Beyond the Bright Sea book cover
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Scott O'Dell Award Winner!

Beyond the Bright Sea

By Lauren Wolk

– Winner of the 2018 Scott O’Dell Award for Historical Fiction - 

From the bestselling author of Echo Mountain and Newbery Honor–winner Wolf Hollow, Beyond the Bright Sea is an acclaimed best book of the year.

An NPR Best Book of the Year • A Parents’ Magazine Best Book of the Year • A Booklist Editors’ Choice selection • A BookPage Best Book of the Year • A Horn Book Fanfare Selection • A Kirkus Best Book of the Year • A School Library Journal Best Book of the Year • A Charlotte Observer Best Book of the Year • A Southern Living Best Book of the Year • A New York Public Library Best Book of the Year

“The sight of a campfire on a distant island…proves the catalyst for a series of discoveries and events—some poignant, some frightening—that Ms. Wolk unfolds with uncommon grace.” –The Wall Street Journal
★ “Crow is a determined and dynamic heroine.” —Publishers Weekly
★ “Beautiful, evocative.” —Kirkus 

The moving story of an orphan, determined to know her own history, who discovers the true meaning of family. 

Twelve-year-old Crow has lived her entire life on a tiny, isolated piece of the starkly beautiful Elizabeth Islands in Massachusetts. Abandoned and set adrift in a small boat when she was just hours old, Crow’s only companions are Osh, the man who rescued and raised her, and Miss Maggie, their fierce and affectionate neighbor across the sandbar.

Crow has always been curious about the world around her, but it isn’t until the night a mysterious fire appears across the water that the unspoken question of her own history forms in her heart. Soon, an unstoppable chain of events is triggered, leading Crow down a path of discovery and danger.

Vivid and heart-wrenching, Lauren Wolk’s Beyond the Bright Sea is a gorgeously crafted and tensely paced tale that explores questions of identity, belonging, and the true meaning of family.

Educator Resources

State Awards

Recommended reading lists from your state's teacher or librarian associations!
  • Indiana
    • Young Hoosier Book Award, 2019-2020
  • Louisiana
    • Louisiana Young Reader's Choice Award, 2019-2020
  • Maine
    • Maine Student Book Award, 2018-2019
  • Maryland
    • Black-Eyed Susan Book Award, 2018-2019
  • Massachusetts
    • Massachusetts Children's Book Award, 2019-2020
  • New Mexico
    • Lizard Book Award, 2018-2019
  • Pennsylvania
    • Keystone to Reading Book Award, 2018-2019
  • Tennessee
    • Volunteer State Book Award, 2019-2020
  • Texas
    • Lectio Book Awards (Austin, TX), 2018-2019
  • Vermont
    • Dorothy Canfield Fischer Book Award, 2018-2019
  • Washington
    • Evergreen Teen Book Award, 2019-2020
  • Wisconsin
    • Just One More Page!, 2018
  • Utah
    • Beehive Book Award, 2019
  • Oregon
    • Oregon Reader's Choice Award (ORCA), 2020
  • Arkansas
    • Charlie May Simon Children's Book Award 2019-2020
  • New Jersey
    • Garden State Teen Book Award 2020
  • South Carolina
    • South Carolina Picture Book Award 2019-2020

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