Beyond the Bright Sea by Lauren Wolk

In 1925, 12-year-old Crow has many questions and a “nagging need” to find answers. She knows that when she was a few hours old she was set adrift in a small boat that landed on a tiny island in the Elizabeth Islands in Massachusetts. A man named Osh had found her and raised her. But where did she come from? Who had placed her in that boat, and what was her real name? And why do so many islanders avoid her?

When Crow sees a mysterious fire on a distant, seemingly deserted island, she convinces Osh and their intrepid neighbor, Miss Maggie, to go with her to see if they can determine the source of the fire. What Crow learns sets the threesome on a path of danger, intrigue, and painful discoveries. Step by step, Crow receives answers to her questions, and, finally, is “glad to know something not everyone did: that there are better bonds than blood.”

In this fast-paced, adventurous, and thought-provoking juvenile novel, author Lauren Wolk has created memorable, complex characters thrown together by intriguing events. They live in a historical period when prejudice—the nature of which is revealed as Crow discovers her origins—causes loneliness, alienation, and emotional pain for those affected by it. (Dutton Children’s Books)