The Turning

by Emily Whitman Narrated by Kirby Heyborne

Overview

Does he belong to the land or to the sea?

Readers who loved Kelly Barnhill's The Girl Who Drank the Moon and Pam Muñoz Ryan's Echo will be transported to the place where the water and land meet in this exquisitely crafted coming-of-age tale about a selkie boy.

Aran has never truly fit in with his selkie clan. He was born in his human form, without a pelt to transform him into a sleek, strong seal. Each day he waits, left behind while his selkie family explores the deep ocean. What if his pelt never comes? Does the Moon even see him? Is he putting his clan at risk?

When his mother undertakes a journey to the far north to seek help, Aran is left in the care of a reclusive human woman on remote Spindle Island. Life on land is full of more wonders-and more dangers-than Aran could have ever imagined. Soon Aran will be forced to decide: will he fight for his place on land, or return to his home in the sea?

Editorial Reviews

SEPTEMBER 2018 - AudioFile

Narrator Kirby Heyborne creates a youthful tone for Aran, a young selkie, a mythical Celtic creature who takes human form on land and seal form in the sea. Aran wants only to “turn” so he can join the rest of his family in the ocean. When he doesn’t turn as expected, Mam sends him to live with a woman named Maggie, while she tries to find a way to help him. As Aran struggles to adjust to his new island home, Heyborne amplifies his voice to convey the appropriate drama. He delivers wonderful dialogue, moving seamlessly from the high-pitched voice of young Aran to the deep, gruff voice of Maggie’s stern husband. Listeners will cheer on Aran in this fantastical tale sure to please fantasy and folklore fans alike. M.D. © AudioFile 2018, Portland, Maine

From the Publisher

Whitman keeps the suspense high and delivers a satisfying conclusion. A wonderful selection for readers ready to dip their toes into variations on myths and legends without the mayhem and adult themes that often accompany the original tales.” — School Library Journal

“Whitman builds a beautiful slow burn with her evocative middle-grade debut. ...the many layers make for a satisfying read. A contemplative tale about the yearning to belong.” — Booklist

“A half-human, half-selkie boy searches for a way to belong. ...Told from Aran’s first-person point of view, the story goes smoothly...[a] well-conceived story.” — Kirkus Reviews

Booklist

Whitman builds a beautiful slow burn with her evocative middle-grade debut. ...the many layers make for a satisfying read. A contemplative tale about the yearning to belong.

Booklist

Whitman builds a beautiful slow burn with her evocative middle-grade debut. ...the many layers make for a satisfying read. A contemplative tale about the yearning to belong.

Stephanie Garber

A half-human, half-selkie boy searches for a way to belong. ...Told from Aran’s first-person point of view, the story goes smoothly...[a] well-conceived story.

SEPTEMBER 2018 - AudioFile

Narrator Kirby Heyborne creates a youthful tone for Aran, a young selkie, a mythical Celtic creature who takes human form on land and seal form in the sea. Aran wants only to “turn” so he can join the rest of his family in the ocean. When he doesn’t turn as expected, Mam sends him to live with a woman named Maggie, while she tries to find a way to help him. As Aran struggles to adjust to his new island home, Heyborne amplifies his voice to convey the appropriate drama. He delivers wonderful dialogue, moving seamlessly from the high-pitched voice of young Aran to the deep, gruff voice of Maggie’s stern husband. Listeners will cheer on Aran in this fantastical tale sure to please fantasy and folklore fans alike. M.D. © AudioFile 2018, Portland, Maine

Kirkus Reviews

2018-04-25
A half-human, half-selkie boy searches for a way to belong.For his first 11 years, Aran considered himself wholly a selkie pup, living with his mother and a small clan of other adult selkies. Most selkies—seals who can transform into human shape—are born wearing their pelts, but pale-skinned Aran wasn't; his mother assures him it's only a matter of time. Being stuck "in longlimbs" means that Aran can't swim as fast or far as his clan members, which prevents his mother and him from migrating or attending the selkie Moon Day rites with the others. He drinks salt water rather than fresh, but he can't hold his breath underwater for nearly as long as the rest. When he learns that his father was actually a human man, he fears he'll never get his pelt. Finally his clan heads north to seek advice and possibly a pelt from the ancient wise ones, leaving Aran behind. Aran forges a cautious life as a partial human, making friends with a brown-skinned, biracial girl named Nellie and her artist grandfather, a white man. Still, the sea calls him every day, and when violence threatens, Aran flees. Told from Aran's first-person point of view, the story goes smoothly to that point despite some minor flaws in the worldbuilding, only to wreck against the craggy reef of its ending, which rejects his essential duality. A dishonest ending to an otherwise well-conceived story. (Fantasy. 8-12)

Product Details

BN ID:	2940170385492
Publisher:	HarperCollins Publishers
Publication date:	07/24/2018
Edition description:	Unabridged
Age Range:	8 - 11 Years

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