By Lisette Auton (author)
"Magic, mermaids, friendship and found families ripple through this charming adventure set in a haven for disabled people"
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March 2022 Debut of the Month | Shortlisted for the Week Junior Book Awards 2023
Lisette Auton’s The Secret of Haven Point is an accomplished, inclusive, captivating debut that will chime with fans of lyrical adventures and disabled readers longing for literary representation.
All Alpha Lux has known is Haven Point. Washed up here as a baby, she was raised by a mermaid, and is now one of 42 Wrecklings who reside in this special home: “You see, everyone who finds this place and becomes a Wreckling is disabled. If you’re not, you’re an Outsider, and no Outsider has ever made it past the Boundaries”.
Alpha, her best friend Badger (so named for her “pitch-black Afro with one white streak”), and the other Wrecklings spend their days looting ships like “seafaring Robin Hoods”. Their routine is “ruled by the moon and water” under the watchful eyes of the Cap’n and a clutch of mermaids, away from the feared Outsiders.
The sense of having found a loving family is wonderfully evoked, with plenty of wit and mischief alongside the warm sense of community. Then, when Alpha suspects their safe world is about to be infiltrated by Outsiders, the Wrecklings face big questions around who they are, what they want, and what they might have to do to protect themselves.
Through well-plotted adventure and rich symbolism, this speaks to readers on many levels, and is sure to charm fans of Katherine Rundell. “We’re proud to be Wrecklings”, Alpha pronounces, which pretty much sums up this novel’s heart-warming message of inclusion and finding a place to call home.
A stunning literary adventure from an incredible debut talent, perfect for fans of Kiran Millwood Hargrave, Cerrie Burnell and Katherine Rundell.
Read the full description
I was Haven Point's first Wreckling, but I certainly wasn't the last. There are forty-two of us now, not including the mermaids. When you're a Wreckling, you mainly spend your days squabbling, eating and planning adventures. Oh, and Wrecklings also carry out wreckings, which is how we got our name . . .
Washed up as a baby beside a remote lighthouse and raised by a mermaid, Alpha Lux was the first foundling at Haven Point. Now the lighthouse is a ramshackle home for any disabled person who needs somewhere to belong.
Looting from passing ships to make a living, they call themselves the Wrecklings, and for the children of Haven Point life is spent adventuring on the wild shore (and getting into trouble with the grown-ups). But when Alpha spots a strange light up on the headland, she realizes that her beloved family are in danger of being discovered by Outsiders.
With their home under threat, the Wrecklings must decide what kind of future they want . . . and what they're willing to do to get it.
A charming tale of found families and mermaids, with my favourite kind of hero at its heart - Elle McNicoll, award-winning author of A Kind of Spark
Lisette Auton is a northern disabled writer, activist, poet, novelist, spoken-word artist, actor, film and theatre-maker, and creative practitioner. She's an award- winning poet who has performed at Northern Stage, ARC, the Southbank Centre and the Sage, in pubs, in a crypt, at festivals, indoors, outdoors, on a bridge and in a launderette.
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A stunning literary adventure from an incredible debut talent, perfect for fans of Kiran Millwood Hargrave, Cerrie Burnell and Katherine Rundell. I was Haven Point's first Wreckling, but I certainly wasn't the last.
The LoveReading4Kids Editorial Team have read and reviewed The Secret of Haven Point and determined it is suitable for children aged 9-12 years old
The Secret of Haven Point features in the following genres: Adventure Stories, Children's and Young Adult Fiction, Children’s, Teenage and Educational, Debuts of the Month, Recommendations, Fantasy / Magical, Featured Books for 11+ readers, PSHE: Special educational needs and disability (SEND), Personal Social Health Economic (PSHE), Stories about Family and Friends, Featured Books for 9+ readers
Paperback. £7.19, down from the £7.99 cover price. In Stock.
The Secret of Haven Point was written by Lisette Auton and published by Puffin an imprint of Penguin Random House Children's UK
The Secret of Haven Point has 400 pages
£7.19, reduced from £7.99. In Stock.
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