Josephine Against the Sea, Shakirah Bourne, author.As I was reading this book to decide whether or not it was appropriate for middle-grade kids like my grandchildren, I was immediately sucked into the story. It is funny, sad, exciting, romantic, tender, scary, and also filled with lots of other elements and ideas that children grapple with, like monsters, loss and disability. The book has magic, superstition, legends, and all the stuff of children’s nightmares, as well as the stuff of their dreams of becoming great athletes and taking charge of their lives. Sometimes the nightmares will win. Will the happy dream win in the end?Josephine is 10, going on 11. She lives on the island of Barbados with her fisherman dad, Vincent. Sometimes she seems like an adult and sometimes she seems infantile. Josephine loves to play Cricket but it is a boy’s sport. Can she break through the gender gap? She is a child in most ways, often taking advantage of some situations and sometimes over reacting to others. The book is all about magical creatures that can be evil and the power of children to overcome their fears, their shortcomings and their confusion about what life deals them. Sometimes the hands they are dealt seem unfair, but they have the power to grow and solve their own problems, they have the power to bring change to the world. Sometimes, those they judge unworthy, because of how they look or act, really have the capacity to be their heroes/heroines. Sometimes those that look the best can be the worst kind of monsters and their enemies. Josephine’s mom died suddenly when she was only five years old. The loss has been enormous for both Josephine and her father. They miss her terribly. When her father begins dating again, Josephine is frightened. Will she lose her father too, to another woman? Will the woman disappear from their lives like her mom, giving them a double loss? Will her father no longer prefer her? Josephine thinks she can satisfy his needs better than any other person. Josephine believes that if she can get her father to love the sport of Cricket again, he will not need anything but her. Josephine has to grow up, and in this little novel, she matures slowly with the help of her teachers, her best friend, an autistic neighbor, Ahkai, and some adults who believe in superstitions and magic. They help her to understand that her father loves her and will not abandon her. They help her to open up her heart to others. They help her defeat her own inner monsters.Josephine’s jealousy of her dad’s friends was true to form for children who suffer through loss or divorce. Often, they blame themselves or refuse to accept any other “replacement” figure. That subject is dealt with very well as is the subject of befriending those who are different than we are, and the idea of facing and dealing with our own shortcomings and fears. Hopefully, in the end, children will be able to discern between fact and fiction, superstition and reality. The book is a powerful tool for kids with any kind of fear they believe they cannot overcome. The story is captivating, but is it appropriate for ten-year-olds? If not, the result could be emotionally disastrous. Are subjects introduced that they don’t understand, like infertility? Should a parent or adult guide the reading?I was disappointed in the end of the book because it seemed to dwell too heavily on monsters, as if they were real, rather than on the idea that monsters of all kinds can be defeated if we try hard enough. I wondered if Akhai's autism was presented authentically. I wondered, also, if the ending would be too scary for young children who believe in monsters. Did the author make her point that those monsters of all stripes could be defeated, or did she reinforce the idea that monsters are real and can cause you real harm? Was it clear that superstition sometimes causes foolish decisions? I just wonder if the children will understand that magic and monsters are part of our dreams and our nightmares and are not part of reality. I also hope that they understand that the poor grammar is indicative of the dialect used in Barbados, and is not appropriate English with which we generally communicate.