The Ocean Within

by V. M. Caldwell, Erica Magnus (Illustrator)

Overview

Elizabeth is the newest member of the big and boisterous Sheridan family. They try to make her feel at home, but Elizabeth stays apart. She knows from previous experience in foster homes that one day she’ll be sent away.

As the story opens, all the Sheridan kids are headed to the beach for a vacation at their grandmother’s house. Elizabeth secretly looks forward to fulfilling one of her private dreams: to see the ocean. The Sheridans, on the other hand, are just too much—too prone to hugging, too loud, too enthusiastic. Only Petey, the youngest boy, is not overwhelming to be with.

Pretty soon Elizabeth has found a favorite perch overlooking the water. But her attitude threatens to ruin everyone’s vacation. It’s only a matter of time before a showdown between Elizabeth and the grandma she calls “Iron Woman” ensues. Who will win?

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781571316240
Publisher:	Milkweed Editions
Publication date:	08/17/1999
Series:	Milkweed Prize for Children's Literature Series
Edition description:	1 ED
Pages:	236
Sales rank:	980,414
Product dimensions:	5.25(w) x 8.00(h) x (d)
Lexile:	560L (what's this?)
Age Range:	8 - 13 Years

Editorial Reviews

Caldwell's first novel, told from the perspective of 11-year-old Elizabeth Lawson, offers an insightful yet somewhat limited view of a reticent foster child. Recently adopted, Elizabeth is overwhelmed when she, her three new siblings and a mass of Sheridan cousins gather for an annual month-long visit at Grandmother Sheridan's house by the sea. Elizabeth feels like an outsider and, though quietly cooperative during the reunion, she refuses to participate in family rituals and games. Her favorite times are spent by herself at the ocean, perched on a rock while the others swim and play on the beach. Most of the Sheridans are frustrated by Elizabeth's seeming indifference, but perceptive, firm Grandmother (whom Elizabeth secretly calls "Iron Woman") and youngest cousin Petey never give up trying to draw her out of her shell. At first, readers may, like Elizabeth, find it difficult to differentiate individual personalities from among the crowd of happy, bubbly Sheridan children; but as the story progresses, the characters' distinguishing traits become visible. Still, the occasionally overwritten narrative (e.g., when Elizabeth offers to help Petey with his homework, "Hope warred against disbelief in his eyes. Hope won, and he nodded") leaves many questions unanswered concerning the protagonist herself. Little information is given about her past, nor is much evidence offered as to why her new parents are so eager to adopt her. Yet her discomfort and yearning to belong somewhere will be strongly felt. If Elizabeth's motivations and history are muddy, her emotions are crystal clear. Ages 8-13. (Sept.) Copyright 1999 Cahners Business Information.

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

Gr 6-9-An insightful story filled with all of the mundane details that make a novel rich and real. Elizabeth and the Sheridan children are on a holiday visit with "Grandma." While the others are noisy, Elizabeth is silent. When the others trade stories of previous years, she has no such memories. As the novel progresses, readers learn that she is a foster child, that her parents died when she was five, and that she has endured six years in the foster-care system. The girl withdraws from each display of affection and refuses to join in family activities; she hides whenever she can, refusing to talk unless forced. But she watches carefully. Each event, each family crisis, is appraised by this bright and thoughtful child. It's Petey, the four-year-old, who calls her "Turtle" because she has a hard shell, who finally cracks that shell and touches the real Elizabeth. It will take a mature reader to understand Elizabeth's reticence in joining this happy family and to follow the almost stream-of-consciousness narration. The author's agenda shows occasionally, but the emotions and actions always ring true.-Karen K. Radtke, Milwaukee Public Library Copyright 1999 Cahners Business Information.

Library Journal

A finely crafted first novel that looks at family and new opportunities from the perspective of a foster child. Elizabeth, 11, is completely shut down from years of foster care. She has trained herself well: she barely speaks and allows herself no pleasures. She views her adoption by Kevin and Karen Sheridan as just another temporary situation, to be endured without getting emotionally entangled. The summer opens as she goes with the Sheridan children and their cousins—nine in all—to spend the season at Grandma Sheridan's beach house. The Sheridans are a raucous and deeply affectionate family, and Elizabeth is overwhelmed by their noise and their joy. Elizabeth's passion is the ocean, which she has dreamed of seeing; too afraid to actually let the water touch her, she watches the ocean for hours while the others swim and play. It is four-year-old Petey who begins to reach Elizabeth; too young to be deceived, he recognizes both her loneliness and her fear. Allowing the Sheridans to be both loving and human, Caldwell is careful not to overplay Elizabeth's walls, and her pain, which is almost suffocating; absorbed young readers will find they are holding their breath at the end. (b&w illustrations, not seen) (Fiction. 10-13)

Kirkus Reviews