CCBC booklist are compiled from books we have recommended in various editions of CCBC Choices. Most of these booklists are updated annually. You can also select books from one or more booklists to create a custom list, which can also include additional books from the CCBC-Recommended Book Search.
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Summer of Salt
CCBC Review:
All of the women in the Fernweh family discover their magical power by the age of 18. Twins Georgie and Mary are turning 18 at the end of summer and will leave the tiny island of By-the-Sea for the first time to attend college. Mary has always been able to float if not fly, but Georgie suspects she, herself, may not have any magic. The girls and their mother, who concocts potions, run an inn that’s overrun each summer by “birdheads,” ornithologists and devoted fans of an extremely rare bird called Annabella that only appears on By-the-Sea for two months of the year. The Fernwehs suspect Annabella is Georgie and Mary’s 300-year-old “great-great-great–Maybe-another-great-” aunt, who could fly, and disappeared around the time the bird first showed up generations ago. When a week passes with no sign of Annabella, birdheads and island dwellers alike are nervous. When two and then three weeks pass, they become frantic. The discovery of Annabella does not bring the relief everyone hoped for, and Georgie finds herself distracted from a tender romance with the sister of a visiting scientist by worry: Mary is suddenly distant and depressed, and seems to be hiding something. Magical realism is at its finest in this deft blend of fantasy with sometimes-harsh reality in a story that grippingly illuminates the life-altering effects of sexual assault and trauma while never losing sight of the magic that is hope and healing. ©2019 Cooperative Children’s Book Center
CCBC Age Recommendation: Age 13 and older
Format:
Novel
Subjects:
Hope and Healing
Lesbians
LGBTQ+ Persons
Magical Realism
Sexual Assault and Rape
Sisters
Small Town Life
Diversity subject:
LGBTQ Character/Topic
On CCBC Booklists:
Speculative and Science Fiction for Children and Teens
Fantastic Fiction: Great Fantasy Books for Ages 11 to 17
Publisher:
HarperTeen
Publish Year: 2018
Pages: 256
ISBN: 9780062493620
CCBC Location: Fiction, Leno
Can’t find what you’re looking for? Our Recommended Book Search includes access to CCBC-recommended titles based on subject headings created by our staff.
Please send questions or comments about CCBC booklists to ccbcinfo@education.wisc.edu.