The House in the Cerulean Sea

**spoiler alert** "See something, say something." This book was a lot of fun. It reminded me of Miss Peregrine and her peculiar children. Before I read this book, I saw reviews that mentioned how T.J. Klune had been inspired by the Canadian Sixties Scoop and the Residential Schools to write this story. As a Canadian reader, I have mixed feelings about this, as we are only now finding out the truth about one of our darkest moments in history. Unlike some of the real stories and victims of the Indigenous Genocide in Canada, there is a happy ending for the children of this house.

I don't think the message of this book was that everything could be fixed with love. I think it was a message of hope that, with time, more and more people would take the time to look past their stereotypes and fears of the unknown. "Change, he reminded himself, started with the voices of the few. Perhaps it would amount to nothing, but he wouldn't know unless he tried." I don't know if it's wrong to get inspired by real facts while writing a story. Had he not mentioned this in an interview, I don't know if I would have made the connection. However, I am not Indigenous, and I have not been personally affected by this tragedy, so therefore, my opinion doesn't quite matter. This story felt like a warm hug on a rainy day. If I rate this book on the story itself and how it made me feel, it's a solid 4 stars.