Orphans of the Tide

October 18, 2021
After the death of her brother and inventor mother, orphaned gadgeteer Ellie Lancaster, 12 and cued as white, is left responsible for maintaining many of the intricate mechanisms that help “catch whales, gather oysters, filter seawater, and more” for the inhabitants of the City, a last bastion of humankind that juts out of the flooded world’s sea. When a dead whale washes up onto one of the island’s rooftops, Ellie frees an amnesiac boy, blue-eyed and light brown–skinned, from its stomach, calling him Seth. The City’s Holy Inquisition swiftly declares the newcomer a Vessel of the Enemy—a rogue god who periodically manifests and terrorizes society—and sentences the boy to death. To prove Seth’s innocence, Ellie sets out to find the true Vessel with assistance from charming but capricious Finn and adventurous best friend Anna. Alternating an intriguing third-person narrative with first-person accounts from the previous Vessel, Murray weaves an ambitious tale of paranoia, religious zealotry, and adventure. A strong sense of unexplored history combined with the dynamic characters and atmosphere offers potential for further exploration, and readers will enjoy Ellie’s struggle to protect her friends and home. Ages 8–12. Agent: Stephanie Thwaites, Curtis Brown.