A Galaxy of Whales

February 19, 2024
Eleven-year-old Fern’s father died three years ago. While her grief is still present, she’s grateful that it brought her closer to her best friend Ivy, whose mother also died some time ago. When Ivy returns from a trip, however, Fern is not the first person she calls, leaving Fern jealous and unsure of their connection. Even more troublesome is her family’s failing whale-watching business. The rival company, led by their neighbors, is doing much better, which has driven a wedge between Fern and their son, classmate Jasper. But when Jasper tells Fern about a photography contest—and the cash reward—she determines to collaborate with Jasper to win the prize money. As the two attempt to photograph the endangered pod of killer whales that inhabit the Salish Sea that surrounds their island home, Fern learns that there’s more to Jasper than she realized. Fawcett (The Islands of Elsewhere) eschews traditional tropes surrounding friendship breakups by imbuing Fern and Ivy’s relationship with nuance and tenderly depicting Fern’s struggles to maintain relationships as those dynamics shift. Organically incorporated lessons regarding endangered animals and environmental challenges add further depth. Fern and Jasper are depicted on the cover with white and brown skin respectively. Ages 8–12.

April 1, 2024
Grades 4-7 Before Fern's father died three years ago, he passed along his love of photography. Fern and her best friend, Ivy, shared that passion, but lately it feels like Ivy has lost interest in the hobby--and in Fern herself. When a local newspaper announces a photography contest, Fern sees it as a way to solidify their friendship, and since her family runs a struggling whale-watching tour, she's confident they'll be able to team up to capture a winning shot. To make things more complicated, the son of a rival tour company announces his own intentions to enter, so Fern feels extra pressure to get the perfect picture before her whole world crumbles. This sweet, summery story focuses on a small slice of life in a Canadian coastal town, but its poignant portrayal of grief and growth is universally applicable. Fern's moments of wonder and frustration are especially relatable, and her supporting cast is a delight, including an antagonistic but affectionate brother and a ghostly attic possum on patrol. An enthralling examination of the gut-wrenching and beautiful inevitability of change.

COPYRIGHT(2024) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

April 15, 2024
Eleven-year-old Fern's summer is full of surprises and change. Fern's father, who died three years ago, was a professional photographer who helped her discover that she could capture the world any way she wanted. Now she has her sights set on a local photography contest. To Fern's dismay, her classmate Jasper wants to win the contest, too. Their parents run rival whale watch businesses, and the two families are "mortal enemies." Meanwhile, Fern feels frustrated that she's drifting from her best friend, Ivy. To make Ivy jealous, Fern asks Jasper to team up on the photography contest and finds her world expanding. Fern's grandfather takes the pair out on the family's boat, the Zenith, to observe a pod of orcas; later, when the kids learn that one of the orcas has had a calf, they become determined to get a photo. When Ivy does something that devastates Fern, Fern impulsively heads out on the Zenith--a night that winds up being both frightening and oddly comforting. Fawcett gracefully blends the immediate experiences of her awkward but determined protagonist with a warmhearted, humorous look at a small Salish Sea community. She effectively draws parallels between Fern's sadness at the realization that Ivy has moved on from their friendship and a great loss experienced by the orca pod. Jasper's mother is described as having brown skin; most characters read white. Funny, tender, and engagingly poignant. (author's note) (Fiction. 9-12)

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