A Swirl of Ocean

Out now

Twelve-year-old Summer lives year round in Barnes Bluff, a strip of land between the ocean and the bay. It’s the same shore where Lindy found her when she was two years old, and she’s been with Lindy ever since. But now, Lindy’s boyfriend is moving in and Summer feels like he’s taking over her space. For the first time, Summer starts to wonder where she came from and if she really belongs with Lindy after all.

When she gets caught swimming in a rip-tide and escapes, swallowing more ocean water than she thought possible, Summer starts dreaming about a girl named Tink, whose story unfolds each time Summer closes her eyes at night. She comes to believe that Tink is connected to who she was before Lindy found her all those years ago. 

Summer looks to the ocean she came from for answers and discovers that it has its own story, one she couldn’t have imagined.

From Melissa Sarno comes a tale of the secrets we keep and discovering a way to set them free.

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Praise for A Swirl of Ocean

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A deeply affecting novel with honest emotion. Propelled by authentic characters, the adroitly woven plot meshes past and present, dreams and reality, and love and friendship. An involving, bracing summer tale for all seasons.—Publishers Weekly

The restless interplay between moon and sea becomes a framework for exploring the uneasy intertidal zone between childhood and adult maturity. How preteen girls negotiate this supremely trying life passage is explored in some of the year’s best middle-grade releases; add this to the list.—Kirkus Reviews

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Rich with imagery and thoughtful contemplations…the way in which Summer ends up being connected to Tink highlights the dreamy tranquility of the girls’ seaside town.–The Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books