Out at Haven Point is a lighthouse. You might think this is nothing special, but this lighthouse is the home for 42 amazing children. All of these children have somehow found their way to this place that doesn’t appear on any maps. It is a haven for anyone who doesn’t fit in, with a disability of some kind.

Cared for by a man named Cap’n, these children thrive, laugh, bicker and live peacefully without any outsiders pointing, laughing or bullying. In fact, outsiders don’t know it’s even there, let alone be able to visit. There is a special magic – a boundary keeping outsiders out.

Cap’n has help with his charges, in the form of mermaids. These mermaids aren’t the pretty, Disney versions. They have teeth which will shred you if crossed, but it is their magic helping protect Haven Point. So how does this special group survive, you ask?

The children, no matter their disability all become wrecklings. Unsuspecting ships pass by, soon under a mermaid’s spell, not realising some or all of their cargo is missing, until they reach their destination.

This has been the wreckling’s way of life for many years, until the very first wreckling (named Alpha), spots something suspicious. At first it is just a glint, then on further investigation, she and her very best friend Badger discover what they’ve dreaded all along. Who are they? What do they want? And why did the magic let them in?

Everything they know is under threat. Sides are taken and friendships falter. Are the wrecklings still safe from the outside?

Written by an author with their own disability, this story is told with heart, stirred in with magic, mermaids and a man who raises kittens in his beard.

The main character Alpha Lux (named after the Lux Flakes box she was found in), is feisty, curious and brave, but bites off more than she can chew. Her desire to remember her mother’s face drives Alpha headfirst into a plan she never knew existed, thrusting all she knows and loves into danger.

This story is original, imaginative and not one, but all the main characters have a disability. Illustrations throughout the book and on chapter headings help portray the action and characters and Haven Point itself.

A gorgeous story of acceptance, love and all-can-do attitude.

Author – Lisette Auton

Age – 9+

(2022, Mermaids, Magic, Inclusivity, Disability, Disabilities, Outsiders, Kittens, Cats, Boundary, Imagination, Courage, Curiosity, Blended Family, Orphans, Shipwrecks)