Strange Children

I got The Waters & the Wild by Francesca Lia Block from the library because the title is awesome, and the cover is pretty cool too. Also, it's a really short book. Like, 113 pages. And it's about changelings, which I find very exciting. So yeah. Here it is.

The Waters & the Wild by Francesca Lia Block

Bee has always been different: more interested in dirt and green things than television and celebrities, a little bit wrong-looking in many small ways, unable to connect with the people around her. Then one night a girl shows up in her bedroom, claiming that they are the same, saying that Bee stole her life and she wants it back. As she begins to investigate the appearance of this doppelgänger and the possibility that she could be a changeling, she also finally begins to make friends: an alien boy and girl who has memories from a past life as a slave. Together they find ways to connect with their worlds and explore their identities and all that usual coming-of-age stuff; what else can I say?

This was a very sweet book, with a fairly straight-forwardly told story interspersed with bits of poetry and prefaced by an enchanting "thirteen ways to know you are a changeling" list. However... well. I found it in the teen section, but I've come to realize that "teen" is a large category, and preteen/young teen books are nothing like young adult books. This book is about thirteen-year-olds, and really should be read by thirteen-year-olds. I was not as engaged in it as I would've liked.
Also, the story seemed to completely change partway through the book. The first half was about Bee, the main character, but by the end, she seemed to just be a plot device in the story of her two friends. It was very strange and didn't work for me at all.
Other than that, the imagery in this book--especially near the end, when the changeling issue was really coming to a head--was marvelous. And I liked the theme, of outcasts finding their own community, because everyone feels different at some point or another. So overall: a nice book, but not really my thing (unfortunately, since I've been dying for a good changeling story lately).

No sequels, but Block has written lots of other unrelated books, which I probably won't read but you never know. And no movie.

Recommendation: If you are a preteen or young teen who likes stories about changelings or other strange fairy-adjacent things, then you should definitely read this book! If you like interesting takes on the usual coming-of-age theme, or stories about people who don't fit in, go for it! And even if you are older, if you are at all curious about or interested in some of these themes and tropes, try it out! It's a short book, so even if you don't like it, it won't take too much of your time.

Warning: This books is fairly tame (especially in comparison to the last book I reviewed), but there are references slavery and some mild (in my opinion) instances of bullying. Those are the only possible triggers I can think of.

Rating: Three stars. Maybe 3.5? Eh.