Common Sense is the nation's leading nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the lives of all kids and families by providing the trustworthy information, education, and independent voice they need to thrive in the 21st century. I so appreciate you sharing another perspective. I am but paper, and though there are many like me, none are exactly the same. The girl isnt levitating anything, its a metaphor for a hobby or belief that society doesnt approve of, or something she would get made fun of. I usually blog each morning while my son takes an online class but last week I traded that in for daily breakfast in bed with my daughter while we snuggled up to watch iCarly. I am not a fantasy genre reader either and read it for a challenge. New comments cannot be posted and votes cannot be cast. When you buy through our links, Insider may earn an affiliate commission. Your privacy is important to us. An enchanting story, masterfully told, The House in the Cerulean Sea is about the profound experience of discovering an unlikely family in an unexpected placeand realizing that family is yours. Daisy This character is a telekinetic 11-year-old; she has used her powers to throw a chair, causing a DICOMY investigation to be opened. It comes from a place of anger and an unhappiness at the state of the world, and a sincere wish to right the wrongs we see. If you can get past the weirdness, its such a cute story of found family and love. He has lived his life according to the rules, until he is sent on a special project to Marsyas Island Orphanage - home to . Change often starts with the smallest of whispers. The House on Mango Street and Jazz are first and A dangerous task. Please tell me (warn me?) This book reminds me of Harry Potter in so many ways. I didnt see anyallusionsin the texteitherand read it as an allegory for discrimination against queer people. I wonder if you changed it to be metaphorical (not really a gnome, but maybe she looks or acts differently) and society views her as an outcast. I have holes. 'Likely to cause heart-swelling' - Washington Post 'A modern fairy tale . Published on Feb 13, 2023. It is idealistic to a fault. Download\Read The House in the Cerulean Sea Books Full Versions Books by T.J. Klune.. Synopsis : A magical island. It was my favorite part of the whole week and Im missing it today . In much the same way, I think the people who have picketed and railed against The House of the Cerulean Sea in recent weeks probably also hold the sincere belief that they are doing something good and positive. Its a fantastical story but one that has its feetsomewhatrooted in reality, compared to THITCS. As for the charge of trivialising an actual tragedy, I think one has to decide for themselves if a story can trivialise something it literally does not reference in the text at all, even though the author may have drawn inspiration from it. On the surface, it's a feel-good fantasy novel but in the end, it's about so much more. Again, I am not opposed to anyone wanting to read whatever it is they want into any text but I just want to spend a minute here to ask ourselves: what harm are we averting, mitigating, or neutralising here exactly by attacking Mr Klune? And it isnt even a particularly original idea (I mean, its practically just X-Men) and if he didnt talk about his inspirations, no one could even tell. Change). She is an Army veteran, an avid reader, and designs book-themed stickers for her Etsy shop.Say hi to Katherine at. Genres Fantasy FictionLGBTRomanceYoung AdultAudiobookQueer .more 394 pages, Kindle Edition First published March 16, 2020 Book details & editions I really liked the children characters, especially Lucy who could be both mischievous and vulnerable. [7][8], Klune's love of writing began as a child in the 1980s, where he would write fan fiction about his favorite action-adventure video game Metroid. I loved this book. That's page 1. Now what does this mean for the other 2 fantasy books that I will be (forcing myself?) Its one of the best books Ive read in quite awhile. I've read it twice and understand why Goodreads and TikTok readers love it so much. *, *Subscribe with your email address to my blog (scroll all the way to the bottom of this page on mobile devices OR check the top right of this screen to enter your email address)*, *If you already have a blog, please follow mine*, *Like myFacebook page(and please comment on, like, and share my posts)*, *Clicking and buying products through my Amazon Affiliate links. He wanted to be able to write a novel that had an accurate representation of queer relationships, that were not stereotypical, instead were seen as relatable and positive. I have lines. I have Midnight Library in my kindle queue! I still noticed this slow build during my second read, but also picked up on so many little clues to the climax and conclusion that I enjoyed the steady ride through the children's daily education, outdoor adventures, and Linus' work correspondences. Now, while I am not white, I am also not an indigenous First Nation person either, and I dont think anyone should listen to me but just in case you are, I wish to say I believe one has to be deeply uncharitable to read such heinous crimes into Mr Klunes book. This type of fantasy is just not for me no matter how hard I try. Like-minded people building it up to a roar. Once I got acquainted with the characters, their situation, and Linus Baker's mission, the book took a bit of a leisurely pace. I put to you that not even Mr Klunes harshest critics believe that a reasonable person reading this book would come away with the idea that indigenous children should be forcibly adopted by white parents or placed in residential schools. Linus Baker. Profiting from both the cultural and literal genocide of indigenous people. Its the belief that we are capable of making meaningful changes to the world we live in by performing small, seemingly trivial actions. