Secret Sisters of the Salty Sea audiobook

Alix is with her parents and older sister driving for a week’s vacation to the ocean, her first time ever. With her playful imagination, Alix envisions palm trees, turquoise water, and sunsets, but when things don’t turn out as she hopes- it’s too cold for palm trees, their ocean view faces east- that’s ok too. This book is refreshing in it’s easy going nature. Even when Alix has a June beetle chomp onto her arm or when a walk on the beach with dad becomes overlong, everyone remains flexible and positive. The parents are supportive and engaged while the sister relationship is both realistic and idealistic; they don’t fight, they adjust. This is a book where sisters allow for their differences whether working as a team or following their separate paths, and where a new friend is made through cartwheels and handsprings. This is a book where a nightmare (BIG bug) can morph into a perfect moment with mom or where a sand castle, destroyed by a boy whose potato chips litter the masterpiece like fireworks, becomes a “bobbing, churning mantel of birds”, the most amazing thing ever seen. Experiences are fully realized not through grand conflict but rather through the characters’ willingness to completely engage in the moments at hand. The characters’ trust in possibilities allow for those possibilities to evolve such as when a walk through a cranberry bog turns into an unexpected and meaningful visit to a raptor rehabilitation facility. Through her usual flare with language and detailed observations laced with humor and wit, Perkins deftly paints precise pictures in her reader’s minds. A complimentary treat are Perkins black and white illustrations which enliven key moments throughout. This is a perfect book for independent readers but would also make a great read-aloud either in an elementary classroom or snuggled up at home. As a school librarian and lifelong reader of children’s books, I highly recommend this exemplary book. Buy this book and head to the beach!

This is a perfect example of a sweet, summery book. Light, but not fluffy. A family on vacation—a week at the beach, and the first time Alix and her sister Jools have seen the ocean. It’s not heavy on plot, but the girls both see and do new things, make new friends, learn about themselves and the world. It’s lovely and gentle, with some surprises and some great funny moments. The writing is thoughtful and pretty without preciousness. You may come away from this one with a little bit of a beach vacation contact high. Side note, and this says more about me than the book: The parents in this book are wonderful, and I don’t know quite what to make of them. They seem like they could be real people—they’re funny, and they’ve got consistent personalities, so they didn’t seem flat to me. But I kept reading the book and waiting for them to make a move that showed that they weren’t perfect parents, and it NEVER HAPPENED. Ok, maybe they should have taken their car in to be checked before going on a long drive, and maybe they didn’t stick to their budget at the casino. And I know they’re fictional. But they always did and said the right things for their kids. They never lost their senses of humor, they were kind and patient and never cranky. They were like Zen ninja parents (I know that’s not a thing). This is not a complaint. It just made me want to ask them (again, I know they’re fictional) “HOW ARE YOU SO GOOD ALL THE TIME? Also, please teach me.” As I said: more about me than the book.

Very cute and realistic. It truly captured the spirit, actions, and internal dialogue of young girls.

Grades 2-5, and/or readaloud? This is a quiet chapter book of small moments that gently explore family dynamics and, to a lesser extent, issues of class/socioeconomic status. I read this right after a rollicking MG Adventure-Mystery where lots happens on every page and as a result I felt a little bored through the first few chapters, but I’m so glad I stuck with this because it really grew on me. The plot/structure (a white family’s modest week-long beach vacation in a rented house) helps to cultivate an unplugged, throwback vibe, and the big sister/little sister relationship was very very good, and dare I say kinda Ramona and Beezus-y? The ways in which elements of class awareness are woven through the chapters really worked for me, and I’d like to think that this book will serve well in window/mirror/door capacity depending on the book’s readers. For lots of kids, a vacation like this is beyond their family’s reach, and yet for others who’ve experienced over-the-top all-inclusive Caribbean beach resorts (and I’ve served as school librarian to kids at both ends of the spectrum) this will perhaps offer perspective and a chance for gratitude. Regardless of socioeconomic status, there’s lots to relate to here with regards to everyday life, family relationships, and appreciation of the natural beauty of the world. Given the author’s previous Newbery gold, and the high literary quality, I wouldn’t be surprised if this garnered some attention from award committees.

