Seashell Key (Seashell Key #1): A Chapter Book

Seashell Key #1

by Lourdes Heuer, Lynnor Bontigao (Illustrator)

A new young chapter book series, perfect for fans of Princess in Black and Mercy Watson, about a diverse community of kids living in a beautiful seaside town!

Welcome to Seashell Key! Summer is here, and the children of this cozy coastal town are ready to welcome visitors to their little oasis. There’s Mateo, who runs his little kite-making business, Sail and Soar, alongside his dad’s Sky and Sea store; Sasha and Sophia, who comb the seashore next to their mother’s One Stop Shore Shop; and Eli, Ezra, and Elana, who live in the cozy-but-cramped lighthouse and entertain passing tourists with tall tales.

Filled with a vibrant cast and lots of summery fun, this is the start of an exciting new chapter book series.

Genres: Childrens, Chapter Books, Realistic Fiction, Summer, Friendship

80 pages, Hardcover

Published April 30, 2024

About the author

Lourdes Heuer is a children's author, poet, translator, and college professor.

She holds an MFA in Writing from the Vermont College of Fine Arts and is Associate Professor of English at Broward College.

She currently lives in South Florida with her husband, son, and many dogs.

Reviews

[Hannah Showalter · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun and cute but nothing spectacular! The children kind of annoyed me in this story I'll be honest, but it was sweet.

[Stephanie Tournas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Four short “acts” give readers a taste of the fun to be had during summer on beautiful Seashell Key. It’s fun following Mateo as he makes animal kites for tourists, sisters Sasha and Sophia as they have an adventure on the beach, and the three siblings Eli, Ezra and Elana, who live in a lighthouse, as they give tourists a tour of their home. All three groups meet up at the end to fly kites and have snacks at Mrs. Cerise’s fruit stand.

This is a delightful, easy read with plenty of repetition, memorable characters and fun details. Seashell Key is a cozy, warm tropical seaside village that looks like a great place for kids to roam around. There’s a cute key to the people who live on Seashell Key at the beginning, with cameo portraits. The kids show ingenuity (Mateo designs and builds the kites) and curiosity (Sasha investigates the sea creatures she finds on the beach) and the three kids who live in the lighthouse have the idea to give tours of their lighthouse, unbeknownst to their parents: a spirit of entrepreneurship?! I’d love to try a pineapple cream cheese and strawberry jam sandwich from Sasha and Sophia’s mom’s restaurant and dip my toes in the warm sea. The wonderful artwork, on every page, is definitely part of the appeal, and shows a friendly, diverse place where all are welcome. As this is the first in a proposed series, kids will look forward to seeing what the Seashell Key kids will be up to next.

[Vicky · Rating 4 out of 5]

I requested this book because of the comparisons to Princess in Black, which is much loved at my house. It shares the same whimsical take on life, providing subtle life lessons without taking itself too seriously.

Divided into parts, each of which is a few chapters long, this first book in the projected series introduces all of our characters—six children, a dog, and a turtle. Parents and other adults are peripheral to the action, but not nonexistent.

In this book, it is the first day of the summer tourist season at Seashell Key, and the children are having adventures. Some are creating their own businesses. Others are just enjoying their beautiful seaside town. These are actual children, full of imagination, not over-precocious caricatures.

While my ARC was not yet fully illustrated, there were enough illustrations to see that they are vibrant, active and colorful.

This would be a fun book to bring along on your own beach trip with a child.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing an advanced reader copy in exchange for my opinion.

This book is also reviewed at https://biblioquacious.blogspot.com/2...

[Melanie Dulaney · Rating 4 out of 5]

Terrific early chapter book and first in a new series for younger elementary-aged readers! Sentences are short, much repetition and plenty of picture clues and textual context to help with more challenging and possibly unfamiliar words for objects found in a seaside location. Illustrations by Lynnor Bontiagao are on every page and have details that provide for additional conversation/vocabulary building when used as a read aloud and several chapters end with questions that allow for many possible answers to further deepen thinking. Illustrations reveal main characters to be both dark and light skinned and imply different family configurations such as multi-generational. All six children exhibit different interests and each create and play in ways that are relatable to most grade 1-3 students, although the absence of adult supervision while roaming the town and beach is a bit unrealistic! Excellent addition to libraries serving younger readers.

Thanks for the print arc, Amulet/Abrams Kids/Hachette Book Group.

[Afoma (Reading Middle Grade) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This new chapter book follows six kids living in a seaside town in four acts showing a day in the lives. First we begin with Matteo whose dad runs the sand and sky shops. Matteo decides to start his own little shop to build unusual kites for tourists. Then Sophie and Sasha whose mom runs a sandwich shop but are twins different as night and day take a midday beach trip where they eat a SANDwich. Eli, Ezra and Elana live in a lighthouse and run a sham tour that ends when they introduce their grandma as ancient but not prehistoric. And finally all the kids meet and hang out in the fourth act. This was full of surprises, delightfully funny, unexpectedly weird in places (chomp chomp!), and full of seaside town coziness that makes for an engaging beginner chapter book.

