Synopses & Reviews
“A satisfying mix of folktale, mystery, and family drama.”—
The Bulletin of the Center for Children's BooksWhen high school senior Noah Gallagher and his adopted teenage sister, Lo, go to live with their grandmother in her island cottage for the summer, they don't expect much in the way of adventure. Noah has landed a marine biology internship, and Lo wants to draw and paint, perhaps even to vanquish her struggles with bulimia. But then things take a dramatic turn for them both when Noah mistakenly tries to save a mysterious girl from drowning. This dreamlike, suspenseful story—deftly told from multiple points of view—dives deeply into selkie folklore while examining the fluid nature of love and family.
Review
"Cornwell's themes of body image, abuse, and the danger and pleasure found in relationships of all kinds emerge organically through the book's visceral, disturbing, and often lovely imagery."
—Publishers Weekly, starred review
"[A] graceful debut novel. . . The narrative shimmers and haunts, and will appeal to readers who don't typically like fantasy."
—Booklist
"Cornwell seamlessly weaves together three distinctive narrative voices to tell a completely original story. . . [Tides] offers a valuable message of acceptance."
—VOYA, 4Q 3P J S
"A satisfying mix of folktale, mystery, and family drama, this eerie story will leave readers with the distinct impression that Gemm's island home has a bottomless supply of heartbreaking tales of love and loss."
—The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books
"A haunting, atmospheric, intergenerational tale of the "inbetween," suffused with selkie lore."
—Kirkus
"Subtle themes of turning weakness into strength and threaded throughout the story and ultimately create a nuanced debut novel. . . . An insightful and compelling work."
—School Library Journal
"Longing for the beyond vies with the deep bonds of love, home, and family in Betsy Cornwell's dreamlike and heart-wrenching novel, and her fresh, delicate lyricism conveys her characters' struggles with compelling power. A truly beautiful debut!"
—Sarah Porter, author of the Lost Voices trilogy
“Tides is a rich, taut, suspenseful, and funny exploration of two worlds, selkie and human. It's full of mystery but it's also so fully imagined that a reader can jump right in. Betsy Cornwell is a terrific new talent with a boundless imagination.”
—Valerie Sayers, author of Who Do You Love and Brain Fever
Review
"A haunting debut. . . . Porters writing is expressive and graceful. . . . . a captivatingly different story."
—Booklist "A beautifully written and heartbreaking story about a lost soul struggling to forgive the people she loved who wronged her, and ultimately to forgive herself."—Jennifer Echols, author of Going Too Far "It might be shelved as a fantasy, but Lost Voices is full of gripping, harsh realism. Without resorting to stereotypes or tired high school plots, it deals with the complications of friendship and peer pressure. And at its core, it's nothing more than a really believable, understandable and relatable story about finding one's voice. Its relevance to real life and its references to the real issues that create lost girls --- abuse, neglect, rape, bad parenting and more--make it a one-of-a-kind mermaid story. For that reason, it will appeal to paranormal, fantasy and realism fans alike."--teenreads.com "This is a dark and compelling take on a world usually depicted as more lighthearted. . . . Porter nonetheless carefully doles out enough possibilities to keep the overall tone hopeful, and given the already numerous perky mermaids, these gritty, wounded souls are a creative and welcome addition to the field."--Bulletin "The beautifully crafted first book of the Lost Voices trilogy is told in such a rich, despairing aqua tinged tone, it leaves you desperate for more."--Fantasy Book Review
Review
"With highly imagistic descriptions and savvy dialogue, Madigan offers a rewarding and credible story that uses fantasy elements to bare truths about family ties."--
Booklist, starred review
"Mixing supernatural elements with the types of family problems and growing pains she explored in Flash Burnout, Madigan introduces Lena, a girl obsessed with the sea and learning to surf . . . emotions at play feel very real, and Madigan does a good job of evoking the fog of uncertainty that envelops Lena as she uncovers long-buried secrets--she truly is like a fish out of water."--Publishers Weekly
"Be rewarded with a heartthrob of a merman, enthusiastic surfing scenes, and a well-integrated blend of magic and realism both on land and underwater."--Bulletin
Praise for FLASH BURNOUT Fall 2010: New England Childrens Booksellers Advisory Councils Fall Top Ten List Winner of the 2010 William C. Morris Award "With just enough humor to diffuse the tension and the art and science of photography as a backdrop, this rich romance explores the complexities of friendship and love, and the all-too-human limitations of both. Its a sobering, compelling, and satisfying read for teens and a promising debut for a new young-adult author."—Booklist, starred review "Flash Burnout gets high marks from me in all categories. Voice? Check. Plot that matters? Check. Writing style? Flawless. I would say that this book could be described as Laurie Halse Anderson meets John Green, with a whole new set of humor and imagery that is all its own."—Holly, Annie Bloom's Bookstore, Portland OR #4 on Indiebound's Top Ten List
Review
* "A smart, refreshing alternative to stale genre tropes."
