The House on the Cerulean Sea is a fantasy about an orphanage of very unusual magical children.   Each of the children are interesting and unique characters and this could have been the central part of the story, but it is a tale of redemption, compassion, and humanity as seen through the lead character, Linus Baker.   As a worn-out case worker he arrives on the island with some trepidation, sent by Extremely Upper Management to investigate the enigmatic caretaker Arthur Parnassus.

Surprises and revelations unfold as the children and Arthur interact with Linus, but also with people in the outside world.   Linus is a representative of the Department in Charge of Magical Youth, a bureaucratic and distant rules-based organization, but the model doesn’t work for these children and the result is that they are usually treated with both fear and discrimination.  Faced with the unfairness of the situation, Linus grows from the role of inspector to a role of caregiver and protector.  Over a period of time, Linus becomes part of a family and he has to make some hard choices.   Early in the story we meet a number of endearing characters, but by the end of the book, we are also proud to know Linus and Arthur too.

An endearing tale and recommended to anyone whose heart strings need a tune-up.  4.7/5