Faraway Things, written by Dave Eggers and illustrated by Kelly Murphy. Little, Brown and Company. Hachette, 2021. $23.99 ages 7 and up

"A splotchy dog leaped into the shallow surf
and ran to Lucian, circling him like a tornado. 
Three figures followed and walked with long 
strides up the beach. Lucian stood perfectly still. 
He tried not to be afraid because he had his 
cutlass with him, and just minutes before, he'd 
cut the sun in two."

Lucian is an explorer of the beach near the home he shares with his mother. He loves wandering out there, especially after a storm. He never knows what he might find, and is always in search of 'faraway things'. He likes to see what powerful winds leave ashore. So it is, that one day he finds a cutlass, wrapped in seaweed and lying on the beach. He takes it home, hangs it in his room and dreams of his father. His father, too, had loved such faraway things. 

Lucian spends his days playing with it on the beach, and experiencing a few mishaps. One afternoon soon after he finds it, a wooden ship comes out of the fog, and a rowboat with three passengers paddles to shore. They have questions about the lighthouse that once showed them the way during storms. It turns out their ship is caught on a sandbar because of the darkness. And oh, by the way, his cutlass is missing. 

Poor Lucian! He loves that cutlass. The captain makes a promise to trade the cutlass for anything found in his stateroom. Lucian goes with them back to the ship, and finds something he truly loves. What he does with it is what makes such stories perfect for reading out loud. 

"The captain led Lucian to the stateroom and
opened the delicately decorated double doors. 
Inside, Lucian saw a feast of glittering objects. 
There were hexagon coins and a silver sextant,

a collapsing telescope and a falconer's glove.

Lucian studied the treasures for something to 
replace the cutlass. A dagger? A saber or 
broadsword? 

"Choose wisely," the captain said.

Dave Eggers is a prolific and outstanding writer! I am a big fan of his books. He fills this tale with the beauty of the beach and the sea. I have read it aloud more than once and find myself caught up in the language and the metaphors used to bring it to life. Kelly Murphy's stunning artwork admirably matches the tone, the setting, and the beauty to be found in sea and sky. Her front endpapers show the power of the storm; the ones at the back capture the peace of the sea and the warmth of the lighthouse beam. This is a book to be savored; it will find an honored place on our 'keepers' shelf. Of that, there is no doubt.                                                                            

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