June 1, 2020
A young girl uncovers an incredible, terrifying secret inside a forbidding, ominous house perched on the edge of the sea. Ever since Lampie's mother died, lighthouse keeper Augustus has drunk himself into debt and hurls his anger at Lampie. When a ship is wrecked, father and daughter are blamed for carelessly running out of matches to light the lamp. Augustus is imprisoned in his lighthouse, and illiterate Lampie must be a servant for seven years in the sinister Black House, rumored to harbor a monster. What Lampie discovers in the high tower room is not what she expects, but Lampie is her mother's daughter, with resiliency to survive in the face of relentless cruelty and despair. The story is billed as a sequel to "The Little Mermaid," but the ties to Han Christian Andersen's classic fairy tale are not apparent until well into it. However, elements of The Secret Garden and "Beauty and the Beast" are evident throughout, enticing readers hungry for new yet classic-feeling books. Translated from Dutch, the third-person narration moves seamlessly, transitioning from character to character, drawing parallels, and setting up juxtapositions that further illuminate the characters' motivations and growth. Many of the adults in this book are damaged, mentally and physically, and this affects most cruelly the children in their lives. Characters seem to be assumed white. Gritty and suspenseful, this atmospheric fairy tale will capture the hearts of sturdy middle-grade readers. (Historical suspense. 11-14)
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Starred review from August 1, 2020
Grades 4-7 *Starred Review* Growing up in a village by the sea, Emilia, daughter of the lighthouse keeper and thus nicknamed Lampie, has heard the rumors about the monster in the Admiral's Black House. Now she's about to experience the Black House firsthand, all because she forgot to get the matches for the lighthouse lamp. As luck would have it, a storm blows in while the lamp is unlit and a ship wrecks on the rocks. Now, to pay off the damages, Lampie must work in the Black House for seven years while her father is locked in the lighthouse for the same period. Once in the mansion, Lampie's curiosity leads her to a locked tower, where she finds not a monster but Edward, the admiral's son, who is a merman. What ensues is a friendship that neither Lampie nor Edward ever expected, but one that rescues them for life. Divided into six sections, with intriguing artwork interludes, Schaap's story of family, friendship, and loyalty is humorous, scary, and filled with goodness. The captivating supporting cast of characters?a mix of realistic, fanciful, and stereotypical?makes for a delightful read. This is the first U.S. edition of Schaap's book, first published in the Netherlands to wide acclaim.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2020, American Library Association.)
September 28, 2020
With this haunting story, author-illustrator Schaap weaves together elements remniscent of Andersen’s “The Little Mermaid” and Burnett’s The Secret Garden to construct a gothic fable. After a shipwreck occurs during a storm, 11-year-old lighthouse keeper’s daughter Emilia Waterman, called Lampie, is taken from her father, who is blamed for the wreck. Inhabited by a bare-bones staff serving an absentee admiral, her bleak new cliffside home, the Black House, is reportedly haunted by a monster. Lampie eventually discovers that the “monster” is Edward, the reclusive, abrasive son of the admiral, who has scaly skin and a fish’s tail. Over time, she befriends the boy she nicknames Fish, who’s determined to learn how to walk on land despite his “deformity.” After a visit to a traveling fair reveals clues about Fish’s parentage, Lampie and her new friend wind up in an escapade that will change their lives. Formal language and multiple perspectives result in a narrative distance that, while appropriate for a fairy tale, betrays a lack of focus as the story develops. The inclusion of an era-appropriate “freak show,” though delicately handled, may still disturb some readers. Final art not seen by PW. Ages 8–12.
July 1, 2020
A raging storm hits town on the one day Lampie forgets to buy matches for the lighthouse, and a ship hits the rocks as a result. Lampie's father, an alcoholic widower, is blamed for the disaster, and Lampie is removed from his care and sent to work as a live-in maid at the creepy and foreboding Black House just outside town. Rumors that a monster lives there prove to be more than fiction: Lampie soon encounters a creature who is half-human-boy, half-mermaid-Edward, the son of the admiral who owns the house. The self-loathing Edward vacillates between striving for human dignity and relishing the monstrous behavior that has all the servants terrified. Lampie befriends Edward, despite his initial obstinacy; he teaches her to read, and she concocts a plan to help him find his place in the outside world. The outside world is not always hospitable, though, and the children must decide whom they can trust in their attempts to save each other from treachery and disappointment. This is a beautifully told (and smoothly translated) story about family, bravery, love, identity, and forgiveness, enhanced with atmosphere-rich crosshatched illustrations. The timeless setting and archetypal characters make the story both intriguing and familiar. An imaginative, heartfelt, and plucky tale, with adventure aplenty (including pirates, it turns out) and admirable young heroes.
(Copyright 2020 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)
November 1, 2020
A raging storm hits town on the one day Lampie forgets to buy matches for the lighthouse, and a ship hits the rocks as a result. Lampie's father, an alcoholic widower, is blamed for the disaster, and Lampie is removed from his care and sent to work as a live-in maid at the creepy and foreboding Black House just outside town. Rumors that a monster lives there prove to be more than fiction: Lampie soon encounters a creature who is half-human-boy, half-mermaid -- Edward, the son of the admiral who owns the house. The self-loathing Edward vacillates between striving for human dignity and relishing the monstrous behavior that has all the servants terrified. Lampie befriends Edward, despite his initial obstinacy; he teaches her to read, and she concocts a plan to help him find his place in the outside world. The outside world is not always hospitable, though, and the children must decide whom they can trust in their attempts to save each other from treachery and disappointment. This is a beautifully told (and smoothly translated) story about family, bravery, love, identity, and forgiveness, enhanced with atmosphere-rich crosshatched illustrations. The timeless setting and archetypal characters make the story both intriguing and familiar. An imaginative, heartfelt, and plucky tale, with adventure aplenty (including pirates, it turns out) and admirable young heroes. Sarah A. Berman
(Copyright 2020 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)