Lost Children of the Far Islands

In a lush and swiftly moving fantasy, Gustavia (aka Gus) and her twin brother, Leo, are approaching their 11th birthday when life becomes strange. Tides are unusually high in the Gulf of Maine, fishermen disappear in sudden storms, and Gus and Leo discover that they can remain underwater without surfacing for breath. After their mother becomes deathly ill, Gus, Leo, and their highly sensitive younger sister are secreted away by an extinct species of sea mink called "The Bedell," who leads them to their maternal grandmother, the Morai, on the mysterious Far Islands. The children learn that they are "Folk," able to transform into animals like seals and foxes, and they must help prevent the dark Dobhar-Chu and his wolves from claiming the sea. Raabe's (Leave It Behind) poetic sensibility is visible in her vibrant descriptions of the ocean, the shape-shifters' heightened senses, and her vision of a liminal world hidden from human perception. Ages 8%E2%80%9312. (Apr.)