(2) 4-6 Translated by Laura Watkinson. A raging storm hits town on the one day Lampie forgets to buy matches for the lighthouse, and a ship hits the rocks as a result. Lampie's father, an alcoholic widower, is blamed for the disaster, and Lampie is removed from his care and sent to work as a live-in maid at the creepy and foreboding Black House just outside town. Rumors that a monster lives there prove to be more than fiction: Lampie soon encounters a creature who is half-human-boy, half-mermaid—Edward, the son of the admiral who owns the house. The self-loathing Edward vacillates between striving for human dignity and relishing the monstrous behavior that has all the servants terrified. Lampie befriends Edward, despite his initial obstinacy; he teaches her to read, and she concocts a plan to help him find his place in the outside world. The outside world is not always hospitable, though, and the children must decide whom they can trust in their attempts to save each other from treachery and disappointment. This is a beautifully told (and smoothly translated) story about family, bravery, love, identity, and forgiveness, enhanced with atmosphere-rich crosshatched illustrations. The timeless setting and archetypal ­characters make the story both intriguing and familiar. An imaginative, heartfelt, and plucky tale, with adventure aplenty (including pirates, it turns out) and ­admirable young heroes.

Reviewer: Sarah Berman | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2020