What do You think about A Stranger Came Ashore (1977)?
This book is about a community on the island of Black Ness. The protagonist is a young boy named Robbie Henderson who has grown up with his grandfather telling him tall tales of ancient myths. One of these myths is about the Selkies (seals who can take the form of human), and after the mysterious happenings following a big storm Robbie begins to wonder if his grandfather was doing more than telling tall tales.I thought this book was average. It wasn't super enthralling, and the subject wasn't something that interested me. I think I have enjoyed it more upon reflection than I did during the reading. Readers might want to be aware that there are family trust issues and the topic of tricking others to their death is involved in the myths.
—Heather Reese
I read this way way back as a pre-teen and enjoyed it immensely. Recently I had a re-read and while it was still entertaining, I could not help but think that if this was published today, the whole book would have been from Elspeth's point of view with her as a 16 year old in a triangle with her reliable guy friend and the enigmatic new boy in town who is ridiculously hot, Robbie and Old Daa would have been replaced by a girl friend and Google... and there would have been a huge possibility of Finn Learson actually getting the girl and changing his ways because it would be true love... or something. That was just off the top of my head - I haven't read any new YA recently. That said, I enjoyed this story a lot - it brought back a lot of good memories. I do wish there had been a bit more of Elspeth in the story because she is the central focus of the story. I liked Yarl Corbie, though he did pop up somewhat suddenly in the story. Great stuff,
—Melvin Mathews
A Stranger Came Ashore was originally published in 1975 and it surprises me that it never became more of a hit than it has; it has all the right elements - suspense, action, fantasy, and a writing style that reminds me of oral tradition. This book would make a fantastic read-aloud. Robbie lives in the Shetland Islands far to the north, a land of long summer days and dark winters. The place is isolated and the time period, “in those days,” is never specific though there are a few clues given. The land is rife with legend, including that of the Great Selkie, the king of the Seal People, who takes on human form in order to lure golden-haired girls back to his palace under the sea where they drown. One storm-infested night, a stranger appears at the door. Robbie believes this is the Great Selkie himself but almost everyone else believes the man is but a ship-wrecked sailor. With his golden-haired sister, Elspeth, in danger and few believing him, Robbie is forced to work with the equally scary Yarl Corbie (he’s a school teacher) to defeat the Magician of the Sea.
—Tinika
