Publishers Weekly
★ 05/01/2023
A Bristol field trip turns sea adventure for a young reality-TV star in this thoughtful swashbuckling fantasy from Skinner (Storm). Eleven-year-old Kirsten Bramble is known for At Home with the Brambles, a show that evolved from Kirsten’s desire to help her adopted father find true love. Kirsten’s under pressure to promote the Bramble brand, but she swaps television drama for her own desires during a field trip to the formerly renowned SS Great Britain, which finds her immediately taken with the docked ship. After she dons a long-missing captain’s hat while aboard, a people-reading map reveals that Kirsten is a chosen one whose needs are “eerily tangled up” with those of the vessel, and they must make a journey in which things will be named, people will be forgiven, and truths will be revealed. Magically, the ship takes to the sea, peopled by Kirsten; estranged best friend Olive Chudley, who has a history with Kirsten’s family’s show; and a crew of animate fiberglass museum-display mannequins. Acknowledging the feeling of an ill-fitting existence and the thrill of true connection (the ship “radiated a mysterious power. It made her stop walking. It made her hold her breath”), a mystically tinged third-person voice follows the memorable characters’ slow-growing sense of authenticity and self following myriad losses. Human protagonists cue as English and white. A historical note concludes. Ages 8–12. (June)
From the Publisher
This magical mystery tour of an adventure quest is written with a profound understanding of the human condition and all the ways people (and magical ships and mannequins) try to avoid the pull of their deepest needs. An extraordinarily profound and far-reaching coming-of-age story. — Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
A combination of James and the Giant Peach and Pixar’s Inside Out.This remarkable fantasy remains grounded in dry humor and emotional truth. Perfect for fans of Neil Gaiman, Kirsten’s fantastical adventure on the high seas is a true treasure to read — Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books (starred review)
"Thoughtful swashbuckling fantasy." — Publishers Weekly (starred review)
"This inventive book proceeds with a wonderful air of whimsy and humor. An enthralling adventure packed with history and heart." — Booklist
Praise for Storm: "Centered around the theme of allowing oneself to feel and experience anger, sadness, and pain rather than shoving them down, it challenges societal norms of adults “tidying up” kids’ feelings. A hauntingly memorable mixture of humor and honest emotion." — Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
"Skinner’s poignant story of Frankie’s ordinary and heartbreaking afterlife tackles grand themes of love, forgiveness, friendship, and even the meaning of life. A perfect book for fans of Neil Gaiman’s Coraline and The Graveyard Book." — Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books (starred review)
Kirkus Reviews
★ 2023-03-29
An 11-year-old English reality TV star discovers what really matters.
Kirsten Bramble, the Kirsten Bramble of At Home With the Brambles, a successful show in which Kirsten tries to help her single, adoptive dad find a girlfriend (even though he doesn’t want one), thinks of her life in terms of lines to be learned, scripts to be followed, and a brand to be developed. On a class school trip to visit the dry-docked SS Great Britain in her hometown of Bristol, Kirsten feels a strange pull toward the beautiful ship. During the tour, she becomes separated from the other children, later to be found by her ex–best friend, Olive Chudley. (Clever but not traditionally telegenic Olive was replaced on the TV show with a child actor in the role of best friend; she and Kirsten have been estranged since.) As the two girls begin to leave, strange things happen: The ship starts moving, breaking out of dry dock and setting off with Kirsten, Olive, and the mannequins who inhabit the exhibits onboard. This magical mystery tour of an adventure quest is written with a profound understanding of the human condition and all the ways people (and magical ships and mannequins) try to avoid the pull of their deepest needs. As the story unfolds, Kirsten, at turns fearful and belligerent, gradually begins to understand the true nature of the journey. Main characters read White.
An extraordinarily profound and far-reaching coming-of-age story. (author’s note) (Fantasy. 8-12)
