I received an electronic ARC from Knopf Books for Young Readers through NetGalley.
Told in two time periods - present and a dreamed past.
Summer was found on the beach when she was two. Lindy has raised her for ten years when the book opens. Life is changing around her and she's trying to find her way. She gets caught in a rip tide and Lindy saves her again. Following that, she dreams of a past time on the island and several people who live near her current home. They (Tink, Coop, Alexis, Kimmy, Len) also are experiencing a summer of change.
Sarno interweaves the two time periods along high and low tide times. She captures the frustrations and joys of being twelve and preparing for the teen years. She also creates damaged families who find ways to survive. The ocean's pull moves throughout the plotline.
Middle grade readers will relate to the variety of emotions and activities occurring on the island.

*I received a free eARC of this book from the publisher through NetGalley*

As other reviewers have said, this is a slower paced, gentle mystery. Summer is 12 years old, and she has lived most of her life in the same small beach town. Her best friend is a fairly easy-going boy named Jeremiah, and she is generally happy living with her guardian Lindy. Things begin to change when Lindy wants to let her boyfriend move in with them, and then after a near-drowning, Summer begins having very realistic dreams about a young girl who spent the summer in the same town years before. As Summer continues having the dreams, she learns more about herself, her friends, and her relationships with all those she loves. Definitely not an edge-of-your-seat read, but I was very engaged and read it very quickly. If you are looking for a friendship story with a bit of magical realism, this might be a good choice for you.

I'd say probably good for 4th or 5th grade and up. Younger kids will probably not be interested in all the relationship-y stuff. There are some references to drinking and some characters smoke, but I think most young readers can handle that.

Summer loves the ocean, after all, she was adopted at two years old after being found in the sand near the ocean by Lindy. But times are changing as Lindy's boyfriend is moving in and changing the whole dynamic of Summer's family. After she swallows a little bit of the ocean, she dreams of another young girl who she doesn't know but seems familiar. Will her dreams be able to teach Summer more about where she came from?

This was an interesting way of finding your place in the world with a touch of magical realism that allows Summer to reach into the past, while at the same time learning about who she is now and how to adapt to change. This is Melissa Sarno's sophomore novel and as well-written as Just Under the Clouds.

I received this novel as an e-ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

A Swirl of Ocean is a middle grade novel by Melissa Sarno. The story takes place in a beach town, Barnes Bluff Bay, and follows the life and dreams of Summer, a twelve-year-old girl who loves the ocean and wants to learn more about herself and where she came from.

Sarno’s writing is vivid and descriptive with a touch of magical realism. The characters are relatable and lovable. However, I was left yearning to know more about the Turtle Lady. She was fascinating!

I also think some of the content was too mature for specific ages within the middle grade cohort (8-12 years in age). For example, making out for 26-minutes, drowning secondary to drinking, and cigarette smoking maybe too much for 8-11-year-old child. Therefore, my recommendation for this novel is 12 and older.

Thank you to NetGalley and Alfred A. Knopf Books for an e-copy of this book.

I loved this beautifully written, suspenseful, and emotionally resonant middle grade novel by Melissa Sarno. Like Sarno’s lovely debut, JUST UNDER THE CLOUDS, A SWIRL OF OCEAN has an incredibly vivid setting and gorgeous descriptions. The beach town of Barnes Bluff Bay is so well drawn, with charming characters and details that made me feel like I was there with main character Summer and the other locals as the tourists cleared out and the off-season began. And there were so many points when I wanted to pause to appreciate Sarno’s lyrical prose, playful choice of verbs, and just-right figurative language—her writing is never self-conscious or trying too hard; it’s just plain lovely.
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While this book has the clear sense of place and striking language that fans of JUST UNDER THE CLOUDS will recognize, it’s a very different book in many exciting ways, with a touch of magic and a fascinating mystery at its core. This is the story of 12-year-old Summer, who was found washed up on the shore when she was two years old by a woman named Lindy, who is the only family she’s ever known. But now, Lindy wants to change everything by letting her annoying boyfriend move in so it’s no longer just the two of them, and after getting caught in the current and swallowing a lot of ocean water, Summer begins dreaming about a girl named Tink and the summer she spent at Barnes Bluff Bay many years before, when she was the same age Summer is now. Summer becomes convinced that these dreams are connected to her own story and might reveal who she was before she became Lindy’s.
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Dream sections are woven into the main narrative, and they’re so compelling, both because of the mystery of how they’re connected to Summer and because Tink’s experience as a twelve-year-old complements Summer’s so beautifully: both are grappling with different kinds of changes in the people and world around them, and both long to hold onto aspects of their childhood in poignant ways. I love the way the novel ends—everything comes together in a powerful, satisfying way, and the balance of what gets revealed and what stays unknowable felt just right to me.
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This book reads slightly older than Sarno’s debut, and I think it’s a perfect choice for 10-12 year old readers, especially, who will relate to the kinds of change Summer and Tink are faced with. I couldn’t put it down!

This book was received as an ARC from Random House Children's - Knopf Books for Young Readers in exchange for an honest review. Opinions and thoughts expressed in this review are completely my own.

I have never read a book with such a connection as I read A Swirl of Ocean. I love it when I have a deep connection with a book as it takes an unexpected turn with a completely different concept and theme. All of us some way, some how have secrets of our past and we never know where they come from because they are far deep in our memory. For Summer, it takes a rip tide in the ocean for her to have these dreams of this little girl Tink and how she is connected with Summer's childhood and all Summer wanted to know is where she came from. This book is filled with such a strong message that everyone some way, some how will relate to and have a connection with.

We will consider adding this title to our JFiction collection at our library. That is why we give this book 5 stars.