by Lisette Auton
with illustrations by Valentina Toro
Shortlisted Little Rebels Award 2023
"Everyone who finds this place and becomes a Wreckling is disabled. If you're not, you're an Outsider, and no Outsider has ever made it past the Boundaries...Haven Point is my home, my life, all I've ever known. From what I can gather from the other Wrecklings, well the world outsider Haven Pont is cruel."
Disabled characters steer the narrative in a coastal adventure, complete with mermaids and shipwreck lootings. Eager young readers are rewarded with an intricate but accessible plot and a sizeable cast of memorable characters. There is, of course, Alpha Lux, the protagonist with facial scarring, who washes up on Haven Point's shores as a baby. She is scooped up by the island's only inhabitant, Cap'n, who lives quietly in Old Ben, the lighthouse, his magnificent beard home to a kitten... Over time, Alpha is joined by a steady stream of other disabled characters, together forming a 'found-family' community of Wrecklings who are held together by love and mutual support. Uniquely, they adapt their world to fit each of them and each of their needs, with the minimum of fuss. And there are always a clan of mermaids on hand should they be needed. But this utopia isn't immune to the threats from Outsiders and lately, the community's magical Boundaries are becoming porous...
A swashbuckling thrill of a narrative which beats back myths about disabled people, delivers a visionary community (it literally puts a social model of disability on to paper) and offers a sophisticated exploration of separatism. The central, dramatic unfolding also occurs during the blissfully romantic wedding of two women, Laura and Maura. The exquisitely created Wreckling's world won't leave this reader's mind. Written by a disabled author passionate about representation, this is -incredibly- Auton's debut. We cannot wait to see what else she gifts her young readers! Age 9-12, Paperback 378pp
Themes: Disabilities Themes: LGBTQ+