Listened to the audiobook. 99% of this is a well-written, realistic middle-grade book about a girl’s beach vacation with her family. Some sections in the latter part of the book were a bit inexplicable to me in terms of consistency of POV and tone, but I’d have to go back and see it in print to make sure. Also, as good as this book is, it doesn’t shine the way the Penderwicks books do (i.e. Point Mouette), and I am trying to figure out why. At the moment the best I can come up with is this book is too realistic (despite some aforementioned oddities) where the Penderwicks books offer literary escapism. But on the other hand, something like Rylant’s Rosetown, which I’ve also recently read, and also quite good, goes too far and struck me as too idealized to get swallowed in. So I still can’t really explain the indelibility of the Penderwicks. A couple years ago, when Penderwicks in Spring came out, I compared it to the Harry Potter books and The Westing Game—that analogy is still probably better than any direct explication.

A family with two young girls goes on vacation, spending a week on the ocean. No huge dramas, no life-threatening crises, no shattering issues. This is a sweet, affirming, heart-warming celebration of small moments. Feeling the ocean waves for the first time, walking the beach, sand castles with different kinds of bucket mixtures, imaginative play, a new friend, horseshoe crabs and learning to be brave.I adored this book! It is a balm for battered souls. Gentle, enchanting and lovely.This would make a lovely read aloud.

Vacationing at the beach with her mother, father, and older sister Jools, Alix finds a friend and has surprising adventures including holding an injured falcon and eating periwinkles. This is not "effervescent" as the blurb says, but it is certainly charming in its quiet way. It would be a good read aloud and a good read for an early able reader -- one that enjoyed Henkes The Year of Billy Miller. There is a lot of description, which makes it a bit slow but will help a child who has never been to the beach and appeal to one who has had a similar vacation. There are also appealing "adventures" including investigating horseshoe crabs, finding sea stars, building sand castles and making sea glass necklaces.

All of Perkins' books have a certain leisurely quality to them, but this one is downright languid. It's the story of a family taking a vacation to the beach for a week to hang out doing not much of anything. The long car ride there, sitting and playing in the sand, taking long, slow walks and bike rides, having simple conversations. All the more credit to Perkins that none of this ever gets the least bit boring. It's all about finding joy in the small things, both mundane and slightly unexpected. It's quiet, but fully immersive and pleasurable. A nice, relaxing escape.By this point, Alix and Jools did not expect a lot from PineyWild. It was just going to be a walk. A boring walk through deserted places.The good part about that was how, when you were desperate, little things could seem interesting. Like how the heat made a shimmery place in the air. Or how ants were building giant sand hills in the cracks of the pavement.

I liked this so much more than I thought I would. Nothing much really happens, and spending a week at the beach (what state? I couldn't figure it out. It drove me crazy. Maine?) in a rented house is a foreign concept to some of my students. And they may see it as "girly." But I loved Perkins' style ... it was almost dreamlike.p. 222: "You never knew what amazing thing would happen next, that was for sure. Alix wondered if that might be true in Shembleton, too. If it could be true in everyday life, when you weren't on vacation. She felt that it could."I'm going to try and hold on to that when the school year starts ...

This book is like the perfect shore vacation. Nothing much happens, but so much happens! Alix and her big sister Jools are headed off to the ocean for the first time. They experience all sorts of things, from long beach walks to bike rides to making some vacation friends.The writing in this book has beautiful descriptions of every day life. Perkins also does a great job of making the characters feel real and developed. Alix and Jools both felt like kids I would have known or been when I was younger.A gentle and realistic read that is still very interesting!-dmz

Engaging is a great way to describe this story of two sisters, their family, and the new friends they make on vacation at the seashore. I wanted to keep reading to find out what new adventure they'd experience next. None of the conflict was too stressful, and there were plenty of moments I just wanted to squeeze the characters with warmth and the joy of life.This story doesn't move quickly, but for the gentle reader, a gentle story.

Perkins turns each day of a vacation at the shore into a series of memorable vignettes, all grounded in loving family relationships. The main character, Alix, has a lively curiosity and enthusiasm, and her experiences are so vividly realized that the reader feels like they are there along with the family on a trip to the shore. There's plenty of room at the end of the vacation for new stories about Alix and her quietly observant older sister Jools.

Family of 4 (2 sisters) spend a week at the ocean.Wonderful parents; attentive, supportive, and kind.Qualities that were refreshing to read.Horseshoe crabs, moonlight, sea glass, sand castles, tides & currents, periwinkles, casino cards, a hawk rescue, a couple flat tires; along with imagination and friendships.