From the Publisher
The alternating first-person present-tense voices of Alice and Leo provide immediacy and intimacy, while the interactions between and among their down-to-earth families add realism, making the implausible feel possible. The island lighthouse setting proves an ideal venue for otherworldly communication . . . A heartwarming, emotional tale of family, grief, and acceptance.” —Kirkus Reviews
“Beautifully written and captures the agony of unresolved grief. Lee provides rich detail on the physical landscape of the island, and each chapter slowly reveals answers to Alice’s many questions, leaving readers eager for more.” —School Library Journal
“A heartfelt exploration of grief and familial love.” —Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books
“In her first novel, Lee offers an involving, uplifting story about coming to terms with grief and finding a meaningful way to move forward.” —Booklist
“the narrative’s heart and energy, as well as its portrayal of the many ways one can be isolated and paralyzed by grief, feel true and meaningful.” —Horn Book
School Library Journal
09/01/2021
Gr 4–7—Every April, for the past eight years, on the anniversary of her mother's funeral, Alice loses her voice for several days. The loss of her mother in a boating accident left her confused and desperate for answers. Her sister is too young to remember their mother, and their father has seemingly moved on with his new companion, Neesha. But Alice is stuck. She spends hours combing through her mother's academic notes and letters, and when her father gives her a journal he recently discovered, Alice finds references to a planned interview with John Mercury on Aviles Island. Residents on this island off the coast of Florida purportedly receive written messages from deceased family members each year. What did her mother learn about the island? If she goes there, could she receive a message from her mother? After convincing her family to take a vacation to the island, Alice meets Leo, whose family manages the lighthouse. He is a cautious boy who wants to protect the magic of Aviles Island. Gradually, the two become friends and unite in their efforts to find out what really happened to Alice's mother. This suspenseful story, alternating between Alice's and Leo's perspectives, is beautifully written and captures the agony of unresolved grief. Lee provides rich detail on the physical landscape of the island, and each chapter slowly reveals answers to Alice's many questions, leaving readers eager for more. VERDICT This compelling story tackles weighty issues related to death and the afterlife, so it is better suited for more mature middle grade readers and young adults, especially those who may be grieving their own losses.—Anne Jung-Mathews, Plymouth State Univ., NH
Kirkus Reviews
2021-07-08
Unable to accept her mother’s death, a 12-year-old girl visits the Florida island where she disappeared in a storm six years ago.
Alice has selective mutism resulting from her refusal to believe in her mother’s death. A cultural anthropologist, Alice’s mother specialized in studying people’s communications with the dead. When Alice discovers a letter to her mother from Aviles Island lighthouse keeper John Mercury, she learns that he agreed to speak with her about what the islanders call tidings, or messages between the living and the dead—and she’s determined to go there to seek his help. Alice’s father agrees to a family vacation on Aviles, hoping it will bring Alice closure. Arriving with her dad, her dad’s girlfriend, and her younger sister just in time for the Tidings Festival, Alice learns Mercury has died but meets his grandson Leo, whose family now operates the lighthouse. Still mourning his grandfather’s death, Leo realizes Alice wants the same contact with her deceased mother he has with his grandfather, and he decides to help her. As they row out to sea bearing Alice’s tiding to her mother, a terrific storm strikes. Could history repeat itself? The alternating first-person present-tense voices of Alice and Leo provide immediacy and intimacy, while the interactions between and among their down-to-earth families add realism, making the implausible feel possible. The island lighthouse setting proves an ideal venue for otherworldly communication. Main characters are presumably White.
A heartwarming, emotional tale of family, grief, and acceptance. (Fiction. 8-12)
