I have seen people posting about “The House on the Cerulean Sea” by T.J. Klune but only recently sat down to read it and I am so glad i did!! It’s such a sweet and meaningful story. The writing style is easy to follow and relaxing while also tying in important ideas related to inclusion. The story follows Linus Baker’s experience investigating an orphanage for magical youth located on a remote island. I instantly fell in love with the children – each one has a distinct personality (and magical background). I found myself saving numerous quotes from the book (below are a few of my faves). Readers are left with questions to think about such as what makes someone good? Bad? What makes a group of people a family? In a time when there is so much fear, confusion, and hate, The House in the Cerulean Sea encourages you to re-examine your thoughts and ideas about people who are different from “the norm.”

“I am but paper. Brittle and thin. I am held up to the sun, and it shines right through me. I get written on, and I can never be used again. These scratches are a history. They’re a story. They tell things for others to read, but they only see the words, and not what the words are written upon. I am but paper, and though there are many like me, none are exactly the same. I am parched parchment. I have lines. I have holes. Get me wet, and I melt. Light me on fire, and I burn. Take me in hardened hands, and I crumple. I tear. I am but paper. Brittle and thin.”

“Change often starts with the smallest of whispers. Like-minded people building it up to a roar.”

“We should always make time for the things we like. If we don’t, we might forget how to be happy.”

“Sometimes our prejudices color our thoughts when we least expect them to. If we can recognize that, and learn from it, we can become better people.”

“…I can have spiders in my head as long as I don’t let them consume me.”