When I was in Chicago for Bookcon, we took the day before exploring Hyde Park (more accurately, the book shops in Hyde Park). I had seen Sea Change by Frank Viva at one of the bookstores and was drawn in but didn’t buy it because I didn’t want to spend my money so quickly in one spot when we had the whole weekend ahead of us. So, I was so excited when the next day at Bookcon I was able to get a copy for free!
I will admit- I didn’t realize that it was more of a middle grade/early young adult book until I started reading it. But, despite it not being exactly what I thought, I was still rather impressed.
What originally caught my eye was the illustrations and fun way the words are scattered throughout the book. It’s not quite a graphic novel I would say, but it’s close. I think that really helped to have a fun reading experience, and I think it really dug into the main character’s mind.
The book follows “twelve-and-a-half” year old, Eliot, on his summer break in a small fishing town in Nova Scotia. He starts off very angry at his parents for sending him there and has a lot of anxiety about the trip. Let’s just say that he warms up to it.
I was a little disappointed in the shortness of the book. I feel like there were so many things that could have gone into more depth. But at the same time that’s one thing I loved about the book- it stays true to the voice and mind of a twelve year old.
The thing that makes the book stand out, that I think Viva did an outstanding job at, is showing very sensitive/complex issues from the eyes of someone who is still very much a child. A wide range of topics were covered in such a short amount of time and yet it didn’t
feel crammed. The book covered issues of bullying, anxiety, abuse, and big business. The beauty of this book is seeing such a young mind grapple with these things and piece them together. I applaud Viva for that. I find it very important to expose people at a young age to these subjects without shocking them into it, or making the entire book solely about the serious. This book had a good balance of showing bad things but also showing how life carries on. A model, I think, more authors should follow.
I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a fast, summer read. It’s actually the whole reason I finally realized it was summer in the first place- the book had me imagining the ocean and fishing and summer vacation. It’s quick, it’s sweet, but golly does it leave you wanting more.
That Blushing Book Girl 