The Aquamarine Surfboard

by Kellye Abernathy

Overview

"Age never matters, these things are about bravery and heart."

Thirteen-year-old Condi Bloom's dream is to learn to surf, but her laid-back beach town isn't what it used to be. Big resort owners are taking over the cove. Worse, someone's harassing the Beachlings, the mysterious old women living in the cliffs off Windy Hollow, a lonely tower of rock that people say is haunted. When a new surfer boy named Trustin shows up in town and invites Condi to a forbidden surfing spot, she's swept into an extraordinary underwater adventure, where a surprising encounter with Koan, the Riddlemaster of the Sea, changes her life. Along with Trustin, his quirky twin and a mystical aquamarine surfboard, Condi learns the untold stories of the Beachlings, uncovering the timeless secrets of Windy Hollow.

Ebbing and flowing between reality and magic, times past and present, The Aquamarine Surfboard by Kellye Abernathy is a riveting beach tale about opening up to mystery, building community when and where you can - and discovering the ocean is filled with magic-the really BIG kind-the kind that changes the world.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781639881246
Publisher:	Atmosphere Press
Publication date:	11/22/2021
Pages:	290
Product dimensions:	5.25(w) x 8.00(h) x 0.65(d)
Age Range:	10 - 13 Years

Editorial Reviews

02/07/2022

Abernathy debuts with a tender, richly imagined middle grade novel about a resort town’s tragic past and uncertain future. Eighth grader Condi Bloom lives with her grandmother, Grand Ella, in the gentrifying Pacific beach town of Dipitious Beach following her parents’ drowning death. Condi longs to surf like all the popular kids and frets about how the new, rich residents are calling for the expulsion of the women known as Beachlings who live in caves on the coast. When she thinks Trustin, a recently arrived cute boy, has gone under while surfing, she recklessly plunges after to save him, where he leads her to Koan, the Master of the Sea. Koan charges Condi with saving the town from selfishness and then wipes her memory of her experience. Back on land, Condi, unaware of her mission, copes with fraught peer relationships, helps Grand Ella defend the Beachlings, and grows closer to Trustin and his twin sister Marissa. When nasty weather threatens the town, all the residents are put to the test.

Abernathy proves adept at crafting characters, capturing the peculiar blend of self-doubt and conviction of her middle school protagonist. The issue of gentrification appears in age-appropriate ways, with the rich newcomers not being overly vilified. The message of treating outsiders with kindness feels genuine, while moments that humanize the Beachlings, like one’s inspired creation of seashell mosaics, offer arresting context and gravity to the battle over their belonging in town.

The supernatural elements don’t overwhelm the plot, though Condi’s brief stint under the sea feels a touch disorienting, with its full cast and complex mythology. As satisfying as the final revelations are, the combination of ghost story and magical undersea realm can feel like a bit too much. Still, thanks to Condi’s forgetting, the bulk of the story should appeal to readers who prefer realistic fiction. This polished, lightly supernatural tale, its tenacious heroine, and well-handled real-world concerns will connect with teens making the transition from middle grade to young adult.

Takeaway: This small-town maritime novel offers a gripping blend of paranormal happenings, mystery, and realistic efforts to belong.

Great for fans of: Karen Strong’s Just South of Home, Melanie Conklin’s Every Missing Piece.

Production grades Cover: A Design and typography: A Illustrations: N/A Editing: A- Marketing copy: A

BookLife Reviews