Wild Blue Wonder

by Carlie Sorosiak

Overview

"It's the rarest author who can pull off laugh-out-loud hilarious, profound, and breathlessly romantic, all in the most sparkling prose. That shortlist includes Rainbow Rowell, Nicola Yoon, and now, Carlie Sorosiak."—Jeff Zentner, Morris Award-winning author of The Serpent King and Goodbye Days

Last June, the summer camp Quinn’s family owns in Winship, Maine, was still a magical place. A place where wild blueberries grew no matter the season, a legendary sea monster lurked in the waters, and Quinn fell in love with her best friend, Dylan. Then the accident happened.

Now it’s winter, the magic has drained from Quinn’s life, and she knows it’s her fault. But the new boy in town, Alexander, doesn’t see her as the monster she believes herself to be. As Quinn lets herself open up again, she begins to understand the truth about love, loss, and monsters—real and imagined.

Perfect for fans of Morgan Matson, Jenny Han, and Jandy Nelson, this wondrous novel was proclaimed “a striking examination of love—of friends, of family, of self—as well as of grief” by ALA Booklist in a starred review.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780062564016
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	06/26/2018
Sold by:	HARPERCOLLINS
Format:	eBook
Pages:	368
Sales rank:	316,211
File size:	2 MB
Age Range:	13 Years

About the Author

Carlie Sorosiak is the author of If Birds Fly Back and Wild Blue Yonder. She grew up in North Carolina and holds two master’s degrees: one in English from Oxford University and another in creative writing and publishing from City University London. Her life goals include traveling to all seven continents and fostering many polydactyl cats. She currently splits her time between the United States and the United Kingdom, hoping to gain an accent like Madonna’s. Visit her online at www.carliesorosiak.com.

Editorial Reviews

06/25/2018
“As you know, in all camp stories, there are monsters. In this one, there are two. The sea monster. And me.” Quinn Sawyer, 17, lives at the Hundreds, a summer camp her family owns and operates. The Hundreds has a special sort of magic: blueberries grow even in the bitter winter months, ghosts may well be present, and the family believes an aquatic monster roams the depths of their cove. Quinn had always been skeptical until the tragic night that the monster claimed Dylan, the boy the Sawyer siblings loved best. A year later, the siblings are silos of grief and guilt, each alone with their memories. Quinn, the only witness to Dylan’s death, is determined to face the monster in the cove—and the one within herself. This depiction of first love collective loss, and the complicated nature of sibling relationships by Sorosiak (If Birds Fly Back) surges with emotion, and Quinn’s developing relationship with newcomer Alexander, who is ignorant of the past summer’s details, provides lightness to this story of all-consuming heartache and shame. Sorosiak has created a family whom readers will connect with in all their messy, genuine sincerity. Ages 13–up. (June)

Publishers Weekly

★ “A striking examination of love—of friends, of family, of self—as well as of grief. This is a soft and lovely exploration of how life can freeze at the point of tragedy, and of a girl who learns to thaw.” — ALA Booklist (starred review)

“This depiction of first love, collective loss, and the complicated nature of sibling relationships surges with emotion. Sorosiak has created a family whom readers will connect with in all their messy, genuine sincerity.” — Publishers Weekly

“Lovely and heartbreaking.” — Jennifer E. Smith, author of The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight and Windfall

“Wild Blue Wonder is a glittering dream of a book. It captured my heart with its equal strokes of grief, beauty, and hope.” — Emily Bain Murphy, author of The Disappearances

“Filled with science, summer camps and secrets, this is an uplifting and touching look at grief, guilt and giving yourself permission to love again.” — Lauren James, author of The Loneliest Girl in the Universe

“A great work of realistic fiction.” — School Library Journal

“A beautiful story.” — Bustle

“This stunning novel about love, loss, and lake monsters is just the excuse you need to splurge on a summer must-read.” — Brit + Co

Praise for If Birds Fly Back: “It’s the rarest author who can pull off laugh-out-loud hilarious, profound, and breathlessly romantic, all in the most sparkling prose. That shortlist includes Rainbow Rowell, Nicola Yoon, and now, Carlie Sorosiak.” — Jeff Zentner, critically acclaimed author of The Serpent King and Goodbye Days

“A uniquely dazzling love story—sunshine flows through every electric page, and into your heart. Carlie Sorosiak writes with neon prose.” — Harriet Reuter Hapgood, author of The Square Root of Summer

“Should resonate with fans of Morgan Matson, John Green, and Rainbow Rowell.” — Kirkus Reviews

“Will hook fans of John Green, Sarah Dessen, and Jenny Han.” — School Library Journal

From the Publisher

A beautiful story.

