A Swirl of Ocean, by Melissa Sartno

A Swirl of Ocean, a fantastic realistic fantasy by Melissa Sarno, explores the complicated and sometimes turbulent relationship/love between sisters. In this case, adopted sisters.

Summer, 12, has lived with Lindy in the Barn's Bluff beach house ever since that morning ten years ago. And she's been happy. Lindy is a good guardian, more like an older sister than a parent, and the girls have their routines and traditions. The only dark spot in Summer's life is she knows nothing of her past, of her real parents, or what happened before Lindy found her. But then Lindy's boyfriend moves in, ruining the dynamic if everything. 

And that's when Summer's dreams begin.

The dreams are strange and crazy-realistic, all about the adventures of a tween girl named Tink, her friends, and a summer spent in and around the Barn's Bluff area. At first Summer thinks they're just dreams, but the dreams come every night. And as Tink's story continues to unfold, matching up with things really going on in Summer's life, Summer begins to suspect they're not just dreams. She begins to suspect they're clues to unlocking her past.

I loved this book so much I read it twice...if only to make sure I got what was going on when the Twist happens (because there IS a twist!). The characters development and the transitions between Summer's world and Tink's world are flawless. Bit almost best part about A Swirl of Ocean is the setting, which is so vibrantly-written it is like a character itself.

I definitely recommend it!

If you liked A Swirl of Ocean and want to follow it up with something similar, I suggest you try Keeper by Kathi Appelt. Keeper is about a 12 year old girl who, after a fight with her adopted older sister/guardian, steals a neighbor's rowboat and, in the middle of the night, attempts to row out to the sandbar where she last saw her "real" Mother...who she believes is a mermaid. Keeper features Magical Realism, multiple viewpoints, and a complex story that pieces itself together, bit by bit, until everything comes together perfectly in the end.

--AJB