Publishers Weekly
★ 03/29/2021
Packing an emotional punch, this delicately woven novel by Blake (The Mighty Heart of Sunny St. James) features clearly wrought characters who capture the heart. Twelve-year-old Hazel Bly, her mother Evie, and five-year-old sister Peach have moved eight times in the last two years, following the death of the girls’ Mum. Wracked with guilt and physically scarred from the event that took Mum’s life, Hazel retreats into trying to keep the family safe. Newly arrived in Rose Harbor, Me., for the summer, she finds herself unwilling to face the ocean, once her most treasured escape. After running into neighbor Lemon, also 12, and Lemon’s mother, Claire (Evie’s childhood friend, it happens), Hazel learns that she’s the spitting image of Rosemary Lee, a turn-of-the-century captain’s daughter, rumored to have become a mermaid, on whom the seaside town’s lore is based. Grieving, prickly Hazel must navigate making friends—including with Kiko, who’s of Japanese ancestry, and Jules, who’s white and nonbinary—and address her trauma. Slowly unfurling her story, which is resonant with messages about healing, the author invites readers into an exploration of grief, memory, and familial relationships while employing layered metaphors about oceanic fact and fiction. Ages 8–12. Agent: Rebecca Podos, Rees Literary. (May)
From the Publisher
Praise for Hazel Bly and the Deep Blue Sea:A 2022 Lamba Literary Award finalist “Hazel Bly and the Deep Blue Sea is simply magical. Hazel’s story of grief swells into a transformative tale of healing that will steal any reader’s heart. Yes, magic is absolutely real—Ashley has proven it with the beauty and power of her words alone.”
—Kacen Callender, Kacen Callender, National Book Award winner of King and the Dragonflies
“Packing an emotional punch, this delicately woven novel by Blake (The Mighty Heart of Sunny St. James) features clearly wrought characters who capture the heart.”
—Publishers Weekly
“Blake’s gorgeous prose will stir deep emotions within readers, and her descriptions of the seaside setting are full of lovely sensory details...This story of a girl navigating the choppy waters of grief toward a brighter shore is heart-rending but full of hope.”—Bookpage
"An honest and moving exploration of loss that highlights the healing power of reclaiming oneself and allowing hope to thrive." —School Library Journal
"The author allows the reader to feel the pain that death and divorce bring, the joys of finding acceptance with peers, determining one's own sexual identity, and learning to begin the healing process from physical and mental pain. Readers will be able to see themselves in the characters and may find ways to deal with the struggles they are going through in their own lives."
—School Library Connection
[Hazel Bly and the Deep Blue Sea] is a moving story of grief and guilt. This novel deals with loss in a way that feels accessible but never condescending.
—Booklist
"At times heartwrenching but ultimately heartwarming, it’s a story of resilience that readers will want to dive right into."—BCCB
"Blake balances many plot elements, often serious ones, without overburdening the narrative, to create a character-based, atmospheric novel with a strong sense of place."
—Horn Book
School Library Journal
★ 06/01/2021
Gr 4–8—Twelve-year-old Hazel lost her mum in a tragic accident two years ago, and it feels like she's been losing parts of herself ever since. Now Hazel, her younger sister Peach, and her other mother, Mama, have left their family home and are bouncing around from town to town trying to outrun their grief. This summer they've settled into Rose Harbor, ME, a coastal town famous for its mythical mermaid. Hazel is introduced to the tale of the Rose Maid by her new neighbor Lemon. Lemon and her friends draft Hazel into their "MerSquad" despite her skepticism, slowly breaking down her walls. One friend, Jules, is nonbinary, and their fledgling romantic connection with Hazel is a sweet promise of hope that never seemed possible before. By opening up to others and leaning into the magic of something larger than herself, Hazel forges a new path forward. The rich character development and deft writing allow readers to empathize with Hazel. Hazel, her family, and most other characters are cued white; one secondary character is of Japanese descent. VERDICT Blake continues to expand her catalogue of positive, nuanced LGBTQ+ representation in middle grade novels. An honest and moving exploration of loss that highlights the healing power of reclaiming oneself and allowing hope to thrive.—Sophie Kenney, Aurora P.L., IL
