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.

“THE HOUSE IN THE CERULEAN SEA is, at its core, a story about kindness. When I sat down to write the book toward the end of 2017/beginning of 2018, the world was in a weirdly dark place. I wanted to find a way to counteract that the best way I knew how: by writing. Little did I know that by the time the book was released in March of 2020, the world would take a turn for the worse. The novel came out right at the beginning of the pandemic, and for a time, I worried it was going to get lost in all the bluster and noise. But the more I’ve thought about it, and the more I’ve heard from readers who’ve taken an adventure to this mysterious island, the more I believe this book came out exactly when it was supposed to. The message of kindness and speaking up for those who can’t speak for themselves is one I think we all need to be reminded of. I know I need that reminder. THE HOUSE IN THE CERULEAN SEA has been described many times as a hug in the form of a book, and I can’t think of a better description. We could all use a hug every now and then.” (T.J. Klune)

An endearing tale and recommended to anyone whose heart strings need a tune-up.   4.7 out of 5.0 stars4.7

An audiobook excerpt: