Author Linda Crotta Brennan (Fact Files series) makes her middle-grade debut with The Selkie's Daughter, a lyrical historical fantasy inspired by Celtic folklore.
Brigit hides a secret from her small Nova Scotia fishing village: her mother is a selkie. Brigit, willing to do whatever it takes to protect her family both on land and in the sea, allows her cousin, Alys Clatcher, to hack off the webbing between her fingers and quietly endures the cruel rumors spun by her classmates. When the abusive men of the Clatcher family start to club seal cubs for extra money, the Great Selkie places a bane upon the town. As her neighbors starve and innocent cubs die, Brigit must do what heroes of folklore do: venture to the "selkies' storied home" of Sule Skerrie and find a solution that will save everybody.
Despite the presence of selkies, Brennan does not shy away from harsh historical reality: innocent characters die, including Brigit's beloved younger brother, and abuse extends from both the superstitious townsfolk and Brigit's own extended family. It only serves to make the kindness Brigit receives from her cousin Margaret and her newfound friend Peter all the stronger, which inspires Brigit to find her own voice and fight for the people she loves. For those who enjoy emotionally driven history with a dash of magic, or books like The Secret of Nightingale Wood by Lucy Strange, The Selkie's Daughter will be worth the read. --Nicole Brinkley, bookseller and writer