Beyond the Ocean

As a character study, Zara shines because her voice literally speaks in channels. The radio logs, the way she collects call signs, and her cautious reach toward the Brine Brigade make every exchange feel earned, especially when Juniper's speed, the Chow twins' code-play, and Noor's quiet resolve pull her into a wider circle.

Some beats pause to let trust build, and those pauses matter. The result is a team you believe in long after the static fades.

Librarian take: ideal for grades 4–8, especially readers drawn to STEM tinkering, coding, and team dynamics. The nautical lingo is supported by context clues, and peril is present but not graphic, centering on fog, currents, and lost signals rather than injuries. Great companion for fans of Paper Girls' friendship puzzles and Lightfall's cozy-quest vibe, plus an easy springboard for lessons on radio waves, Morse, and environmental stewardship.

Worldbuilding here is a salty marvel. Tidelock's rumor economy, the eerie etiquette of the Drowned Bell, ferries missing the channel, tide clocks disappearing, and a lighthouse wrapped in static create a living system of signals and consequences. The Brine Brigade's flotsam machines feel plausible, patched together with care and a maker ethos that turns the retired ferry into a community laboratory.

It reads like weather moving in.

On the craft side, the book leans into clear staging and a fog-muted palette that suits Tidelock's chill mornings. The paneling favors generous gutters that let the colors breathe; sound effects for static sit lightly so dialogue stays legible.

I loved how spreads toggle between the cannery's workbench chaos and the Brine Brigade's ferry deck, using antenna lines and ropes as visual guides. One early action page near Breaker's Spine reads a touch busy, but the storyboarding recovers fast, and the final sequences around Far Lantern lighthouse are paced with confident beats.

A tight coastal mystery where a blamed broadcast pushes Zara from cannery benches to Breaker's Spine and back again. Smart clues, brisk stakes, and a satisfying lighthouse payoff.

Salt and static in my ears, and my heart cheered for this story! Fog, gulls, and the Old Starling Cannery stitch together a place you can almost smell. Every panel hums like a tuned antenna.

What got me most was the signal-versus-silence theme. Zara keeps trying to be heard in the language she trusts, and the book keeps whispering that "connection travels farther than any frequency". I felt that in the way weather reports hide shanties and in the way the bay answers back.

Found family absolutely sings here. The Brine Brigade is messy, resourceful, generous, and their ferry feels like a haven lit by soldering sparks. Juniper, the Chow twins, and Noor do not just help Zara; they let her help them, which matters so much.

The tactile details delighted me. Call signs, grease pencil notes, vacuum tubes, tide clocks vanishing from windows, even the squeal of a homemade transmitter blamed for the Drowned Bell, all of it threads into a mystery that feels handmade and brave.

I finished buzzing with joy and salt on my lips. Give me more stories about girls building, listening, and refusing to be cut to static!