The House in the Cerulean Sea
The House in the Cerulean Sea is a book that book deals with fear and discrimination while telling a captivating story full of whimsy and enchantment. I wish I could say these are two issues that our society no longer has to deal with, but they are still rearing their ugly heads.
Linus Baker of the Department in Charge of Magical Youths (DICOMY) has a cookie cutter life and does not want to venture outside the lines of this life he has created. His job is to investigate orphanages that house magical children, write a report that encourages either the continuation or discontinuation of these establishments, and justify it all within the uncompromising parameters of fairness. Linus Baker follows the rules with an unflinching rigidity, walking through a life that is divided into black and white. But, when Linus is assigned to investigate an island orphanage for magical children deemed especially dangerous, his world is like a house with all its doors thrown wide open, so many new colorful rooms added to a place he was so sure he already knew.
As soon as I sat down with this book I knew I wasn’t going to put it down until I was done. I was moved by this book in ways I didn’t expect. The story, the plot, and the characters meant so much to me. I found myself laughing at all their unique quirkiness, crying tears of joy, and feeling the need to stand up for them and their tender hearts. Each character is endearing, and will move you and cement themselves in your heart before you turn the last page of the story. All through the book I wanted to go live in this magical and colorful home in the Cerulean Sea.
I cannot express how much this is a must read book. It has a lot to offer and teach for all those who read it no matter their age, young or old.
I have so many tabbed pages that mark quotes that I found beyond valuable (If you are an English teacher this is a book to incorporate into your curriculum)
“I don’t pretend to know the minds of men, she said, hand tightening on the steering wheel as a woman on the sidewalk appeared to shield her chubby, squawking children away from the car. “They fear what they don’t understand. And that fear turns to hate for reasons I’m sure even they can’t begin to comprehend. And since they don’t understand the children, since they fear them, they hate them. This can’t be the first time you’ve heard of this it happens everywhere.”
Talk about a powerful and true quote. I truly believe that hate stems from fear. For many it is easier hate than to examine what fears lie within them.
In our society today our attention spans are very short. Therefore, the amount of attention we give to ourselves and any real issues we may have are neglected. This is something that needs to be corrected before it spirals even further out of control.
In just the past few months my son and I have had to deal with anti-Semitism in our own small community several times. I thought this was something that we had gotten past, but I was wrong. It’s blatantly obvious from the comments made that the hate comes from fear, and maybe that’s fear of what they don’t know and are too afraid to ask.
We need to start asking questions when we don’t know something or understand something.
