Lost at Sea

Perdu en Mer, Nathan, Paris, 2003. Paperback, Houghton Mifflin, Boston, 2004. A novel for children aged 8 to 12. The rigour and originality lie in trying for the emotional and narrative complexity of an adult literary novel within the constraints of writing for an audience who are only learning to read. This means that the words must be reasonably easy, the sentences not too long and complex, and the narrative drive relentless. At the same time, however, one must remain aware that the audience is much more emotionally sophisticated than their reading ability implies. This is why the two narrators who are believable children, but also highly perceptive and intelligent people. The novel is also original in that it combines the very different genres of family dynamics and adventure books. Moreover, Lost at Sea is also, unusually, aimed at both boys and girls. This is done with two narrators, a brother and sister. In another uncommon move, the boy is a year older than the girl, and they love each other in an uncomplicated way. The significance of the book lies in the emotional force and complexity, and the ways it can therefore extend the reader's emotional world.