Water Steps

by A. LaFaye

Overview

From A. LaFaye, a heartwarming tale of high adventure, family lore, and learning to conquer fear.

Shape-shifting selkies, baby-stealing fairies, and spitting in water as a test for liars: Kyna’s adoptive parents have an endless stream of stories to keep her amused. But no matter how hard they try, Kyna can’t get over her fear of the water. As a small child, a storm at sea claimed her family, and nearly took her own life. Now even bathwater sets her on edge.

When Kyna’s parents announce that they’ve rented a summer house on “magical” Lake Champlain, Kyna begs to be left home for the summer. No such luck. Once there, she explores the forests and the hillsides and resolves to stay as far from the water as possible. But when a new friend sets out to prove that there are selkies in the lake, Kyna finds herself far too close to the water, and dangerously close to a truth she can’t believe.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781571316868
Publisher:	Milkweed Editions
Publication date:	04/07/2009
Pages:	208
Product dimensions:	5.25(w) x 8.00(h) x (d)
Lexile:	790L (what's this?)
Age Range:	8 - 12 Years

About the Author

Alexandria La Faye is the author of several children’s books, including The Strength of Saints, Stella Stands Alone, The Year of the Sawdust Man, and Worth, which won the Scott O’Dell Award for Historical Fiction. She teaches children’s literature at the summer
MFA program at Hollins University, and writing for children and young adults in the MFA program at Hamline University. She lives in Cabot, Arkansas.

Editorial Reviews

Realistic fiction takes an unexpected turn into fantasy in LaFaye's (Worth) lyrical exploration of a girl coping with her fear of water. Eleven-year-old Kyna's first memory is of drowning; a boat accident took the lives of her family when she was three. She was rescued by Mem and Pep, a water-loving Irish couple who adopted her. They have worked with her on slowly overcoming her fear by taking "water steps" over the years-the latest step is renting a house on Lake Champlain for the summer. Kyna's passion for photography sustains her as she struggles to make peace with the water that surrounds her. Thanks to the gentle prodding of her adoptive parents and a new friend's interest in seeking out the mythical silkies (shape-shifting seals that come to the aid of people in trouble in the water) that he believes live in the lake, she makes tremendous strides over the summer. The final, magical revelation about Mem and Pep's identity will come as much of a surprise to readers as it does to Kyna. Ages 8-13. (Apr.)

Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Publishers Weekly

Gr 4–7—Eleven-year-old Kyna must go to Lake Champlain with her adoptive parents, Mem and Pep, for summer vacation. But she is terrified of water because she witnessed the drowning of her family when she was a young child. Mem and Pep, who saved her, have helped her take "water steps" over the years to overcome her fear. This summer, they want her to take her final step. At the same time, they have a secret to reveal. Upset at the thought of spending the summer near water, Kyna sets out to make the best of it. She befriends Tylo, a fellow vacationer. He tells her he has seen silkies in the lake and wants to get a photograph of them to prove it to others. Kyna tells him there is no such thing, though Mem and Pep believe in them. As the story progresses, Kyna puts together clues about her parents to figure out their secret, though she doesn't want to believe it. Told from Kyna's point of view, the story ends with a neat resolution, and the engaging writing style flows smoothly and is well paced. The language is almost poetic with its use of sensory detail, alliteration, and precise word choices. A satisfying story of overcoming one's fears and discovering secrets.—Jennifer D. Montgomery, Western Kentucky University, Bowling Green

School Library Journal

Eleven-year-old Kyna is terrified of all kinds of water; even a barrel of water for apple-bobbing can cause a panic attack. As a young girl, she watched her family perish in the sea and she has never gotten over her fear. Her adoptive Irish parents, full of stories of "silkies" (oddly enough not rendered as "selkies") and leprechauns, love everything about water and hope to get her to take "water steps" to overcome her fear. Against her wishes, they rent a house on Lake Champlain for the summer. It is during this summer when Kyna learns that the Irish tales hold clues to her parents' mysterious history. It's doubtful that child readers will be surprised by Kyna's discoveries, as the narrative telegraphs the ending from the very beginning. How seals and "silkies" are supposed to be living in a freshwater lake that has no history of seals is not explained, nor is any mention made of the Champ, the mythological creature purported to live in Champlain. LaFaye's intentions are noble-overcoming fears is something that middle graders must do-but the execution is predictable and muddled. (Fantasy. 9-12)

Kirkus Reviews

"LaFaye shapes a wonderful novel that I couldn’t put down. With descriptive language, LaFaye pulled me into the book to the point that Kyna became my newest best friend. On an inspirational journey, she faces her fears and makes new friends along the way. LaFaye uses her literary genius to bring us, the readers, along for the ride."
—Teen Voices

"Kyna’s struggles to take “water” (baby) steps and move through her fear will resonate with many kids who are wrestling overwhelming fears of their own. Kyna’s story is a satisfying journey to hope and understanding. Pair this with the film The Secret of Roan Inish for a supernatural “book-and-a-movie” night."
— Booklist

"A. LaFaye's WATER STEPS is wonderful, in the most literal sense of the word:
which is to say it is a book full of wonder, and wonders. It pulses with a love of nature and the natural world, a world too often lost to modern children. Rich with love and loss, longing and renewal, a bit of mystery and a touch of fantasy, it is a joy to read."
—Bruce Coville

From the Publisher

Despite its short length, this is a wonderfully rich tale of a girl who learns to overcome both her deepest fear and her long unaddressed grief. As narrator, Alexandria LaFaye seems to move effortlessly from character to character: the young, uncertain Kyna; the impulsive, riotous Tylo; and the lyrical-sounding adoptive grandparents, Mem and Pep. They must hide their own deepest secret when Tylo decides to investigate local rumors of a selkie, a creature that is half-seal, half-human. Though Kyna occasionally comes across as older than 11, her emotional journey is convincingly portrayed, and the entire tale is enhanced by snippets of Celtic folk music. J.M. © AudioFile 2010, Portland, Maine

OCTOBER 2010 - AudioFile