Jodi Lynn Anderson

I felt some empathy for May Bird, and her life, but what really drew me into this book was curiosity about the Ever After and ghosts and everything that goes along with it, which was fascinating.

I also have to admit, I dearly loved Somber Kitty (even if not especially in those moments early in the book when he seems to merely frustrate and exasperate May herself with his loyalty and affection) and I loved that we got to follow pieces of his adventure along with May's. The narrow escape and high drama at the end of the book captured my attention and emotion more when it focused on poor, alone Somber Kitty than on the other group, to be honest.

I was only mildly frustrated when I reached the end of the book and found that I evidently should have made sure to have book two on hand to begin immediately. I knew it was part of a series, but I didn't know it was going to be one of those that ends on not-quite-a-cliffhanger!… (more)

This novel is book two in the Thirteen Witches series by Jodi Lynn Anderson, titled The Sea of Always. It's a solid upper elementary early /middle school novel.

Rosie leaves with her best friend Germ to find her brother, who was kidnapped in book one and whom she has not seen since they were born. Her mother, broken from the spell she was under--so to speak--, watches the sea every night waiting for Rosie to return. Where are they? In a whale. Yep--they travel the Sea of Always in a whale. It's a magical whale that can give them almost anything they wish for: food, clothing, etc. In the Sea of Always, the whales circle time. They can go to any place in time geographically, and see what's going on. Rosie's brother is in the 1800s in San Francisco. She has a limited amount a time--indicated by an hour glass the Time Witch gives her--to find him. The Time Witch plans on killing them all.

Rosie and Germ can't do this task alone. On their first "landing," they meet Aria, a fellow witch hunter. She knows a lot about hunting witching and joins them. They develop a plan and have to hop and skip through time to find all of the remaining thirteen witches. If they can get what they need form the witches and get to San Francisco on time, maybe they can defeat the Time Witch and rescue her brother and go home. The fourth member of their crew will remain a mystery until you read the book.

That's all I'm willing to say about a sequel. I found the book to wander about a lot. Rosie struggles to gain confidence and feels that Aria is superior to her, so she tries to emulate Aria. Germ believes in the whale and fearlessly keeps going, believing that they can overcome the evil witch. I feel that I could sum up in the book in a few sentences.… (more)