Of salt and shore / written and illustrated by Annet Schaap ; translated by Laura Watkinson.

Item request has been placed! ×
Item request cannot be made. ×
loading   Processing Request
View Catalog Request Item Add to Saved list
  • Additional Information
    • Publication Information:
      First US edition.
    • Abstract:
      Summary: Every night Lampie, the lighthouse keeper's daughter lights the lantern which warns the ships away from the rocks, but when the light goes out one night, a ship is wrecked and Lampie is sent to the Admiral's Black House in disgrace--there she finds and befriends the Admiral's son, who was born with a tail, and together they are pulled into an adventure of mermen and pirates, and secret identities long concealed but soon to be revealed.
    • Notes:
      Originally published as: Lampje by Em. Querido's Uitgeverij, Amsterdam, ©2017.
      Also published in English as: Lampie and the Children of the Sea.
      First published in English by Pushkin Press in 2019.
      Ages 10 and up. Charlesbridge.
    • Other Titles:
      Of salt & shore.
      Lampje. English
    • ISBN:
      9781623542306
      1623542308
    • Accession Number:
      2020000792
    • Accession Number:
      on1132238581
      1132238581
    • Accession Number:
      fay.718744

Reviews

Booklist Reviews 2020 August #1

*Starred Review* Growing up in a village by the sea, Emilia, daughter of the lighthouse keeper and thus nicknamed Lampie, has heard the rumors about the monster in the Admiral's Black House. Now she's about to experience the Black House firsthand, all because she forgot to get the matches for the lighthouse lamp. As luck would have it, a storm blows in while the lamp is unlit and a ship wrecks on the rocks. Now, to pay off the damages, Lampie must work in the Black House for seven years while her father is locked in the lighthouse for the same period. Once in the mansion, Lampie's curiosity leads her to a locked tower, where she finds not a monster but Edward, the admiral's son, who is a merman. What ensues is a friendship that neither Lampie nor Edward ever expected, but one that rescues them for life. Divided into six sections, with intriguing artwork interludes, Schaap's story of family, friendship, and loyalty is humorous, scary, and filled with goodness. The captivating supporting cast of characters—a mix of realistic, fanciful, and stereotypical—makes for a delightful read. This is the first U.S. edition of Schaap's book, first published in the Netherlands to wide acclaim. Grades 4-7. Copyright 2020 Booklist Reviews.

Horn Book Magazine Reviews 2020 #6

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. Sarah A. Berman November/December 2020 p.112 Copyright 2020 Horn Book Magazine Reviews.

PW Reviews 2020 September #4

With this haunting story, author-illustrator Schaap weaves together elements remniscent of Andersen's "The Little Mermaid" and Burnett's The Secret Garden to construct a gothic fable. After a shipwreck occurs during a storm, 11-year-old lighthouse keeper's daughter Emilia Waterman, called Lampie, is taken from her father, who is blamed for the wreck. Inhabited by a bare-bones staff serving an absentee admiral, her bleak new cliffside home, the Black House, is reportedly haunted by a monster. Lampie eventually discovers that the "monster" is Edward, the reclusive, abrasive son of the admiral, who has scaly skin and a fish's tail. Over time, she befriends the boy she nicknames Fish, who's determined to learn how to walk on land despite his "deformity." After a visit to a traveling fair reveals clues about Fish's parentage, Lampie and her new friend wind up in an escapade that will change their lives. Formal language and multiple perspectives result in a narrative distance that, while appropriate for a fairy tale, betrays a lack of focus as the story develops. The inclusion of an era-appropriate "freak show," though delicately handled, may still disturb some readers. Final art not seen by PW. Ages 8–12. (Oct.)

Copyright 2020 Publishers Weekly.