From the Bookshelf of Ultimate Popsugar Reading Challenge…

The House in the Cerulean Sea (Cerulean Chronicles, #1)

T.J. Klune

Start date: November 1, 2022

Finish date: November 30, 2022

Discussion: 2022 Monthly Group Reads

Why we're reading this: November 2022 group read for "found family"…more
[close] November 2022 group read for "found family"

Find A Copy At

Group Discussions About This Book

Showing 2 of 26 topics — 931 comments total

2022 Monthly Group Reads

This topic has been closed to new comments.

* 2022 Monthly Group Reads - List of Categories and Books
By L Y N N · 1 post · 1635 views

last updated Dec 04, 2021 08:27PM

* August Group Read Discussion: The Dog Stars by Peter Heller
By L Y N N · 67 posts · 281 views

last updated Sep 26, 2022 04:42AM

showing 10 of 122 topics view all »

What Members Thought

Oct 28, 2022 Nefret rated it really liked it · review of another edition

I went on a TJ Klune binge and I’m not sorry about it. Quirky, weird , extremely unexpected and not like anything I usually read, but this reminded me that fiction is not just pretend stories but fiction is magical, because it is using our imagination to learn and grow.

4 likes · Like · see review

Aug 09, 2022 Kate rated it liked it · review of another edition

I have so many thoughts about this one. I know it’s a well-loved and hyped book, but it honestly took me a solid 100 pages to get into the story. This was almost a DNF about ten times.

I loved the idea here- every child, regardless of background or who they are, should be accepted and loved. And I probably would have been willing to get into the magical escapism of this, if not for pretty warranted criticism of the author using residential schools as his inspiration.

In short, a sweet story but ...more

1 like · Like · see review

May 08, 2021 Jenna rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: popsugar-reading-challenge-2021

I really loved a lot of things about this book. I loved the message of tolerance and finding family. I loved the all the kids in the book, they had such distinct personalities and it was difficult not to fall in love with them and their dreams and hopes.

I did not find the main character, Linus Baker, as special as everyone in the book seemed to make of him. I also wish there could have been more background of the world that we find ourselves in. We are dropped into a world where magical youth ( ...more

Like · see review

Jul 23, 2023 Jamie rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2023-reading-challenge

An endearing story about love, family, and home. I was in tears at the end.

1 like · Like · see review

Jan 20, 2022 Barb Novak rated it liked it

Shelves: young-adult, audiobook

For me, this book was complicated.

It is a heart-warming and optimistic story in which a bureaucrat has his heart warmed by magical children living together in an “orphanage”. The townspeople see the children are nothing to be afraid of. The children use their powers for good. The bureaucrat even falls in love.

Maybe I’m cold hearted, but it all seemed a little too good to be believed.

The middle age bureaucrat (whose weight is repeatedly mentioned) is the main character; the love story is his. The ...more

Like · see review

Feb 08, 2021 Ellen rated it it was amazing

A low level functionary for DICOMY (the department for the care of magical youth) is dispatched to evaluate an orphanage on a remote island. What he learns changes everything. Heartwarming and at time hilarious, I thoroughly enjoyed this story. It would be great for older teens who are HP fans. I felt like I was taking a little vacation in a quirky paradise.

Like · see review

Mar 13, 2022 Jessica rated it liked it

I read this one - with no knowledge of the book or story - based solely on a recommendation from a stranger in a bookstore. And I liked it. I didn’t love it as much as the recommender did, but I would recommend it to others who enjoy some whimsy and magic.

Like · see review