Washed Ashore by Kerr Thomson

Abstract

Reviewed by: Washed Ashore by Kerr Thomson Kate Quealy-Gainer Thomson, Kerr Washed Ashore. Chicken House/Scholastic, 2017 [320p] ISBN 978-0-545-90420-9 $17.99 Reviewed from galleys Ad Gr. 6-9 There's not much to do on the small Scottish island of Nin, but there is plenty of water, so as an aspiring marine biologist, fifteen-year-old Fraser happily accompanies a visiting whale scientist on his trips out to the sea. A recent transplant from Texas, Hayley is decidedly unhappy but she makes a tentative connection with Dunny, Fraser's mildly autistic brother, whom Fraser deeply resents. Dunny's random [End Page 428] roaming of the island brings Hayley and Fraser together as they search for him, but they end up finding someone else in one of the island's caves: Jonah, a young man from Africa who escaped a ship involved in human trafficking. The next day, Jonah's friend and fellow escapee turns up dead on the shore, and now Hayley and Fraser have to figure out who, if anyone, on the island might know something. The characterization is sometimes paper thin; Hayley plays the pouty, displaced cheerleader and Dunny is the on-the-spectrum mystic, who speaks with whales and eventually saves the day with that skill. Fraser is rather unbelievable in his insistence that they tell no adults about their situation, but fortunately the fact that he turns out to be wrong on many levels pulls him back from being the all-knowing hero and instead makes him a kid who's just trying to do the best he can. The mystery surrounding Jonah is an intriguing one, and the twists and turns Fraser and Hayley must follow, along with the realistic portrayal of human trafficking, may provide enough interest to sustain readers past the weak spots. Copyright © 2017 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois