The House in the Cerulean Sea

Great book to read to my teenagers. I know it seems silly but we like to read together and they listen while I read out loud. We are from this area that inspired the writer so it was pretty cool to use our own imagination with them.

A truly fantastic fantastical journey, weaving many important themes of love and hope together. I grew to love every character, with their humorous quirks and unique stories of growth and resilience. In the end, we all just want to find acceptance and connection, within ourselves and with others.

This was a well-paced journey with characters of surprising depth… an apt metaphor for today’s world that is not lost on adult readers. A delight.

Such a beautiful book and will always be one of my favorites. It’s a feel-good book, but many lessons taught throughout about inclusivity and loving one another for who we truly are. I will always recommend this book! Wonderful author.

This book surprised me. It started off slow and formal. What was great about this book was the characters seemed to always say the right thing in the moment. Overall, great book.

An engaging read that celebrates belonging.

Book was an incredible, inspiring story.

Such a delightful book!

Love this book. Such a great story with an inspiring message. One of my favorites I read this year.

Absolutely loved it! Quickly characters, a fun storyline, and a great message.

What a magical book, such a nice escape from reality.

A 'by the books' case worker for magical children is sent on a special assignment to a remote orphanage on an island. Linus Baker loves rules and takes pride in the idea that it is his job to save children with special magical needs from cruel and dangerous homes. The denouement is the process of Linus' growth as he sees the Department in Charge of Magical Youth as a system that treats magical children as second-class citizens. As Linus spends more time with Arthur and the kids, he starts to stand up to a world that would shun them for being different, and develops a romance with Arthur. The clan roots for each other. "The things that we fear the most are often the things we should fear the least. It's irrational, but it's what makes us human. And if we're able to conquer those fears, then there is nothing we're not capable of." "He's right. You can do it." "You're make of strong stuff on the inside, and it's what on the inside that counts." "My insides are rotted and festering like an infected wound leaking pus." "It's the little things. Little treasure we find without knowing their origin, and they come when we least expect them. It's beautiful, when you think about it." This book builds empathy and awareness to prejudice and intolerance. It's well done!

This was one of the best books I’ve read! It will stick with me for a very long time to come. I truly grew to love the characters (very quickly, I might add) and miss them already. I will recommended this book to everyone I can!

Not much of a fantasy reader, but this sweet fairy tale was a delightful read.

This book teaches people that it's important to accept everyone even though we all have differences. All should be included. No one is broken. All are welcome here.

The House in the Cerulean Sea…What a wonderful story about finding yourself, your courage, and your home. TJ Klune does a great job pulling the reader in and making them truly care for these characters. With beautiful descriptions this book creates exquisite scenes in the mind.

This book was amazing! Heartwarming and surprising, I would recommend to any ages :)

beautifully written, already used this story with the children i work with.

When I began reading I wasn't sure it was going to be a book I would like. I am now halfway through and then enjoying the whimsical and magical imagination of the author and intrigued by the lessons I'm learning regarding those who are different. It's now hard to put down to see what the future holds for Linus Baker and all the other characters.

So good we could hardly put it down! It was perfect time for pride month!

Really enjoyed it!

This is a delightful little novel with well-explored characters and lots if nice life lessons mixed in. Highly recommend for a fun weekend read!

Love being able to get access to books like this one and then share them with others!

This book was an interesting and engaging read. The characters, setting, and writing style are all superb. Highly recommend.

This is a sweet book with a good message. A fun read for adult readers, this is an important book in the young adult category with a broad message about acceptance and a comfortable way of introducing gay characters.

This was such a warm and comforting book. In such difficult times, it was nice to read something so lovely and full of meaning.

such a beautiful love story.

This story is funny and amusing for both myself and my 13 year old. Enjoyed it.

very enjoyable.

The House in the Cerulean Sea was an unexpected pleasure. The storytelling is lyrical and well-paced, with character development that is inconsistent in the best way. Some characters get more and some get less, but it all fits together well as each character gets some level of insight. It feels like meeting a group of people who share different levels of openness with you, the reader. The fantasy elements are believeable and supported by the way in which characters engage with their narratives, both real and created. This is a story of bravery, in its different forms, of love and acceptance, and it embraces its cast in all of their bearded, winged, tentacled, rotund and barefooted glory. It's quirky and imperfect and when I was done reading, it stayed with me for several days, as though I'd recently left a shared journey.

A beautiful, magical world, with a slow growing understanding of fighting for those who are different. Starts in a gray, dull society that explodes with color as love and purpose are discovered. Snarky humor; even the cat has personality.

This book was a definite page turner. I couldn't put it down and felt sucked into the story.

Fast and engaging read, exploring how we as a society handle those who are different and may scare us, as well as how we develop and embrace those differences within ourselves. Highly recommended!

I love this book!