Staff Picks: The House in the Cerulean Sea

Looking for an adventure that will make you feel like a kid again? 

Check out The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune.

It's like a children's book but for adults! 

Travel with Linus, a case worker for the Department in Charge of Magical Youth, to Marsyas Island Orphanage, where six dangerous children reside: a gnome, a sprite, a wyvern, an unidentifiable green blob, a were-Pomeranian, and the Antichrist. (It sounded like a children's book for a second there, didn't it? Nope. It's from the Adult Collection.) 

The main character, Linus, is a forty-year-old man living a solitary life with his quirky cat and old record collection. He lives an endless cycle of days of welfare check visits to orphanages for magical children until he receives a summons from Extremely Upper Management. His new assignment is to travel to the most dangerous orphanage, one that has never been heard of before. He must overcome his fears and uncertainties to obtain the information required. However, everything changes the second he steps onto Marsyas Island. His experiences with the children and their caretaker, Arthur, challenge his views on happiness, bigotry, and what makes a family. 

This novel has elements of whimsy and fantasy that sparked my imagination. (Every time they mentioned Chauncey, the unidentifiable green blob, I pictured Bob from Monsters vs. Aliens!) Each character has a unique personality, which can be a bit dark at times, and is incredibly enjoyable to read about. The underlying themes of overcoming biases, finding who you are and what creates a family make this fun, dark-humored, surprising novel incredibly heartwarming. 

You can place a hold on The House in the Cerulean Sea and TJ Klune's other fantastic novels through our catalog here.

Stephani Lindsey

Youth Specialist

Sharon Forks Library

#WeKnowBooks