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Beyond the Bright Sea

by Lauren Wolk

A search for origins across the Elizabeth Islands

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Awards & Recognition

  • Award recognition

    Winner of the 2018 Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction

    The source states that Beyond the Bright Sea won the 2018 award.

  • Editorial selection

    NPR Best Book of the Year

    Named an NPR Best Book of the Year.

  • Critical praise

    Publishers Weekly praises Crow as “a determined and dynamic heroine”

    The review describes Crow as a determined and dynamic heroine.

AlbakiReads Editorial

A search for origins across the Elizabeth Islands

Crow’s life on a small Massachusetts island is shaped by two bonds: Osh, who rescued and raised her, and Miss Maggie, a neighbor across the sandbar. A fire glimpsed on a distant island draws Crow toward questions about the circumstances of her arrival as a baby. Her search brings together mystery, danger, and the practical ties of family, with the isolated island setting closely linked to the story’s concern with identity and belonging.

Good fit for readers who enjoy

  • For readers ages 9–12 interested in historical fiction.
  • For readers who enjoy stories about family, belonging, and uncovering personal history.
  • For readers drawn to island settings and a young protagonist’s search for answers.

Themes

Identity and personal historyFamily and belongingOrphanhoodIsland life and isolation

Based on publisher information and book metadata.

Book overview

- Winner of the 2018 Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction -

From the bestselling author of Echo Mountain and Newbery Honor-winner Wolf Hollow, Beyond the Bright Sea is an acclaimed best book of the year.

An NPR Best Book of the Year - A Parents' Magazine Best Book of the Year - A Booklist Editors' Choice selection - A BookPage Best Book of the Year - A HornBook Fanfare Selection - A Kirkus Best Book of the Year - A School Library Journal Best Book of the Year - A Charlotte Observer Best Book of the Year - A SouthernLiving Best Book of the Year - A New York Public Library Best Book of the Year

"The sight of a campfire on a distant island...proves the catalyst for a series of discoveries and events--some poignant, some frightening--that Ms. Wolk unfolds with uncommon grace." -The Wall Street Journal
★ "Crow is a determined and dynamic heroine." --Publishers Weekly
★ "Beautiful, evocative." --Kirkus

The moving story of an orphan, determined to know her own history, who discovers the true meaning of family.

Twelve-year-old Crow has lived her entire life on a tiny, isolated piece of the starkly beautiful Elizabeth Islands in Massachusetts. Abandoned and set adrift in a small boat when she was just hours old, Crow's only companions are Osh, the man who rescued and raised her, and Miss Maggie, their fierce and affectionate neighbor across the sandbar.

Crow has always been curious about the world around her, but it isn't until the night a mysterious fire appears across the water that the unspoken question of her own history forms in her heart. Soon, an unstoppable chain of events is triggered, leading Crow down a path of discovery and danger.

Vivid and heart-wrenching, Lauren Wolk's Beyond the Bright Sea is a gorgeously crafted and tensely paced tale that explores questions of identity, belonging, and the true meaning of family.
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