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.
To print a CCBC booklist, click on a list below and then use your browser’s “Print” command.
And the Ocean Was Our Sky
CCBC Review:
Bathsheba is Third Apprentice to Captain Alexandra, one of the great hunting whales. For whales, water is “sky,” and the “abyss” is the human world. They have a complex society, culture, and history, and they hunt humans largely for self-defense, but not always. When Captain Alexandra finds a ship with a lone human survivor, she recognizes the coin he holds, inscribed with the letters TW, as a sign from monstrous Toby Wick, the devil among humans who has cruelly killed so many whales in his great white ship. The Captain goes in single- minded pursuit of Wick, convinced the coin was a sign left for her because of events long ago. Bathsheba, put in charge of the human survivor, grows curious about him. By the time the Captain’s inevitable order comes to kill him, Bathsheba is reluctant. Why are we doing this? Bathsheba wonders. Is Toby Wick real, or a myth with only a bit of truth in its origins, one used to justify actions no different than killing done by humans? This remarkable reimagining of Moby Dick comes to an extraordinary climax, one that is tragic, shocking, and deeply moving. Teens do not need to have read the original book to find much to appreciate and consider. Illustrated sections of storytelling beautifully extend the mood in this provocative offering. ©2019 Cooperative Children’s Book Center
Illustrated by Rovina Cai
CCBC Age Recommendation: Age 13 and older
Age Range:
Grades 6-8 (Ages 11-13)
Grades 9-12 (Age 14 and older)
Format:
Novel
Subjects:
Ethical/Moral Choices
Fantasy
Revenge
Violence
On CCBC Booklist:
James: Retellings & Reimaginings and 19th-Century Black Experiences
Publisher:
HarperTeen
Publish Year: 2018
Pages: 158
ISBN: 9780062860729
CCBC Location: Fiction, Ness
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.