Cindy L Gold

“Sailing an Alien Sea” by Cindy Gold is a book that is set mostly in the 1970s in Sante Fe that focuses on a girl, Sylvie, as the main character, and Emily (her older sister) and Nola (who is friends with both) as supporting characters. The 70s was much different from today, especially with the freedoms that kids took (leaving the house and having mom yell “be back home in time for dinner” and not really knowing where her kid was) and as a child of the 70s, it was nice to revisit that time.

I really liked Sylvie. She is a tough, smart girl who has a big heart. Through her sister, Emily, she meets Nola who has a very visible disability. How the author dealt with Nola was really great. She acknowledged the disability but didn’t focus on it; it was just a part of Sylvie’s world that she accepted. We didn’t feel sorry for Nola, but were impressed that her limitations didn’t stop her. Nola gave Sylvie strength by being strong herself.

This book was an enjoyable read that will be enjoyed by tweens, teens and adults. It is a book about unconditional love and acceptance, about trying to do what is right but messing up at times, and about finding yourself. I felt that the story could have been tightened up in spots, but that is probably the only “fault” of the book. I look forward to reading more works by this author.

**I received this book through GoodReads First Reads Giveaway. It did not affect my review.**… (lisätietoja)