Summary: Twelve-year-old Crow has lived her entire life on a tiny, isolated piece of the starkly beautiful Elizabeth Islands in Massachusetts. Abandoned and set adrift on a small boat when she was just hours old, Crow’s only companions are Osh, the man who rescued and raised her, and Miss Maggie, their fierce and affectionate neighbor across the sandbar.

Crow has always been curious about the world around her, but it isn’t until the night a mysterious fire appears across the water that the unspoken question of her own history forms in her heart. Soon, a chain of events is triggered, leading Crow down a path of discovery and danger.

When it came time to read books that could replace a historical fiction novel that we were teaching, I was given Beyond the Bright Sea by Lauren Wolk to see if it would work for students. 

I didn’t have any major expectations going into it. My only connection to it was that I remember seeing the title, and one of my former coworkers had read it before. 

Overall, this was an okay book. I originally started reading it in book form, but I switched to audio because I wasn’t as invested in it as I wanted to be. The first few chapters moved at a decent enough pace where I could stay involved in the plot, and I wanted to learn more about what was happening with the main character. However, at one point, the story slows down and loses momentum.

While I liked the main characters, the overall mystery element wasn’t as intriguing to me as it could have been. I truly believe the story could have ended earlier than it did. Especially when it comes to the realization Crow makes about her past, present, and future. 

Overall, I gave this book a 3 out of 5.