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. If you chose to provide an email address, it will only be used to contact you about your comment. I am not much of a religion guy but I think it is important to have faith that no matter how unlikely it is, we can be anything we want. Brittle and thin. It is sad, but I guess there's no point to morose. Btw, I also really enjoyed Midnight Library. The characters include an amorphous blob who aspires to be a bellhop, a wyvern who adores buttons, a gnome who loves gardening, and other delightful and distinct personalities. I think it is also important to believe that no matter how imperfect or flawed we are, we are still capable of making meaningful changes to the world we live in. TJ KLUNE is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling, Lambda Literary Award-winning author of The House in the Cerulean Sea, The Extraordinaries, and more. At forty, he lives in a tiny house with a devious cat and his old records. Lucy frowned. So what if I, an adult, want to indulge in a daydream in which my Sword of Destiny is my good intentions, and believeeven for just a few hundred pages that if I wield it sincerely and earnestly enough, I can defeat deeply entrenched systemic issues of bigotry and discrimination in just a couple of weeks? And it isnt even a particularly original idea (I mean, its practically just X-Men) and if he didnt talk about his inspirations, no one could even tell. So, this is it? Daisy, 11, used her powers to throw a chair at another kid, Marcus. Thats page 1. Follow. A lot of what makes the romance in "The House in the Cerulean Sea" great is the idealism, and the worldbuilding is wonderful in how it fully commits to a world of magic, leaning into the silly and the absurd at times. The goal was for primarily white, middle-class families across Canada, the US, and even Europeto adopt these children. I have holes. As to why there is a delay between the publishing of the book last year and the outrage this year, its because it was dredged up in the wake of the discovery of the remains of 215 First Nation children near Kamloops Indian Residential School last month and then the subsequent discovery of 751 unmarked graves at the Marieval Indian Residential School a few days ago. It was about this time that Linus felt his vision gray yet again at the thought ofof this child. The opposite, if anything. I dont always like the fantasy type either. TJ Klune's book tells the story of children with magical abilities who have been removed from their families to live in an orphanage. Mild-mannered government caseworker Linus Baker is sent on a secret assignment to an island orphanage he's never even heard of. A magical island. The House in the Cerulean Sea is a work of classic children's literature written for adults and children alike, with the perspective and delicacy of the modern day. Theres a lot more going on with this story than just magical creatures and pixie dust. Linus is the protagonist of this novel. Also, an attraction that cannot be denied is building between him and Arthur Parnassus, though he's doing his best to deny it. And I feel thatthose who said he glamourised residential schools in the bookare doing so in incredibly bad faith since the whole point of the book tries to make is that such state-run facilities are bad. And furthermore, Linus ethnicity was never clarified in the book, not even once. . Later in his childhood, he began writing original stories. This ultimately resulted in T. J. Klune, a prominent queer author, wanting to commit suicide during Pride Month and needing to up his dose of antidepressants to cope. , Ha ok good to knowbut.you just lost me at little gnome girl. Linus Baker is a social worker in the Department in Charge of Magical Youth. Change often starts with the smallest of whispers. For more information, please see our This book . The House in the Cerulean Sea is a fantasy novel by TJ Klune, published in March 2020. If you don't know what Canadian residential schools are, this was a government effort towards cultural assimilation of First Nations carried out by Catholic and Protestant churches. [12], Klune's Young Adult debut, The Extraordinaries, is praised by Kirkus for its use of superhero and fan fiction tropes, while Publishers Weekly compliments Klune on writing a teenaged character with ADHD in a positive and supportive light. We won't share this comment without your permission. At the end of the day, this is a fantasy novel that can satisfy many readers, even if they're not usually fantasy fans. That moved. I don't read fantasy novels often, usually finding it too challenging to keep track of magic rules, fantastical species, and complicated worlds. Klune has spoken about how his asexuality influences his writing. This is why we have driven this gay man tothoughts of suicide? Be cast anyallusionsin the texteitherand read it twice and understand why Goodreads and TikTok readers love it so much ofof. Canada, the US, and even Europeto adopt these children of indigenous people it as an for. In so many ways against queer people read it as an allegory for discrimination queer! I 've read it twice and understand why Goodreads and TikTok readers love it so much more compared THITCS. Be posted and votes can not be posted and votes can not cast! 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