I was over the moon to be invited on to the blog tour for this beautiful, mystical, middle-grade fantasy read. A huge thank you to Michelle Nathan at Penguin Random House Children’s for sending me this stunning paperback and giving me the opportunity to present to you an action-packed, heartbreaking, diverse adventure.

Alpha Lux has been a Wreckling at Haven Point since she was a baby. Raised by a kindly Cap’n who keeps kittens in his beard and a beautiful but fierce mermaid called Ephyra, Alpha is now part of a band of disabled children who survive by looting ships. But Alpha has seen a light on the horizon and she senses that a threat of Outsiders may be on its way to them. How can she protect her friends and the sanctuary of Haven Point from the frightening future?

I am delighted to find out that more than one illustrator’s work is featured in the book. The magical cover is by Gillian Gamble while Valentina Toro and Luke Ashforth’s gorgeous illustrations crop up throughout the book. They fit the themes of uniqueness and mysticism perfectly. Each picture is full of beautiful detail and the characters are brought to life in all their glory. I knew exactly what everyone looked like and the setup of their home, which added to the immersiveness of the book.

Auton prefaces the book with a note on the language that she uses to refer to her disabled characters. This is an Own Voices story and yet she has still undertaken research to decide the best words to use. It just shows how sensitively these issues have been dealt with and how much thought has gone into building this world and to ensuring its inhabitants’ happiness.

Haven Point is a safe place for disabled people and anyone who may be in danger from the outside world. They are protected by powerful magic and share a sense of belonging within the world of Haven Point that we know that they wouldn’t in our cruel, ableist world. They can simply be themselves and it was so lovely to watch them flourish.

Of course, not everyone is friendly with everyone else. The kids bicker and misbehave all the time and that gave them a wonderful, authentic quality. It would have been easy to have everyone get along in this warm, cosy, magical world but the fact that they don’t reminds us that they are, of course, human. I loved seeing them have fun together, form alliances, fight off evil forces and just be their whole, unique selves.

Cap’n was definitely one of my favourite characters and I could definitely have done with seeing more of him. An old man who dedicates his life to raising and protecting disadvantaged kids while keeping kittens on his person at all times is definitely someone that I want to meet. He seems to have a very intriguing, tragic backstory too, so I’m hoping that any sequels will delve into this!

Ephyra is the mermaid who Alpha sees as a mother, sister and general life and spirit guide. She is there for Alpha whenever she needs some comfort, advice or encouragement and I was completely mesmerised by her. The mermaid magic in this book is breathtakingly beautiful and I felt very at ease around Ephyra and her tranquil home.

The Secret of Haven Point is a lyrical, magical experience that champions characters that many people would see as underdogs. It’s a beautiful story that holds its readers safely through the action, breaks their heart before gently lifting them out of the back cover with hope and reassurance. I can’t wait to see what’s next for Alpha and the Wrecklings because more than anything, I just want them to be OK!

An absolutely brilliant read! Loved by my 11 year old son who loves books with a magical element. Wreckings caused by children known as ‘wrecklings’ are a fundamental method of survival for the orphans who live in the lighthouse together with Cap’n. Salt water charms possessed by mermaids enable the merpeople to walk on land if they wish to do so. Themes of love friendship and survival are fundamental to the plot of this imaginative and unique story.

Thanks to #NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ahead of publication in exchange for an honest review

This is such a wonderful, unique and quirky read. I've definitely never read anything like it before. It's jammed full of disability rep, which you typically only seem to find in contemporary novels, so it's great to see books like this start to make their way into the world. Let's hope for lots more, so that all young people have their chance to see themselves reflected in all sorts of incredible situations and settings.

There are so many great characters, which always makes it hard to single out just one as a favourite. One of my favourite 'tropes' is found family, and that certainly covers the Wrecklings, who work perfectly together and just feel like a family that was meant to be. I loved how they interacted with each other, and what truly makes them feel like real characters it the way you can hear their accents in the way that the dialect is written!

Alpha as the main protagonist was everything you want in a lead character. I loved my time with her and her friends, and the ending is set up nicely to allow for a sequel (fingers crossed). If I haven't already sold the book to you, what you probably need to know, what you really, really need to know, is that there is a character who walks around with a tiny cat living in his beard!!

I adored the lovely illustrations that go alongside the words, and they really helped me to visualise the characters and the story. Particularly the cross section of Old Ben, right at the very start. If you're looking for something really quite different for your young reader (or indeed yourself), I can't recommend this one enough. It's also one that can open up discussion points and get them thinking about how everyone is unique in their own special ways, and that is always a good thing. The Secret of Haven Point has happily nestled itself on my special ocean themed shelf, exactly where it belongs!

