Martha spends her time helping her Nana on her fishing boat whilst listening to the stories of Selkies. However, everything is changing for Martha (her cousins have moved out of their home next door to Martha, and her Nana is unwell). Martha is desperate to make everything right again but can she do that without making everything worse?
Sarah's previous books The Hunt for the Nightingale and The Night Animals are both wonderful books that cover sensitive topics in an age appropriate and empathetic way and she's done it again with Storm Seal.
Middlesea is a small fishing town with a close-knit community. The locals rely on the sea for their livelihoods and the they don't particularly like the outsiders coming and buying up all their houses, especially as they leave them closed up and empty during the winter months. Martha loves everything about the place. She lives in a small house with her mum, her mum's partner, and her nana, and until recently her cousins lived next door. The community look out for each other and her nana is clearly at the heart of it. I can understand why she doesn't want anything to change. Unfortunately, life isn't like that.
Change is something Martha struggles to deal with. She desperately wants her cousins to remain next door instead of the strangers who move in. She is also desperately worried about her nana who seems to be burying her head in the sand instead of admitting she is ill. Martha clings to the stories of Selkies her nana has told her, so when a black seal appears in the area, she thinks it's relevant.
Storm Seal is a beautifully told story of hope, love and courage, as well as tradition and learning how to move on. It seamlessly incorporates environmental messages about rubbish and protecting our shores and the wildlife that lives there. It's a wonderful story for children who are facing the uncertainty of a grandparent being ill and it remind us all that it's better to talk than to bottle things up.
Along with the illustrations from Sharon King-Chai, Storm Child is a book that is full of love and hope, and I know it will be a huge hit when it publishes on the 4th July.
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