Book Descriptions
for And the Ocean Was Our Sky by Patrick Ness and Rovina Cai
From Cooperative Children's Book Center (CCBC)
Bathsheba is Third Apprentice to Captain Alexandra, one of the great hunting whales. For whales, water is “sky,” and the “abyss” is the human world. They have a complex society, culture, and history, and they hunt humans largely for self-defense, but not always. When Captain Alexandra finds a ship with a lone human survivor, she recognizes the coin he holds, inscribed with the letters TW, as a sign from monstrous Toby Wick, the devil among humans who has cruelly killed so many whales in his great white ship. The Captain goes in single- minded pursuit of Wick, convinced the coin was a sign left for her because of events long ago. Bathsheba, put in charge of the human survivor, grows curious about him. By the time the Captain’s inevitable order comes to kill him, Bathsheba is reluctant. Why are we doing this? Bathsheba wonders. Is Toby Wick real, or a myth with only a bit of truth in its origins, one used to justify actions no different than killing done by humans? This remarkable reimagining of Moby Dick comes to an extraordinary climax, one that is tragic, shocking, and deeply moving. Teens do not need to have read the original book to find much to appreciate and consider. Illustrated sections of storytelling beautifully extend the mood in this provocative offering. (Age 13 and older)
CCBC Choices 2019. © Cooperative Children's Book Center, Univ. of Wisconsin - Madison, 2019. Used with permission.
From the Publisher
From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of A Monster Calls comes a richly illustrated and lyrical tale, one that asks harrowing questions about power, loyalty, obsession, and the monsters we make of others.
With harpoons strapped to their backs, the proud whales of Bathsheba's pod live for the hunt, fighting in the ongoing war against the world of men. When they attack a ship bobbing on the surface of the Abyss, they expect to find easy prey. Instead, they find the trail of a myth, a monster, perhaps the devil himself...
As their relentless Captain leads the chase, they embark on a final, vengeful hunt, one that will forever change the worlds of both whales and men.
With the lush, atmospheric art of Rovina Cai woven in throughout, this remarkable work by Patrick Ness turns the familiar tale of Moby Dick upside down and tells a story all its own with epic triumph and devastating fate.
With harpoons strapped to their backs, the proud whales of Bathsheba's pod live for the hunt, fighting in the ongoing war against the world of men. When they attack a ship bobbing on the surface of the Abyss, they expect to find easy prey. Instead, they find the trail of a myth, a monster, perhaps the devil himself...
As their relentless Captain leads the chase, they embark on a final, vengeful hunt, one that will forever change the worlds of both whales and men.
With the lush, atmospheric art of Rovina Cai woven in throughout, this remarkable work by Patrick Ness turns the familiar tale of Moby Dick upside down and tells a story all its own with epic triumph and devastating fate.
Publisher description retrieved from Google Books.