What a brilliant debut! Again I am in awe of the talented authors just surfacing now!
Haven Point is a refuge for all who are different, who work differently, look differently or have bodies that work in other ways.
Cap’n seems to be the leader of the group, a very large group that work together, rely upon each other and fight for each other. A true family they have formed though they are completely cut off from the outside world, a world that treats them poorly or makes fun of them. Perhaps they are best left safe within the boundaries.
Their world is threatened when an outsider breaks through and challenges attitudes, behaviours and trusts. Just who is this person and what do they want?
Alpha, a burn victim from when she was a baby, has been raised by Cap’n and Elphyra, a mermaid. And for the record, these mermaids are fierce and have very sharp teeth. Alpha’s not-mum and not-sister, they have a special bond, one that no one else has.
Family stick by each other through it all and there will come a time when change is needed and battles will need to be fought.
Exceptionally told, this story is a powerful ode to finding your own family, accepting yourself and others for who they are and for understanding that words have power!

The Secret of Haven Point appealed to me from the outset because I studied disability history and Deafhood Studies and I’m always interested to see how Deaf or disabled characters are put into stories.
Haven Point is a home for wrecklings (who cause wrecks to get food and supplies for themselves ), for disabled peoples who may struggle to fit in other places. Think of it like a place of cultural identity or residential school idea where people find each other and find themselves. Alpha, one of the wrecklings works with the mermaids there work together stealing things to survive on. Everything goes fine until one day Alpha notices a glint that threatens their existence.
Lisette Auton does a really good job of explaining characters back stories to the reader. For example, when it comes to Peter, who is a Deaf character, the author explains BSL and how he communicates the first few times you meet him. The story is quite slow to start with. I think because we get quite a bit of back story, but it is worth reading through to get to the plot.

It's not often that I enjoy a children's book as much as the children do, but this one I did . The author writes about the group of diverse children with such sensitivity, their disabilities just being part of who they are and not driving the storyline. Our girls loved the mermaids and strong female lead, the boys the adventure and storyline. Perhaps a little slow to begin with but we'll worth the read.

I really wanted to like this book. It was such a great idea to have a cast of people with various disabilities who were so able and with the author using the best language to describe them. That aspect of the story was excellent. However, the actual plot just didn't work for me. At the start of the story I was really confused as to what was going on, and I couldn't understand the world which was being described. For the first half of the book, it was actually quite boring, as I struggled to get my head around the set up of this extremely strange place. There was a lot more action in the second half of the book, but there were still quite a lot of things that didn't make sense. I felt that throughout the book, I had some unanswered questions or some half-answered questions. I don't think I would recommend this to children, as it left me feeling quite troubled. There were so many rejected children, they survived by stealing and there is quite a lot of violence. There is an important character later in the book, but I felt I knew very little about her from the start of the book, so there were very few clues what her motives were in doing what she did. The style of the writing leaves the reader guessing quite a lot. When I read at the end that the author was a poet, that made sense. There was a poetic feel to the book, and I had noticed the many two-line sentences throughout. I would love to read more books about children with disabilities being the main characters in a book, but for me, this book made me feel quite unsettled and confused, and I'd be looking for a different book based on disabled children to read to my class.

I was thoroughly intrigued by the blurb of this book and having never heard of the author before, was instantly drawn in. Wow. I was not disappointed. What an amazing story! I don’t want to give too much away but I loved it. I can’t wait to recommend this to everyone, including my class of Year 6 children as I am sure they will love it as much as I have, if not more. Thank you for letting me read and review an ARC.

‘He didn’t know our names; he could have made up some nice ones. Instead, he chose the easiest thing in the world - to label us by our impairments.’
Alpha Lux was one of the first Wrecklings, the first to find themselves at Haven Point. A place where everyone is welcome and accepted, where children with disabilities and disfigurements find themselves a family. Alpha was raised by a mermaid, Ephrya, and can’t remember her life before Haven Point other than the flames of a fire.
When Alpha and her friend Badger discover an intruder on the island they realise that the Outsiders are coming. The Wrecklings have to band together to protect their home and most importantly, keep the mermaids safe.

I really enjoyed this book! The initial world building was a bit slow paced but when it picked up I flew through it. I loved the characters and the disability representation we got in this story. I particularly loved Badger and how essential she was to their operations. The illustrations in the book really brought the world and the characters to life, they were a lovely addition.
I feel the need to mention that the ending feels like it’s for an older demographic than the rest of the book. As an adult reader I wasn’t bothered by the content but I think for the younger readers there needs to be a warning that there will be guns, violence and death.
I will be more than happy to continue this series in the future, it was a lovely world to escape to!

