Children From the Sea
by Lookman
Young Adult Fantasy/Mystery
Nightingale Books/Pegasus Publishers
Cambridge, England, 2008
Trade Paperback, 164 pages
ISBN 9781903491638
**** Recommended. An imaginative, well written story.
Review by Douglas Quinn, Author of Blue Heron Marsh, etal (www.douglasquinn.com).
I had a difficult time deciding at what age range this book was targeted. I don't know what the author had in his own mind, but I finally settled on a target audience of ages 12-15. Except for a provocative word or phrase here or there, it might also be read by middle grade children ages 10 and 11.
The book is set in a remote fishing village on the coast of Spain, where an English family is bent on starting a new life as proprietors of a shop in a newly renovated hotel. However, its presence is unpopular with the local fishermen. They believe the tourist trade will have a negative impact on the white dolphins in the bay, who they believe protect the town.
The irony is, the white dolphins are Muslim children who had been forced out of their homes in this same village during the time of the Spanish Inquisition and who had escaped with their lives by going into the sea and becoming dolphins. The story revolves around the English family who are trying to establish their new life in the village where they encounter hostile interactions with some of the inhabitants and have to deal with the sudden appearance of two of the dolphins/Muslim children who, with the assistance of Katie, the English family's teenage daughter, morph themselves back into human form. The children from the sea have decided they want to come back to land and reclaim their place in society. In the end, they find that their Muslim culture, rooted in centuries past, doesn't fit well with modern Western society.
Which brings me to the message put forth by the author. I believe books targeted at children, no matter their age, should have a message of hope; in this instance, that people with diverse ethnic and religious backgrounds can find common ground and live together in peace and harmony. However, in this story, fear of the unknown and close-mindedness wins out. This is too bad because children have the ability to adapt more so than most adults. I think that most people believe that it is our children who should, and will, learn a new and positive way of thinking about problem solving in a diverse and complex world.
My hope for this book is that the young readers can go beyond the ending and the entertainment value of the story itself; that they will think about why it is that people fear the unknown, and how these fears and misunderstandings may cause undue unrest and disorder in the world. If that happens, then the message in this tale can have a constructive and optimistic impact.
Despite my "message" misgivings, Children Of The Sea is an imaginative, well written story and I recommend it with the expectation that it will provoke thought and a concern for how different cultures, races and religions might interact with each other in a modern world on a more understanding and peaceful basis.
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Comments: 27
I don't mind a bad book or movie, if there can be a good discussion on why it "fails" and how it could be improved. On the other hand, with so many good books coming out, I can see where I'd skip this one unless a child selected it, and then I'd want to get into that follow-up discussion.
I live in a subdivision which is --I'm not sure how to say this...many of the families here are first or second generation from other countries.
Some of those cultures do not mesh with ours--such as watering their lawns with OUR hoses. Going through our trash looking for those checks that come from the credit card companies, offering balance transfers, using our trash pickup service instead of paying for their own.
We live in 250k to 320K homes, there is no excuse for those kinds of theft (that I can see) expect perhaps cultural difference. They don't all do it, but many do.
Someone should write a book on how to acclimate to living in America.
What you describe is either criminal behavior (trespassing at least) or complete misunderstanding that could be cleared up with one direct conversation. Maybe not putting out your trash too early and putting your hoses away would help, too.
But, "acclimate to living in America" is assuming that this behavior would be acceptable anywhere else, and that's presumptuous as well as incorrect. I'm sure folks in Buenos Aires (also in "America",) Belfast, and Bangkok would be equally distressed.
We've had yard sales where recent middle eastern immigrants come and try to bargain down the prices by insulting the quality of things. While one is bargaining, others are pocketing small items. Not cool. No excuse for stealing.
I think fifteen year olds now days may have a problem with the fantasy parts about the dolphins having once been children. Maybe not. But as a grandparent, I would rather read it myself, as you have, or be THERE when a child reads it. Quite possibly an explanation may necessary. You did a very good job at being fair. The author should be pleased with such an opinion. Ellen B
All young people are capable of misbehavior, and indulge in it to some degree. It is through getting caught and being punished/reprimanded appropriately that they learn not to do such things. This happens no matter what country the children or their parents were born in, no matter where they are living.
To attach such behavior to any nationality anywhere is simply an expression of prejudice and a continuation of a stereotype. There are good and bad people of every age and every culture, everywhere there are people.
Best,
Douglas Quinn
www.douglasquinn.com
Your review of the book is very good.
There are two basic issues in the book an argument between progress the new hotel built in a fishing village and the fishermen's reluctance to accept change. The cultural issue concerns the differences between a modern teenage city girl and an educated fifteenth century boy: that is hedonism verses pluralistic Islam. This is a useful platform even today when cultures are forced together. Many from a Christian standpoint may find they agree more with the muslin boy Naji rather than the western girl Katie.
As for the ending Katie learns how to cope with her migration to a foreign country. In the US it may seen strange that 100,000 Brits are migrating each year many to southern Europe. Purely, from Katie's point of view she has grown and made a great leap in her maturity. As for Naji only the reader could decide if his fate was justified.
'Children from the Sea' by Lookman has an original and unusual storyline. It reminds me of a fairytale when she when the stranded white dolphin asked Katie to kiss it. The title clearly gives a good indication about the books content and hides just enough to allow for a twist at the end. I usually read adventure books and not mystery books so it was a new experience for me. Some pages were refreshing to read, others interesting, or unforgettable, many were just different. I found in some places it difficult to follow or retain the story, especially with Naji having so many flashbacks. The book is about a girl called Katie who unwillingly goes to Spain with her parents where they started a new business in a hotel. The villagers object to the intrusion of outsiders. In the height of Katie's despair, she meets a merboy who become her romantic savior. Her predicament only slightly improved after she met Naji, the local population behaved nastily to both of them. Observing his strange behavior changed her interest in him through the book from romance to curiosity. From meeting Naji her life is thrown into turmoil until the last chapter when past wrongs are resolved. Naji, an amnesiac boy, is a believable character caught between his disturbed memories of a past life and his embracing in a new unfamiliar world. He is a character you can sympathise; village youths continually harass him without good reason. He depended throughout on Katie's assistance to help solve his many unusual problems. The plot gains momentum as it progresses. This is a very original read with lots of interesting twists and surprises. The book is worth reading.
Smiles,
Douglas Quinn
www.douglasquinn.com
It is one of those books designed to make people; adults and young adults think. You could read Animal Farm like a fairytale, yet it has much more to say than that. That is so with "Children from the Sea." You have issues of culture, religion, national identity and much more...
Do not dismiss it at a superficial level it needs study - My 12 year old daughter refused to read it because it was not what she normally read. She now thinks it is the best book she has ever read. I had no trouble finding publishers to take it on.