The House in the Cerulean Sea

I fell in love with this book from the very beginning.

When by-the-book case worker Linus Baker from the Department in Charge of Magical Youth comes to investigate a home for six dangerous magical children, he discovers an unlikely family in an unexpected place. As a mother, I was smitten by the insecure yet powerful children and was cheering for Linus to save them. I’ve been out of my element with kids too, Linus; I understand.

Best of all, I could feel the compassion and love on the pages of this amazing book.

What’s not to like? A school for fantastical creatures and a stuffy government official who’ll be transformed by his love for them?

Filled with witty, engaging characters, this story appealed to me with its messages of accepting and appreciating those who are different, finding one’s family, and seeking the life one wants. Delightful!

The main character took his work seriously and kept a low profile, but when he was summoned to a meeting with "Extremely Upper Management," this book promised something warm and quirky. It more than delivered.

What I love about this book is the layers beneath the story. I work with young people and immediately saw the parallels between school inspections and the safeguarding of vulnerable children. The "orphans," despite their magical nature, feel very real, with their boisterous energies, vivid imaginations, fears, and night terrors.

The author even touched on thoughts like nature vs nurture and how early experiences shape… show more.

The bumbling, uptight, and just-going-through-the-motions Linus finds himself completely changed when he learns the truth about his job. He finds himself opening up to love and to finding purpose in his life.

In the most unlikely of ways, he becomes a hero and the best version of himself. This book felt very middle-grade to me—a genre not as hardened to life as adult fiction or even YA can be—as it is full of lovable, eccentric characters and an endearing hopefulness about the future and the possibilities for ourselves as people.

To me, this is the best sort of book—it makes… show more.

After writing my own book of poems about monsters and how they represent feelings, I was excited to read this light romantasy novel.

As with many modern books that explore the monstrous, this story defines monstrosity by how characters behave, not by their “monstrous” abilities or parentage. The so-called monsters are a group of adorable children living in an orphanage. But the true monsters are human bureaucrats who view these children as a threat to be controlled.

Enter protagonist Linus, a by-the-book caseworker sent to assess the orphanage and its charges. As the island and its inhabitants work their magic… show more.

Here is a book that will feel like a warm hug of hope when you need it, a tale that will remind you that love really is the most important thing in the world.

The main character Linus is living an empty life until he visits an orphanage on Marsyas Island in his role as caseworker for the Department of Magical Youth. The children there are unlike children you will recognize but only at first. There is a gnome, a sprite, even an antichrist. Their caretaker Arthur will do anything to protect them and through his example of selfless, joyful… show more.

Love, kindness, and empathy are at the core of this story, and it all stands on an imaginative, unique premise unlike any I’ve read before.

It’s a story that delights in its quirky setting but thrives on its honest and earnest characters. A forty-year-old man visiting a school of marginalized orphans, which happens to include, among others, a strange green blob, a were-Pomeranian, and the Antichrist. It’s certainly an eclectic bunch, but by the end of the story, you’ll love every one of them.

Our characters—kids and adults alike—confront very real, difficult issues, yet through it all, the story never… show more.

A childlike story with mature, sophisticated themes, and fantastical creatures, The House in the Cerulean Sea surprised me on all levels.

Klune takes readers by the hand, promising not to damage their emotions. He displays honesty and trust, and the result is a lovely story of orphaned children who find their family. The right people will always love you for who you are, and curmudgeon Linus both learns this lesson and teaches it.

A delightful, heartwarming story of acceptance. 

Some books stick with you long after you close the cover. The House in the Cerulean Sea is one of those for me. It’s a deceptively simple story about a man whose job is to inspect orphanages. But when the orphans are a gnome, a sprite, a wyvern, an unidentifiable green blob, a were-Pomeranian, and the Antichrist, things don’t go smoothly. The creatures come to life on the page in an exploration of the simple pleasures in life and the extraordinary measures we must take to safeguard the liberties of everyone, even those who resemble us the least. I know… show more.

I would argue that just about every book TJ Klune writes is a found family masterpiece, but for me, it doesn't get any more heartwarming or beautiful than The House in the Cerulean Sea. What begins as a routine assignment for our protagonist, Linus Baker, turns into a paradigm-shifting experience involving the fate of an orphanage full of misfit, magical children. I never thought I would fall in love with a sassy young garden gnome or feel fiercely protective of...whatever Chauncey is, but learning the stories behind each of the children at the orphanage—and, ultimately, the story behind its… show more.