89 pages • 2 hours read
The House in the Cerulean Sea
Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2020
A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. For select classroom titles, we also provide Teaching Guides with discussion and quiz questions to prompt student engagement.
Introduction
The House in the Cerulean Sea
- Genre: Fiction; queer fantasy
- Originally Published: 2020
- Reading Level/Interest: Lexile HL620L; grades 11-12; college/adult
- Structure/Length: 19 chapters and epilogue; approx. 393 pages; approx. 12 hours, 12 minutes on audio
- Protagonist and Central Conflict: Linus Baker, a case worker in the Department in Charge of Magical Youth, is assigned to visit and report back on an orphanage located on a remote island. Although Linus likes structure, he is enchanted by the unusual home and its six magical children, as well as by Arthur, the home’s manager.
- Potential Sensitivity Issues: Bigotry, including implied threats of violence; body shaming and “fatphobia”; references to child abuse; forced institutionalization of children
TJ Klune, Author
- Bio: Born in 1982 in Oregon; began writing fan fiction about the video game Metroid at age eight; identifies as queer and asexual; has worked as an insurance claims examiner; writes fantasy and romance featuring LGBTQ+ characters; received the Lambda Literary Award for his romance novel Into This River I Drown (2013)
- Other Works: The Lightning-Struck Heart (Tales from Verania, Book 1; 2015); Wolfsong (Green Creek, Book 1; 2016); Under the Whispering Door (2021); In the Lives of Puppets (2023)
- Awards: Lambda Literary Award (2013); Alex Award (2020); Mythopoeic Fantasy Award for Adult Literature (2020); RUSA Reading List: Fantasy Winner (2021); Locus Award (2021)
