Salt

July 1, 2018

Gr 9 Up-Indi and his three siblings are orphans. Alone on their tiny boat, Salgada, they sail the Mediterranean, killing sea monsters and hoping to avenge the mysterious death of their parents. Disillusioned with what he sees as a futile goal, Indi struggles between loyalty to his older sister, Beleza, and his desire to give up seafaring for a life on land. The story opens strongly with an action scene-slaughtering a morde d'eau off the coast of France. However, if readers are looking for a fast-paced action-packed book, this isn't it. Monsters are not the central aspect of the story; they are rarely described in any detail, and battles are short and often unimportant to the frequently meandering plot. The focus is on the characters. Beleza is the strong, determined captain of their ship, and Indi's primary concern is his younger siblings. Yet despite the care he provides, he seems to have very little trouble leaving them behind for his own dreams. This novel has an interesting atmosphere of historical fantasy-pirates and monster hunting-juxtaposed with the modern world of cell phones and cab rides. This could be jarring, but Moskowitz makes it work. Unfortunately, the ending feels too rushed. VERDICT A secondary purchase for larger collections.-Lauren Jones, Tauranga City Library, NZ

Copyright 2018 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

October 1, 2018
Grades 9-12 Four siblings hunt sea monsters while searching for their parents in Moskowitz's unique family drama. While Indi wants to settle down and make a home for their young siblings, Beleza, the eldest, is their de facto captain. She insists they continue sailing the Mediterranean, making port only to replenish supplies, take hunting jobs, and fish for clues about the legendary monster their parents were tracking when they disappeared. As sicarios (monster hunters), Beleza claims, they are saving the world, but Indi thinks she just wants revenge, and he's tired of living in mortal danger. Their conflict boils over after a disastrous run-in with a devorar, a monster less dangerous than the creature Beleza wants to face. Indi, torn between love for his family and a desire to lead his own life, is a surprisingly poignant narrator, and while monster hunting provides thrills, Moskowitz focuses more on the close-knit family moments that give the story its heart. Despite the anticlimatic final hunt, this novel is a carefully pared down blend of fast-paced action and moving character study.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2018, American Library Association.)

July 1, 2019
Orphaned siblings Indi, Beleza, Oscar, and Zulu sail the Mediterranean Sea slaying monsters and searching for the particular creature they think killed their parents. But instead of revenge, Indi really longs for a fabled treasure and eventually a simpler life for himself. Moskowitz manages to create an intimate-feeling narrative and moving family dynamics amid fantastical sea-faring adventure.

(Copyright 2019 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

Starred review from September 1, 2018
A teen boy tries to balance caring for his family, making a life for himself, and saving the world in Moskowitz's (Gena/Finn, 2016, etc.) thoughtful seafaring adventure.Indi knows his family is odd. Four white siblings living alone on a rickety boat after their parents' disappearances would be strange enough, but they are also "sicarios"--monster hunters like their parents before them. The quartet sails the Mediterranean, speaking an amalgam of Romance languages mixed with Greek and Arabic, risking their lives to kill nightmarish creatures that live in the water and prey on humans, and surviving as best they can. As his eldest sister leads them on an impossible revenge mission to find the legendary monster they believe killed their parents, Indi longs for a life of less danger for his siblings and more normalcy for himself. But after forming an unexpected connection with a vulpine Tunisian female pirate, Indi begins to question in earnest if he actually belongs in this world. Existential pensiveness and heart-stopping action (on monster-infested high seas no less) are a rare, successfully developed duo. Indi's life is dangerous sea creatures one moment, anxious contemplation the next, and the constancy of his siblings through it all. Moskowitz immerses readers in Indi's perspective, where electrocuting monsters is second nature and stepping onto dry land seems alien, exploring the complicated spaces between family, self, and duty.Measured, mesmerizing, masterful. (Magical realism. 14-17)

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