Author: A. Deborah Baker
Series: The up and under series #2
Genre: Magical Realism, Middle Grade, Fantasy
Publication date: October 12, 2021
Book Description (from GoodReads): After climbing Over the Woodward Wall and making their way across the forest, Avery and Zib found themselves acquiring some extraordinary friends in their journey through the Up-and-Under.
After staying the night, uninvited, at a pirate queen’s cottage in the woods, the companions find themselves accountable to its owner, and reluctantly agree to work off their debt as her ship sets sail, bound for lands unknown. But the queen and her crew are not the only ones on board, and the monsters at sea aren’t all underwater.
The friends will need to navigate the stormy seas of obligation and honor on their continuing journey along the improbable road.
Review:
We continue to follow Zib and Avery, who by now get along and support each other, their differences are still rubbing them a bit. The children along with their new friends Niahm and the Crow girl are tired from the stress of their journey. They are searching for the Queen of Wands, who they believe has the answers on how to return to their home. The positive side of this second installment, the first chapter does have a refresher of what happened in the first book so in case you have let a little bit of time between the first and the continuation, you don't need to worry.
Avery, Zib, the Crow Girl and Niamh, bedraggled and footsore from walking the improbable road for so long, drink from a well of water and then, for no particularly good reason, tumble down to the bottom of the well. Some helpful kelp (at least Niamh calls it helpful; the children aren’t so sure) pulls them underwater and eventually to a cave that leads — after another too-long walk — to a beach and an empty cottage. It would certainly be too much to expect the exhausted children to pass up the chance to sleep in a clean, comfortable bed. They decide they need some time to rest. And of course, they find an abandoned cottage. It's pristine and equipped with everything they might need. That alone is an omen that the world is about to be turned upside down again. They stay there for the night, what could go wrong right?
Zib and Avery are ecstatic to have a soft, fluffy bed to sleep on, not to mention the running water and its benefits after being in the wild.
Unbeknownst to the children and their companions, the cottage actually belongs to a powerful pirate Captain, who believes they now owe her a debt for trespassing on her property and using her things without asking. I'm sure that is a trap they have used before, and oh boy does it work.
The group agrees to board her ship and work for her for one week in order to pay off this debt. This is clearly shady as well, but hey they are children, the pirate is very confident of outsmarting them. They hope the sea journey will help them find their way home. But there are storms and dangers at sea, and on the ship there’s a narrow staircase that appears and disappears and a tattered, underfed woman locked behind a door at the top of the stairs, who nobody on the ship wants to talk about.
They are tempted and decide to talk to the mystery woman, is she someone who they should rescue or ignore as the pirates continue to?
The characters are so loveable. Avery and Zib are as opposite as opposite can get, but have learned to love and appreciate one another not just in spite of their differences, but because of them. They continue to struggle with themselves trying to not lash out at one another.
If you enjoyed the first book and don't mind more magical adventures that don’t as yet have an ending in sight, you’ll like Along the Saltwise Sea too. The overall plot did not move forward too much, this was a mostly character-based story. We are no closer to going home yet. The wise, perceptive narrator is still narrating insightfully — I do very much enjoy the nuggets of truth that are strewn along the path. It gives it a very fun touch to the whole thing.
The setting of this one, mostly set on the pirate ship, was just so fun! It does have a few ridiculous situations or nonsensical, the rules at sea are made by the pirate Captain, they are after all in their home court.
It's not only charming and whimsical providing adventures; the narrative weaves social commentary on gender, sexism, prejudice, and friendship.
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