In a tale that reads like an outtake from Chris Van Allsburg's The Chronicles of Harris Burdick (2011), Fagan spins a short novel around a child waking up one day to find his bedroom floating in an endless sea. As weeks pass, Rafe gathers random flotsam, survives storms and teenage pirates, has glancing encounters with other free-floating survivors, and takes aboard Dao, a younger child from Thailand with fragmentary memories of a sudden huge flood that swept her and her cat away on an air mattress. The author offers no clear rationale for what happened, but he does tuck in oblique hints tably a rescue (of sorts) that leaves the two children joining an idyllic community on an enormous floating island of rubbish. There is something about the long drift, underscored by Rafe's eventual realization that the days of the week have lost their meaning, that may resonate with readers who have spent the past few years in similar semi-isolation. McNaught's variously sized two-tone illustrations have a staid, solid look that plays well with the episodic tale's flexible reality.

Gr 36 When 12-year-old Rafe wakes up to find his bedroom floating on a sea of water with only his dog Buddy present, he is understandably upset. Neither his parents nor any other living creatures are anywhere to be seen. As time passes, Rafe becomes resourceful, using what he can find in his room (lacrosse stick) and floating in the sea (cans of mystery food). Rafe eventually encounters other survivors of whatever has befallen the world: a cello-playing woman, pirates who attempt to pilfer his belongings, and a young girl named Dao with a cat. Dao and her cat join Rafe, and they attempt to survive while dealing with language differences and the grief of losing their families. In the midst of it all, reluctant reader Rafe is surprised when even his last homework assignment begins to look appealing. He opens the one book left in his possession, and overcomes his fears of reading by sharing it with Dao. The single-color, woodcut-style illustrations complement the plot well in their vastness and simplicity. While the story may hold reader interest, many gaps exist that could leave curious tweens unsatisfied. Not knowing what happened or why Rafe has no memory of it may leave young readers concerned about their futures. VERDICT While the topics of grief, friendship, and perseverance are touched upon, this brief text will likely have a limited audience. Michele Shaw