[Abby · Rating 4 out of 5]

Do you need to escape from Wisconsin for a few minutes? Seashell Key gets lots of visitors from other places every year, but this beautifully illustrated chapter book is all about the kids who live on this small, tropical island year round. But today is special–it’s the first day of summer–so it’s time for new ideas and fresh adventures! The playful pastel palette of illustrations and gently repeating vocabulary in the first book of this new series will reassure emerging readers while transporting them directly to summer vacation–I can practically taste Sasha and Sophia’s Mom’s famous pineapple cream cheese and strawberry jam sandwiches already!

[Cuppa · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first book in the Seashell Key series by Lourdes Heuer is a good first step into chapter books for new readers. The setting is on a tropical island. Children from three different families are introduced and the reader sees how they spend their day. At the end, all the children come together for a bit of fun and food. The chapters are very short and the story line is simple. A new reader who is ready for chapters should be able to navigate this book without too much trouble, building their confidence to continue with chapter books.

[Sharon the Librarian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such a fun start to a perfect early reader series. This first book is a great introduction to the characters and the beautiful setting, Seashell Key. The diverse cast of characters will be relatable to many, and the tropical location will be a dream. In fact, I want to spend a week there myself!

I feel like this new series will be a hit with emerging readers and get them excited about being able to read chapter books! I can’t wait to read about their next adventure.

[Carolyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great beginner chapter book for emerging readers. I love Lourdes Heuer's Esme series (Esme's Birthday Conga Line, Troop Esme), and find these to be the next step for ready readers. The stories were short and enjoyable with the beach for the backdrop and catalyst for many of the adventures. Thanks to Netgalley for the e-arc! Now that my older son is reading everything he can get his hands on, we've already checked out the second book from our library!

[Binxie · Rating 2 out of 5]

The first in a new series for emerging readers ready to move from traditional reader books. The characters just didn't engage me that much. Not that readers like this are great literary offerings, but not sure this has enough appeal to get kids excited about more adventure with the targeted audience.

[Mortisha Cassavetes · Rating 4 out of 5]

First, I must thank the publisher for sending me a copy of this book. Seashell Key is a place on the beach where there are lots of tourists and this story is about the kids that live at Seashell Key and the fun they get into during the day. Lots of great illustrations. I highly recommend this book for kids of all ages.

[Caroline · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a darling early chapter book with full-color illustrations on every page. Seashell Key is a small, seaside town filled with tourists and residents. The young residents welcome summer to their small town with kid-friendly hijinks. Charming and delightful, the kids all appear diverse. A perfect summer read for emergent readers.

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is really cute early reader series. It is arranged in a series of vignettes about the different kids that live on Seashell Key, a tourist destination beach community. This first book serves a good introduction and I can't wait to see what adventures the inhabitants of Seashell Key will get up to in future books!

[Catlyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one heck of a full story for kids! Three individual stories that all weave together in the end. Some chapters had a little bit of cliffhanger at the end of them too! We also loved the illustrations! My little and I enjoyed the book so much, we read it in one sitting! (About 25min). Can’t wait to read more in the Seashell Key series.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

Super cute and a true beginning chapter book complete with short sentences. The lighthouse chapters seemed a little out of place with the others, though. No real plot, but a cute introduction to Seashell Key. Adorable illustrations.

[Raven Black · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute stories about six friends, a doggy and a turtle and the fun (and slightly crazy) adventures they get into, the coconut water they drink and the mangos (the turtle) eaten.

[Michelle, The Book Critic · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful children’s story book. I’ll miss Seashell Key :’)

[Diane Rembert · Rating 4 out of 5]

Seashell Key is a place where children go to explore their various talents and abilities. It's the perfect read for the little people in your life.

[Syntha Green · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just about as perfect as a beginning chapter book can be

[Cathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cathy R

[Ashlyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tho was super cute. I like how all the storylines connect at the end.

[Mandy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Children's realistic fiction, first chapter book level. The beach town of Seashell Key is a tourist destination but also home to the kids featured in this book. Mateo's dad runs the sky and sea shop, as well as the flying banners, and Mateo decides to set up his own shop featuring his own kite designs. While it seems he doesn't take specific requests, his customers do seem pleased with the results. Sasha and Sophia are sisters whose mom sells pineapple cream cheese and strawberry jam sandwiches. They head out to the beach together and end up with real SANDwiches. The lighthouse has a new family living there, with three kids-Eli, Ezra, and Elana. When a trolley stops at the lighthouse, they do an impromptu lighthouse tour which may not be entirely factual. Afterwards, all of the kids meet up to visit Mrs. Cerise and snack on some tropical treats.

This is a very cute story that reads like it might be the first in a series. I liked the vignette style, with a few chapters on each family divided into four acts. Seeing the kids being outdoors, creative, and perhaps entrepreneurial was refreshing. And the food all sounded delicious! The text is great for those transitioning from early readers, with lots of white space and illustrations on every page. There is a little bit of repetition with sentence structure, specifically at the beginning of some chapters, which also helps emerging readers. All around a refreshing slice-of-life story featuring a diverse set of kids being kids.