An enchanting historical fantasy adventure perfect for fans of Thanhha
Lai's Newbery Honor-winning Inside Out and Back Again
No one comes to the Second World on purpose. The doorway between worlds
opens only when least expected. The Raft King is desperate to change
that by finding the doorway that will finally take him and the people of
Raftworld back home. To do it, he needs Pip, a young boy with an
incredible gift--he can speak to fish; and the Raft King is not above
kidnapping to get what he wants. Pip's sister Kinchen, though, is
determined to rescue her brother and foil the Raft King's plans.
This is but the first of three extraordinary stories that collide on the
high seas of the Second World. The second story takes us back to the
beginning: Venus and Swimmer are twins captured aboard a slave ship
bound for Jamaica in 1781. They save themselves and others from a life
of enslavement with a risky, magical plan--one that leads them from the
shark-infested waters of the first world to the second. Pip and Kinchen
will hear all about them before their own story is said and done. So
will Thanh and his sister Sang, who we meet in 1978 on a small boat as
they try to escape post-war Vietnam. But after a storm and a pirate
attack, they're not sure they'll ever see shore again. What brings these
three sets of siblings together on an adventure of a lifetime is a
little magic, helpful sea monsters and that very special portal, A
Crack in the Sea.
