Lalani of the Distant Sea, by Erin Entrada Kelly

     Author Erin Entrada Kelly is one of those writers who I will read just because she is the author - I have read enough of her books to know that she is exceptional and knows how to tell a good story! Kelly is also one of a very few writers who have won the prestigious Newbery Award more than once. Even once is amazing, but twice? So, when I find a book by Kelly, I add it to my stack of books I want to be sure and read! Do you have a stack (or list) of books that you want to read next?

    Lalani of the Distant Sea was published in 2019, so not her newest offering. About halfway through the book I had to search for other reviews of it, because I wasn't really understanding where she was going with everything. Once I learned that this book is based on Filipino folklore it made much more sense to me - not because I know anything about Filipino folklore, but because I was struggling understanding all of the different character names, creatures, and imagery. Once I learned that there was a basis for what Kelly was writing about, it helped my super-sophisticated dog brain embrace the rest of the story.

    Lalani is a 12-year-old girl who has found herself living in a largely hopeless world, surrounded by strong, mean men. As the story unfolds she has choices to make, ultimately choosing to find a better life instead of staying with what she knows, even if what she knows includes dear friends. The book is full of new and fantastical creatures, at times making it hard to follow, but as an entire book, Lalani is wonderful - a strong, smart, courageous young woman!

    Kelly's newer titles, the ones that have won Newbery Awards, were much easier for me to follow, understand, and enjoy. Don't get me wrong, Lalani has some beautiful writing and is a very good book...but again, until I learned that a lot of it is based on folk tales from the Philippines, I had to really make myself keep reading. In short, I liked the book, but this is not one I'd recommend to a reader who didn't know any of Kelly's other books. It's like she was perfecting her craft on this one, and that perfection appeared in Hello, Universe and The First State of Being. 4 paws for Lalani, but if you haven't read of her later titles, try one of those first!