Bustle

Praise for If Birds Fly Back: “It’s the rarest author who can pull off laugh-out-loud hilarious, profound, and breathlessly romantic, all in the most sparkling prose. That shortlist includes Rainbow Rowell, Nicola Yoon, and now, Carlie Sorosiak.

Jeff Zentner

Wild Blue Wonder is a glittering dream of a book. It captured my heart with its equal strokes of grief, beauty, and hope.

Emily Bain Murphy

This stunning novel about love, loss, and lake monsters is just the excuse you need to splurge on a summer must-read.

Brit + Co

Lovely and heartbreaking.

Jennifer E. Smith

A uniquely dazzling love story—sunshine flows through every electric page, and into your heart. Carlie Sorosiak writes with neon prose.

Harriet Reuter Hapgood

Filled with science, summer camps and secrets, this is an uplifting and touching look at grief, guilt and giving yourself permission to love again.

Lauren James

★ “A striking examination of love—of friends, of family, of self—as well as of grief. This is a soft and lovely exploration of how life can freeze at the point of tragedy, and of a girl who learns to thaw.

ALA Booklist (starred review)

★ “A striking examination of love—of friends, of family, of self—as well as of grief. This is a soft and lovely exploration of how life can freeze at the point of tragedy, and of a girl who learns to thaw.

ALA Booklist (starred review)

03/01/2018
Gr 9 Up—Quinn's family camp in Maine has always been a magical place to connect with others. But the summer before her senior year of high school, a tragic boating accident occurs. When the water overcomes human physical strength, Quinn loses her best male friend Dylan, the desire to be a competitive swimmer, and her passion for camp all at once. She goes through life in a daze of grief. Through a combination of time, support from family and friends, the process of rebuilding a boat, a spark for the new boy in town named Alexander, and her love of science, Quinn finds herself again. The setting of the small town Winship, ME, is eloquently described, and the family's camp comes to vivid life as a character in its own right. Adolescents will relate to Quinn's coming of age and also her ability to let go of the past. As she learns to trust herself again, her friendship with Alexander gradually grows into romance. Her relationships with her grandmother Nana and her best friend Hana are well developed and show how important close friends and mentors can be to young people. VERDICT A great work of realistic fiction with a romantic twist that will appeal to fans of YA for older teens.—Margaret A. Robbins, University of Georgia, Athens

School Library Journal

2018-03-20
A girl in rural Maine, dealing with the emotional aftermath of an accident for which she feels responsible, learns to let go of the guilt that haunts her. Seventeen-year-old Quinn Sawyer's life has become unrecognizable. The middle child in a once inseparable, tightknit family, including her gay older brother, Reed, younger sister, Fern, and family friend, Dylan—beloved by all three siblings—Quinn now feels ostracized and wracked with guilt. The aftermath of a tragic accident at their family-run summer camp, The Hundreds, has poisoned their relationships. With the help of stalwart supporters including her best friend, Korean-American Hana Chang, quirky grandmother Nana Eden, and the new boy in town, Alexander Kostopoulos, a Greek-British student wrestling with family issues of his own, Quinn slowly begins to heal. While some of the characters, such as Quinn's hippie mother, can at times feel like predictable caricatures, Quinn's self-blame and her siblings' confusion and anger ring true. The plot, which unfolds in chapters alternating between the events of the summer and the present day, is compelling, drawing the reader in as the mystery of what actually happened is revealed. One is left to cheer for Quinn and her grieving, wounded family in the satisfying climax. The Sawyer family and Dylan are white.A somewhat unconventional story about grief and guilt featuring a sympathetic protagonist. (Fiction. 13-18)

Kirkus Reviews