This was such a great book. I loved the storyline, full of emotion, twists and unexpected happenings.
the characters were very diverse, most of them having some kind of disability. however, in Haven Point, they are never looked down upon. Everyone has something they can do, and everything is adapted to allow everyone to take part in as much as possible.
There was so much love and emotion in this book, it practically poured out the pages. The story is told from the point of view of Alpha, who acts tough, but since we are hearing the story from her, we know how she really feels about everything that happens around her.
To me, the characters seemed very realistic. Nothing seemed forced to fit into the story, it was all just natural.

overall, this was an exciting story with great characters and it was exciting the whole way through, even up to the very last pages. So i really recommend this, it was a brilliant debut, and i'll certainly be keeping an eye out for more books from this author!

This was such a lovely book to read. It was well written with good characters and a good storyline but the thing that made this book for me was the pictures that accompanied the story. They are beuatifully drawn and will really help children use their imaginations reading this book and picturing what they are reading.

Currently still reading, I'm usually quite a speedy regret but have struggled to 'get into' this story as fast as others. It doesn't appear to flow and the keeping up with the characters is proving tricky. I will continue to read it and will adapt this review as necessary at the end

I received this book from Netgalley for an honest review.

This book is set at Haven Point, where I
Our main character Alpha was left, abandoned as a baby after a terrible fire. She is the first wreckling, a family who cause ship wrecks in order to receive the supplies needed, working together with mermaids. The lighthouse Alpha lives in is a toast turvy home full of Knick knacks and quirks, but it is also a haven for any disabled person who needs a place to belong. They are safe and can live their life unjudged… until Alpha starts to notice a glint from the cliff. Have outsiders come to destroy their haven?

This is a slow starting book but with a wonderful message about belonging, family and otherness. With an array of original characters, mermaids and cats that sleep in beards. This story gives a voice to those often ignored, insulted or made to feel anything less than human. Although, I found the book slow to begin with, I was intrigued by the storyline, heartened by the message and happy to see people truly represented and have their own voice. This book offers so many discussion points and I hope is the start in a long line of books not just talking about disability representation but allowing disabled people to own their own stories.

Representation is important. For too long, stories have featured characters whose physical appearance has been a sign of their goodness, with – let’s be honest – able-bodied white protagonists being seen as the norm. As authors have started to include a more diverse mix of players in their titles, it is encouraging to see that more of those writers are disabled themselves and write from personal experience – from the heart, something that is crucial if our readers are to grow up to be more accepting of and empathetic towards those around them.

In this new title, most of the characters are disabled in some way – something that I have not seen in any other story I’ve read – and, refreshingly, are all shown in the most positive of lights to demonstrate their abilities. This is very much as it should be and I hope that my review does them justice.

We are introduced to our heroine, Alpha, at the start of the book as she lists four facts about herself that she feels we need to share before she tells her story. Moving on, she goes on to tell us that she was the first Wreckling at Haven Point – someone who spends her days squabbling, eating and planning adventures, adding carrying out wreckings as an afterthought. A foundling, Alpha has been brought up by Cap’n within the walls of lighthouse Old Ben and has been joined by others in need of sanctuary throughout her short life. A magical place, Haven Point can only be reached by those who can cross the Boundaries thus keeping its inhabitants safe from Outsiders.

Within the boundaries though is the adjacent sea, home to mermaids and Alpha’s not-mam, not-big sister Ephyra for whom she cares deeply and who she has not seen for a while as the mermaids have been holding Important Meetings. Receiving an invitation to visit, Alpha heads to the water to see her friend and share precious time together. Alpha takes the opportunity to ask Ephyra what is happening and is told that she doesn’t know, but something’s not right.

When the time comes for a wrecking, Alpha and the other residents head to the beach but Alpha is distracted by a glint of something shining from the empty pillbox structure at the top of the cliff – something that should be impossible. Convinced that her absent mother is responsible, Alpha sets about investigating but what she finds threatens the future of both Haven Point and the mermaids. Who has been in the pillbox? How did they cross the Boundaries? And most importantly, can the Wrecklings stay hidden from the Outsiders?

As a society, we seem to be dragging our heels over making necessary adaptations for those who need them – whether it be easily accessible toilet facilities, Braille signage or a multitude of other changes. Here, there is no difficulty that cannot be overcome so that everyone is an equal member of the community and by showing our children that this is not only necessary, but is possible, I hope that this story will inspire them to work towards the inclusion of everyone in everything that we currently do not have.

As someone who suffers from both anxiety and bouts of depression, I was glad to see that mental health is touched upon here too. Sadly, so many people still do not see that poor mental health can be equally as disabling as physical impairments and as with all of the individuals within its pages, the book treats those affected with the greatest of empathy.

Suitable for Year 4 readers upwards, this book is a fabulous adventure that is truly inclusive and one which leaves the way clear for a much-needed sequel. I am hugely grateful to both publisher Puffin and Net Galley for my advance read ahead of publication on February 3rd.

A Fantastic adventure with such brilliantly realised characters. I'm really looking forward to the second instalment as the author has created something unique, magical and unpredictable, much like her protagonist.