(3) 4-6 Aran lives with his selkie clan, eagerly awaiting the day he gets his pelt so he can finally keep up in seal-form. After eleven years he's become desperate, but he never thought his search would lead him to the most feared enemy of the sea: humans. Imbued with magic and lore, this gentle fantasy--like its sympathetic protagonist--belongs entirely to neither the shore nor the sea.

Reviewer: Jeannie Coutant

(2) 4-6 Ten-year-old Fiona returns to the Western Isles of Scotland to live with her grandparents and (secretly) search for her missing little brother. The story's action and intrigue begin right away, as Fiona is befriended by the chief of the gray seals and learns her clan's selkie history. The setting is vividly evoked, with fantasy elements woven seamlessly into the homey details of domestic island life.

Reviewer: Martha V. Parravano | Horn Book Magazine Issue: June, 1959; November, 2017

(2) 4-6 Eleven-year-old Cordelia has been trying to hold her family together since her mother left. When middle-sister Ione becomes convinced that their mother is actually a selkie who's returned to the bay, the girls set out (with baby Neevy) in search of a legendary selkies' island. Thomas's writing is sensory and lyrical; Cordie's determination coupled with her naiveté heightens this touching family drama's poignancy.

Reviewer: Katie Bircher | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2015

(4) YA The sequel to The Edge of Nowhere picks up the story of psychic Becca King who has fled from her criminal stepfather and taken up a life on Whidbey Island, where a mystery develops around a seal that visits yearly. With so many subplots, the story's main thread is difficult to discern, but the large cast of characters is nicely realized.

Reviewer: Ariel Baker-Gibbs

(4) YA Illustrated by Javier Serrano Pérez. A slim illustrated volume, Virgo's poetically written adaptation of the selkie legend traces one family from the mother's mysterious origins to her son's escape into the sea from which she emerged. Pérez punctuates the tale with softly shaded drawings of surreal quality. An attractive pairing, but the unusual book is likely too conceptual for most readers.

Reviewer: Hannah Rodgers Barnaby

(3) YA Noah and his sister, Lo, discover their grandmother's sea tales are more than fantasy in this thoughtful blend of mythology and contemporary realism. What stands out is Cornwell's ability to make Grandmother Gemm's lesbian love affair, Lo's eating disorder, Noah's fascination with marine research, and interracial adoption all jibe with Selkie mythology and how questions about complex identities can infuse--and confuse--everyone.

Reviewer: Megan Lynn Isaac

(3) YA Socialite Anna Leighton is exiled to the tiny island her family visited years ago, where the islanders maintain an uneasy relationship with selkies and more vengeful otherworldly creatures. Strewn with gothic elements and allusions to Poe, Lindsey's tragic tale inspired by "Annabel Lee" lyrically relates a magical wager that tests the devotion of love.

Reviewer: Megan Lynn Isaac

(3) YA Half-human/half-mermaid Tempest adapts to life in the sea. Leaving behind the hot selkie prince Kona to be with her ailing human brother back on land, she runs into Mark, the boy she loved before her transformation. In addition to the love triangle, there's also a war brewing with the sea witch Tiamat. Fans of Tempest Rising will enjoy this lushly written sequel.

Reviewer: Natasha Gilmore

(1) YA Magically, a bitter ostracized seal-kin girl calls up beautiful selkie women to entice the men of Rollrock Island, whose human wives eventually abandon the island. The world is busily, passionately alive in this blend of folktale and invented regionality; each of six narrators comes fully formed; and Lanagan makes us confront the troubled but fertile margins of our animal and human natures.

Reviewer: Deirdre F. Baker | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2012

(3) YA Tempest must choose between her human and mermaid lineages. The decision is complicated by her mermaid mother's long absence, a prophecy that Tempest will battle the sea witch Tiamat--and Tempest's attraction to hot selkie Kai. Elements of the novel's mythos (e.g., mermaids' phosphorescent glow and instantly appearing tattoos) aren't fully fleshed out, but they don't detract from the romance or high-stakes adventure.

Reviewer: Katie Bircher

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Pascal Milelli. After Finn, a young fisher, rescues a magical shape-shifting seal (or selkie), she takes the form of a human girl to join him on land. When a sudden storm comes up, she saves Finn's life but then must return to the sea forever. Dramatic oil paintings, particularly effective in their portrayal of the ocean and the selkie, illustrate the bittersweet, evocative story.

Reviewer: Martha Sibert

(3) 4-6 Allie Jo's parents run the historic Florida hotel where Chase's family is staying. Together the kids investigate a mysterious girl named Tara, who turns out to be a stranded selkie desperate for the return of her sealskin. Issues of friendship, first crushes, and the quest to fit in are combined with the story's magic and mystery.

Reviewer: Susan Halperin

(3) YA Miranda spends part of the summer on Selkie Island, off the Georgia coast, after her mother inherits their family home. Saturated by legends about mermaids and sea creatures, rational Miranda refuses to believe any of the myths until she meets a mysterious local boy on Siren Beach and uncovers a family secret. Lush descriptions capture the beauty and magic of the setting.

Reviewer: Amanda Mc. MacGregor

(4) 4-6 Kyna's terrified of water; her family drowned during a storm, and only she survived. It isn't easy for her to spend a summer near a lake, even with her adoptive parents' tales of silkies (seal/human creatures that protect swimmers) to comfort her. The story's lyricism, though smooth, slows the plot, and the secret is obvious, but the Irish folklore element adds interest.

Reviewer: Rachel L. Smith

(3) YA Elin Jean has never fit in, partially because of her webbed hands but also because of her connection with the selkies. On Midsummer's Eve, Elin Jean is forced to decide whether to answer the selkies' call or remain an outcast. This mythological romance incorporates a humane message, as Elin Jean fights to save the selkies.

Reviewer: Lauren Maggio

(2) 4-6 In this believable family story, stroke-victim Grandad gives Gavin's hand a faint squeeze each time he hears the word selkie. Gavin wears himself out trying to build on that reaction, culminating in a remarkable interior portrait of Grandad's utter confusion, as Gavin finds his consciousness fused with the old man's. Their intimate inner negotiation--possibly facilitated by a selkie--enables Grandad to make a first step toward recovery.

Reviewer: Joanna Rudge Long | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2004

(2) 4-6 Corinna has disguised herself as a boy so that she can be a Folk Keeper--one who protects a household from wrathful spirits. Drenched in imagery of the sea, the story draws on selkie lore, and Corinna's true identity--a secret far greater than just her boyish disguise--is eventually revealed. Steeped in atmosphere, the novel contains an intricate plot, vibrant characters, and dangerous intrigue.

Reviewer: Anne St. John | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 1999

(4) K-3 Peter has been warned to stay away from Seal Island, but he can't resist "the cries of the seals on the wind." Once there, he saves a selkie from a greedy oysterman's net, and in return she teaches him "the secret language of the sea." Although the ending is somewhat abrupt, the detailed, moody illustrations reflect the magical quality of the tale and the changing nature of the sea.

Reviewer: Kitty Flynn