Cordie and Ione's mum has dark hair, dark eyes, slightly webbed fingers, and keeps a luxurious, silvery black coat in their closet. Everything points to her being a selkie, especially after she disappears from their quaint Irish home one afternoon. That she has returned to the sea is a much easier reason to swallow than the alternative scenario: she doesn't love her family enough to stay. Cordie, almost 12, doesn't believe such nonsense, but 8-year-old Ione is completely convinced. Spotting a dark-colored, friendly seal in the bay only solidifies Ione's ideas, and soon she, Cordie, and their baby sister push off in their little boat behind their new seal friend, in search of the magical island where selkies live. In Cordie's matter-of-fact, artfully emotional first-person narrative, Thomas explores grief and loss, as well as the comforting power of stories and belief in magic that can chase away sadness. She cleverly toys with readers' expectations regarding whether or not Cordie's mum is indeed a shape-shifting seal, and the fanciful folktales interspersed throughout the novel add plenty of charm.

Gr 3-6 Eleven-year-old Cordelia Sullivan has put the pieces together. Her mother owned a soft, silky black coat, read her stories about selkies, loved the ocean, and showed Cordelia and her sisters the way to an enchanted island. Her mother and the black coat are missing, so the obvious conclusion Cordelia draws is that her mother donned her sealskin and rejoined the selkie kingdom. The trouble is, Cordelia doesn't exactly believe in selkies. What follows is one bad decision after another as the girl tries to help her family and bring her mother home. On an ill-fated trip to the island, Cordelia and her sisters are rescued by a large, black seal. Is the seal really their mother trapped in her sealskin or is Cordelia simply guilty of finally believing her own tales? The surprise ending leaves the door open for a little belief in magic. VERDICT A general purchase; give this to readers who like contemporary fiction mixed with a hint of the supernatural. Kelly Roth, Bartow County Public Library, Cartersville, GA

Eleven-year-old Cordie does not really believe her mother is a selkie but continues to read the book of legends to younger sister, Ione. After all, the tourist spots of their oceanside town are built around the mythical women. When their mother disappears for several days, Da does nothing to enlighten them about where she has gone. Ione is convinced that Ma is trapped in her seal skin and it is up to the sisters to rescue her. Against her better judgment, Cordie loads up the family boat and sets sails with Ione and their baby sister Neevy, actually reaching the secret island of the selkies. What they find is almost right out of their storybook. Is that big black seal who seems to be trying to help them during a storm really Ma?Not long after their trip to the island, the girls discover the truth about Ma: she has been in the hospital, receiving treatment for an unnamed illness. Why neither parent could even attempt to explain this to their daughters is frustrating and obviously takes any enchantment out of the tale. The bond between Cordie and Ione is an accurate portrayal of sisterhoodthey love and slight each other but, in the end, can count only on each other. Secrets revealed throughout the story only add to the somewhat depressing ending. Readers may feel misled because they, along with Ione, hoped for the hinted-at magic to be true.Pam Carlson.