly recommend it to anyone looking for more complex middle grade storylines.
BEYOND THE BRIGHT SEA is the story of Crow, a 12-year-old girl with a mysterious background. As an infant, she washed ashore one of the Elizabeth Islands in a skiff. The man who found her, Osh, is a recluse escaping his own mysterious past. But he has room in his heart for Crow. As the girl grows, she starts to question her own past—not just where she came from and who her parents were, but why the other islanders seem to avoid touching her. Her only friend is Miss Maggie, a neighboring healer who tells her that the townspeople fear Crow came from a nearby island that was once a leper colony. As Crow begins to search for clues from her past, she uncovers more danger and unanswered questions than she could have predicted. Along the way, she learns what true family and friendship are made of.
BEYOND THE BRIGHT SEA is a joy for adults as much as it will be for mature middle grade readers. It is full of rich character development, and it leaves us to fill in the blanks about the characters’ pasts, their motivations, and their true desires. The book is part mystery and part thriller. As Crow slowly unravels her complicated story, there is an ever-present feeling of imminent danger. It’s not scary, merely tense in a way that keeps you glued to your reading chair to find out what will happen next.
This was a true joy to read, and I highly recommend it to anyone looking for more complex middle grade storylines.
internationalkris's review against another edition
5.0
I just finished the spectacular middle grade book Beyond the Bright Sea over the weekend which I am certain will get some Newbery recognition come February. (Maybe even a win for Lauren Wolk this year, after her wonderful Wolf Hollow got a silver last year. Fingers crossed!) The story opens with a young girl named Crow living with the guardian that she calls Osh on a small island in the North Atlantic. Life on the island is not easy for these two but they get by with their garden and their lobster traps, by selling landscape paintings and with help from a good neighbor on a nearby farm. It is the setting of the story that emerges first and most clearly in this book, but the characters come into focus more slowly as they are developed in layers and with care. We know that Crow is young and that she arrived at the island alone in a boat soon after her birth. We know that she looks different (darker) than most of the people around her and that they seem to fear her for this reason and also because she may have come from a nearby colony for lepers. Of Osh we know that he is quiet and doesn't talk to many people. We know that he speaks another language besides English though we don't know what it is. We know that he came from a land where he and his family were persecuted and that he hopes he has finally found freedom and independence and maybe a family on this island. Though underneath he always seems to fear that he will lose it all. Our understanding of these intriguing characters deepens as we also follow the adventurous storyline of this book as some clues to an old mystery on the island of lepers comes to light and people begin to search for a buried treasure. I absolutely don't want to spoil any surprises that you will experience as you read this gem; it is layers deep and full of warmth and humanity. As a point of interest two of my other favorites in middle grade fiction this year have involved ships carrying children to islands, Orphan Island and The Island at the End of Everything. The second of those was also about a historical leper colony. I wonder what is going on in our present zeitgeist to bring these themes forward? A feeling of displacement in the world? An awareness of the plight of refugees? Please jump into one of these stories and let me know what you think.