Secrets of Selkie Bay, middle grade built of love

I wish I could be about 10-years-old again so I could discover Secrets of Selkie Bay as a kid, curled up with the book, lost in the magic on the pages. I did that anyway even though I’m long past childhood (on the outside only). This latest middle-grade novel by Shelley Moore Thomas stole my heart.

On the first page Cordie Sullivan’s hollow pain is clear as she says her mother is gone and her father can’t or won’t say where she is because “there just aren’t that many words left anymore.”

Cordie, 11, is left to watch over her two younger sisters, one still a baby, while her father tries to find enough work to keep food on the table. She takes on responsibility beyond her years: “Someone had to pick up, since Da left his things everywhere—socks that were on the floor and never found the hamper, and waterfalls of blankets that trailed down the side of his unmade bed.”

After a couple of months, Cordie finds a letter addressed to her from her mother tucked in an old copy of A Child’s Book of Selkies, a collection of folklore about seals that sometimes become human. The letter says Mum doesn’t want to go but must. And here the magic weaves into the story. Are selkies real? Is their mother a selkie gone home to the sea? Is that why she had to leave?

The fishing village where the Sullivans live cashes in on selkie lore during tourist season, but Cordie is skeptical. Her sister Ione believes fervently that their mother has gone to the secret island she once tried to show them. Aside from the mystery, the story delivers realistic sibling relationships, parents with flaws but lots of love, and a nudge toward respecting nature.

 I love so much of the writing—crisp, moving: “Facing west toward the waves, we stood and did the only thing we could think to do . . . Just us, the three Sullivan girls, crying our seven silver tears into the sea and letting them float atop the foam, hoping they would bring our mum back to us.”

 There is a surprise at the end. I could easily have read more, but I’m pleased that the magical elements remain elusive, leaving the reader to wonder and question. There is no question at all about the power of love, which is the heart of the story and shines on long after the final page is read.

Highly recommend for middle-grade readers. Disclosure: Shelley is a friend I met through blogging, Twitter, and face to face at SCBWI.

For the love of Trinket and a giveaway

Do you remember the first time someone told you a story that gave you shivers or that lived in your head for days? There can be such power in a story well told, and a gift in finding stories in the world around us.

In celebration of the release of THE SEVEN TALES OF TRINKET by Shelley Moore Thomas, I'm giving away a hardcover copy (I'm keeping another for myself, by the way!) and posting a little review:

What do you do when your father’s disappeared, your mother’s died, and all you’ve got is an old map and faint hope? Go on a quest, of course. I love Trinket—an eleven-year-old girl who discovers her talent and courage and never lets a challenge defeat her.

 THE SEVEN TALES OF TRINKET is an old-timey story that weaves Celtic folklore into Trinket’s journey of self-discovery. Trinket and her young friend, Thomas, earn their way and sometimes make their escape from gypsies, selkies, fairies, ghosties and more. From each experience, Trinket creates new tales and songs, which encourage her dream of becoming a bard.

“My mother’s last breaths begin this story, for each story has a beginning. That is the first thing a storyteller must learn.” Trinket learns not only beginnings but endings, of which there may be more than one. More importantly, she finds that the truth can be both painful and healing.

I enjoy sharing small samples of an author’s writing, so I’ll give you a taste of Shelley’s style:

The king said nothing. He turned to leave, gesturing with his hand, and all of the Gypsies stepped back together, as if in a dance. ‘Twas strangely beautiful as they all faded into their caravans and tents, leaving Thomas, myself, and the Gypsy girl alone together.

*

There were bones on the shore. Bones of large sea beasts called whales. Whiter than the clouds, they rose from the rocks like the ghosts of old tree branches.

*

Thomas made me think sometimes, which was a good thing and a bad thing. True, ‘twould not be the smartest course to follow a woman the village regarded as deranged. Follow her into the ocean, no less! And yet, I felt in my blood that there was a story to be found among the selkies. My mother once said that the secret to a good story was to listen to the hum in your veins.

In the back of THE SEVEN TALES OF TRINKET, Shelley wrote Author’s Notes about the folklore she used in the stories, such as this tidbit she shares about The Harp of Bone and Hair: “Harps made from bones and hair have appeared in folktales all over the world. More often than not, the bones used are human. However, there is an old tale of a babe stolen by faeries and a mother who bargains with a harp made of sea creature’s bones, which is the basis of this story.”

One of my favorite moments in this book comes in the Acknowledgments when Shelley tells her daughters: “My stories are always for you, first and foremost. So is my advice: never be afraid to live your dreams and tell your tales.”

And that is the heart of THE SEVEN TALES OF TRINKET.

Shelley’s blog StoryQueen’s Castle features her life as a professional storyteller, schoolteacher and author of ten children’s books, including the popular GOOD NIGHT, GOOD KNIGHT series.

 

Two launch parties are planned for Thursday, Sept. 20—one on her blog and one at the Barnes and Noble in Oceanside, CA at 6 p.m. where you’ll find Trinket swag, Shelley the StoryQueen and Irish dancers!

If you'd like to win a copy of this wonderful book, leave me a comment. In the spirit of Trinket, if you can, tell me a little anecdote of an early memory of a story that made an impression on you. And be sure to leave your email address so I can contact the winner chosen by random draw. I'll let this contest run through the weekend. If you want to Tweet or post, just let me know you did and you can add an extra draw for each.

To purchase Shelley's books:
IndieBound
Barnes&Noble
Amazon