Secret Sisters of the Salty Sea

Starred review from February 19, 2018
Newbery Medalist Perkins’s (Criss Cross) vividly captures the world through a child’s eyes in this quiet novel chronicling Alix Treffrey’s weeklong vacation on the beach with her parents and her “more mature” sister, Jools. In the first chapter, Perkins conveys the excitement and coziness of beginning a journey before dawn (“As the car began to move, she snuggled under the sleeping bag.... pictured herself wearing her newer bathing suit, floating maturely on her boogie board in the turquoise water”). Each chapter that follows highlights a discovery or event that makes the trip memorable. Some incidents, such as temporarily getting separated from her parents at a crowded service plaza and having a giant june bug plant itself on her arm, aren’t very pleasant, but most experiences—making a new friend, holding an injured falcon in her arms, finding sea glass on the beach—are wondrous reminders of how small miracles make life worth living. Perkins draws on all five senses to evoke nature’s beauty and show the ebb and flow of Alix’s emotions as she eagerly explores new territory. As in her previous novels, Perkins’ sensitive spot art illuminates the characters’ inner and outer worlds. Ages 8–12.

March 1, 2018
Sisters expand their world after a memorable week at the ocean with their parents. Driving to the ocean for their first time ever, "adventure-y" Alix and her older, more cautious sister, Jools, envision "white sand and turquoise water and palm trees." Arriving at the rental beach house, they discover "grayish green" water with "large and startling" waves. Nevertheless, as the week unfolds, they take long beach walks, build fabulous sand castles, search for periwinkles to eat, and fashion beach glass into necklaces. Alix becomes pals with their landlady's granddaughter while Jools and her father visit an interesting old lighthouse. A family outing to a wildlife refuge seems like a "boring walk through deserted places" until they spy raccoons and Alix holds an injured falcon. By week's end, Alix thinks how different their vacation has been than she expected and wonders "what amazing thing would happen next." Perkins proves experiences do not have to be extraordinary to be life-changing as she insightfully describes Alix's and Jools' savoring the sights, smells, sounds, and simple pleasures of the ocean, perfectly captured in comfortable prose. Precise black-and-white illustrations add humor and insight to the sisters' seaside adventures, depicting Alix's family with pale skin and their landlady's with dark.Gentle, satisfying family-oriented fare for pre-vacation reading. (Fiction. 8-12)

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March 1, 2018

Gr 3-5-Alix Treffrey is spending a week at the seashore with her family, a place she and her sister Jools have never been. Each chapter covers a new day and new experiences: discovering the ocean, boogie boarding, meeting new friends, and building sand castles. The girls' personalities emerge in the telling. Younger Alix is imaginative and adventurous, climbing to the top of the lighthouse with her dad, holding a peregrine falcon at the raptor center, while cautious, serious Jools holds back. Told in a light, breezy style with rich but accessible language and touches of humor, the conflict is mild, with minor crises quickly resolved and without much of the drama typical in novels of this length. Though a quiet tale, there is enough action and character development to create empathy and hold the reader's interest. Appealing black-and-white illustrations scattered throughout provide visual context for the setting which is also vividly described in the text. VERDICT A great choice for young readers ready for longer fiction and for parents or teachers seeking a pleasant, multi-session read-aloud.-Marie Orlando, formerly at Suffolk Cooperative Library System, Bellport, NY

Copyright 2018 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from March 1, 2018
Grades 3-6 *Starred Review* Alix and her older sister Jools have never been on a real vacation before. So when the family packs up the car and heads off for a week at the beach, the girls don't really know what to expect. To Alix's surprise, the water isn't turquoise blue and there aren't palm trees. But there are new friends to be made, odd foods to eat?periwinkles!?and even a falcon to be set free at a preserve. Newbery medalist Perkins offers a story as relaxed and shiny as a summer's day. There are no big reveals here, no mystery to be solved; this is all about the ordinary pleasures available to most children who aren't so programmed that there's no time for reading or building sand castles. But ordinary pleasures, in the hands of a writer so skilled, are elevated. Perkins begins before dawn, and everything from the glowing sky to the darkened houses, to the streetlamps casting pools of light, invite readers to step inside the story. Each chapter is its own small treasure, a mix of the everyday and the unexpected, all written in way that delights the senses?even the sixth sense as Alix sends mental messages to her dog and best friend that she still misses them. Old-fashioned in the best sense of the phrase.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2018, American Library Association.)

May 1, 2018
Midway through this episodic tale of a family beach vacation, main character Alix and her mother visit a craft store. They are both charmed by the model train scenery, the tiny cows and trees. This scene, involving looking with great concentration and joy at something small, is emblematic of the story as a whole. In every episode?a night swim, a June-bug attack, a beach-glass-collecting expedition, a visit to a raptor sanctuary?Perkins zooms in. Not only do we taste the salty crunch of deep-fried periwinkles and hear the specific sound of a flat tire but we get to know the characters in an intimate way. ?Look, ' said Mom pointing. ?There's your dad. You know how I know it's him??Because of how he walks?It's a little bit bouncy. As if any minute, he's gong to run up the court and shoot a basket.' Older sister Jools feels crabby and wallows in her issues, including recent complaints and long-ago grievances and annoying things that might happen in the future. Slightly odd words feel exactly right. The swelling sea rumples; the campfire flames wobble; caught in a crowd, the family shuffled in their huddle through the hubbub. Black-and-white illustrations?beautifully composed, slightly mysterious, gently funny?add to the intensity and authenticity. sarah ellis

(Copyright 2018 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)