Bestselling author/illustrator ND Stevenson (Nimona) gifts audiences his first middle-grade fantasy with Scarlet Morning, a suspenseful and exceptional magical illustrated novel that follows two orphans determined to change--and save--a world destroyed by adults.
Once, the world wasn't broken: "the sky was blue, and the spray of the sea wouldn't burn your flesh... you could hear the crying of the gulls and not be afraid." At that time, the people of Dickerson's Sea were ruled by the beloved Queen Hail Meridian. But the "blackhearted" Scarlet Morning killed the queen and brought a dreadful storm that destroyed the sea, the birds, and memory itself. Orphans Viola and Wilmur never knew this world; they only know life with Hestur, their caretaker, on the salt-crusted island of Caveat in Dickerson's Sea. After Hestur vanishes, the dangerous and strange Captain Cadence Chase appears looking for "a specific book... one of a kind, and lost for a long time." She is seeking the single treasure in Violet and Wilmur's possession: the Book, full of secrets and puzzles. Despite Hestur's repeated warnings that the children not part with the Book, they trade it in exchange for safe passage on Captain Chase's pirate ship. It is there, surrounded by a generous ragtag crew, that Viola and Wilmur begin to understand how very many secrets have been kept by the captain, by their long-lost caretaker, and by the other adults crossing Dickerson's Sea.
Stevenson delivers a story full of twists and original genre-blending interpretations of magic in Scarlet Morning. Laced with horror and humor--including both the clever wordplay and the silly chaos often favored by children--the story perfectly balances the whiplash of a traditional high fantasy pirate adventure set in a terrifying world reshaped by adults. More than 100 black-and-white illustrations in Stevenson's signature style set tone and add nuance to the unfolding mysteries.
Clever but quiet Viola, gangly, charismatic Wilmur, and Captain Chase, who alternates between endearing and deadly, are the surefire standouts of this wide cast. But readers will likely pick favorites from the myriad side characters, such as the Book's author (who is slowly descending into madness) or kind, soup-sharing Elvey. Fans of Wilmur may be disappointed that the narrative favors Viola's point-of-view over his, but the shocking, satisfying ending leaves the potential for more time spent with him in book two of the duology.
Give Scarlet Morning to fans of Katherine Rundell and Ashley Mackenzie's Impossible Creatures or Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events; even knowing the dangers, they will surely want to set sail on Dickerson's Sea at once. --Nicole Brinkley, bookseller and writer
Shelf Talker: Two orphans set off into a twisted magical world only to discover how much needs to be changed--and saved--in this stunning illustrated middle-grade fantasy.