The Secret of Haven Point

Alpha became the first to become a ‘Wreckling’, when she was just a baby. Following a fire which left her with facial injuries, she was washed up in a soap box near a remote lighthouse. Here she was found by a mermaid. Since then, Haven Point has become a refuge for more disabled people, slowly forming a coastal commune, where non-disabled outsiders are not permitted. Its residents live in a relative harmony, using mermaid song to lure in ships and loot them for the vital supplies they need. Then one day Alpha sees something. A glint of light that shouldn’t be there – a tiny but deeply unsettling indicator that something is wrong. Something – or someone - has broken through the boundary and the Wrecklings must face danger and conflict to protect the peaceful life they have created.

This is a captivating adventure, its growing sense of unease and suspense building gradually into a dark and dramatic crescendo. The loyalty, humour and affectionate bickering in their ‘found family’ is touching and tangible. Written with lived experience and bucket-loads of research, different types of disability are described with sensitivity and accuracy. The book busts many a stereotype, and these are not just restricted to disability –we see that far from just spending their days combing their hair, mermaids have some pretty grisly habits! Evocative pen-and-ink illustrations beautifully complement the swashbuckling seaside adventure.