—Kirkus, starred review
"Mechanica has a thoroughly modern theme and teaches young readers to find their passion and become self-reliant."
—VOYA
"Readers looking for an atypical fairy tale will find this refreshing because it relies less on traditional romance or happy endings, and more on living independently and unconventionally, loving freely, and being able to choose your own destiny."
—School Library Journal
"Fans of fairy-tale updates will find it easy to lose themselves in this bright, romantic story, whose hero shows she can not only have it all but also do it herself."
—Publishers Weekly
"Readers who can't get enough of the growing steampunk trend will happily pick this up."'
—Booklist
Synopsis
Set on the Isles of Shoals, remote islands off the coast of Maine and New Hampshire, this page-turning YA debut weaves the Celtic ocean lore of selkies and a compelling mystery into a story about family secrets and love.
Synopsis
"A satisfying mix of folktale, mystery, and family drama."--The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books
When high school senior Noah Gallagher and his adopted teenage sister, Lo, go to live with their grandmother in her island cottage for the summer, they don't expect much in the way of adventure. Noah has landed a marine biology internship, and Lo wants to draw and paint, perhaps even to vanquish her struggles with bulimia. But then things take a dramatic turn for them both when Noah mistakenly tries to save a mysterious girl from drowning. This dreamlike, suspenseful story--deftly told from multiple points of view--dives deeply into selkie folklore while examining the fluid nature of love and family.
Synopsis
A teen finds herself abused, neglected, and hopeless on the icy shores of Alaska and expects to die when she tumbles to the icy waves below, but instead undergoes an astonishing transformation into a mermaid. Elated when she is taken in by a tribe, she soon comes to realize there is more drama and malevolence there than she could've ever expected and has to decide if she can stand up for what's right.
Synopsis
Fourteen-year-old Luce reaches the depths of despair when she is assaulted and left on
the cliffs outside of her grim, gray Alaskan fishing village. She expects to die when she
tumbles into the icy waves below, but instead undergoes an astonishing transformation
and becomes a mermaid.
A tribe of mermaids finds Luce and welcomes her in—all of them, like her, lost
girls who surrendered their humanity in the darkest moments of their lives. Luce is
thrilled with her new life until she discovers the catch: the mermaids feel an uncontrollable
desire to drown seafarers, using their enchanted voices to lure ships into the
rocks. Will Luce be pressured into committing mass murder?
Synopsis
A message. A key. A mirror. A secret world unlocked. Lena has lived her whole life near the beach, walking the shore, breathing the salty air,swimming in the cold water, and watching the surfers rule the waves. As her sixteenth birthday approaches, Lena vows to learn to surf. Her father forbids it. But something Lena cant identify at first—an ancient, powerful magic—keeps drawing her to the water. One day, she finally catches sight of it: a beautiful woman, with a silvery tail. Now nothing can stop Lena from seeking the mermaid, not even the dangerouswaves at Magic Crescent Cove.
And what Lena sees in the mermaids mirror will change her life forever.
Synopsis
Ash by Malinda Lo meets Marissa Meyer’s Cinder: A YA retelling of Cinderella about an indomitable inventor-mechanic who finds her prince but realizes she doesn't want a fairy tale happy ending after all.
Synopsis
Nicolette’s awful stepsisters call her “Mechanica” to demean her, but the nickname fits: she learned to be an inventor at her mother’s knee. Her mom is gone now, though, and the Steps have pushed her into a life of dreary servitude. When she discovers a secret workshop in the cellar on her sixteenth birthday—and befriends Jules, a tiny magical metal horse—Nicolette starts to imagine a new life for herself. And the timing may be perfect: There’s a technological exposition and a royal ball on the horizon. Determined to invent her own happily-ever-after, Mechanica seeks to wow the prince and eager entrepreneurs alike.
About the Author
L. K. Madigan lives in Portland, Oregon with her husband, son, two big black dogs, hundreds of books, and a couple of vintage cars.