The Girl Who Sailed the Stars
by Matilda Woods (Author) Anuska Allepuz (Illustrator)
Adventure, friendship, and magical realism come together in this heartwarming, whimsical story.
When Oona Britt was born in the magical town of Nordlor, where all of the homes are built from wrecked ships, her parents never expected her to be a girl. Having listened to a faulty prediction from a washed-up soothsayer, they were promised a "bold and brave son," so as the youngest of seven sisters, Oona's birth became a disappointment -- especially to her sea captain father, who doesn't believe there's a place for girls aboard ships. But Oona is different from the rest of her family. She longs for adventure and knowledge. So she steals aboard her father's ship just as he's about to set sail for his annual winter whale hunt, and suddenly finds herself in the midst of a grand adventure! The ship has its own sea cat, Barnacles, and a navigator named Haroyld, who show Oona how to follow the stars. But for all that, Oona's father is furious. Can she prove to him that she's worth his love and pride, even though she's not the bold and brave son he was promised?
"Elegantly told from start to finish and enhanced by Allepuz's evocative images and decorations, debut author Woods has created a fairy tale that will linger with readers." --Publishers Weekly, starred review
"This uplifting book will enthrall readers, enveloping them in its gentle charm." --Booklist, starred review
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School Library Journal
Gr 3-6-- A plucky girl survives a lonely and unloved beginning to find adventure and happiness in this richly imaginative fantasy that brings to mind Joan Aiken's "Wolves Chronicles" with a dash of Roald Dahl. Oona Britt's father is terribly disappointed when his prophesied son turned out to be yet another daughter and wants to have nothing to do with her. Her mother and six older sisters are equally uncaring (though one of the sisters learns to appreciate Oona's qualities and avoids an uncomfortably cold fate as a result). But Oona, now 11, is smart and creative. She figures out a way to get an education even though girls aren't supposed to, and refuses to give up her dream to join her father on his whaling ship. To avoid being forced to accompany her mother and sisters to the South to be married off, Oona stows away on the Plucky Leopard, determined to prove herself. With the help of a kindly navigator named Haroyld, who sees in Oona the daughter he and his wife lost at birth, she does just that. Her father seems to be warming toward her, but abandons her entirely when she refuses to help him kill the fabled nardoo. The setting is beautifully rendered, with intricate details. For instance, all the buildings in Nordlor are constructed out of sunken ships; they not only creak and groan, but rock back and forth. VERDICT Strong world-building joins lyrical prose and a fine leavening of humor, adventure, and magic, to make a winning combination.--Mara Alpert, Los Angeles Public Library
Copyright 2019 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.Review quotes
JUV013060 - Juvenile Fiction | Family | Parents
JUV039140 - Juvenile Fiction | Social Themes | Self-Esteem & Self-Reliance
Adventure and adventurers
Adventure stories
Fathers and daughters
Fantasy
Fantasy fiction
Seafaring life
Shipwrecks
