Sea Change (Hardcover)

By Frank Viva. Published by Toon Books. 

Hardcover, 120 pages, Prose and 3-Colour illustrations, 2016.

One summer can change your whole life. As soon as school lets out, Eliot’s parents send him to the very edge of the world: a fishing village in a remote part of Nova Scotia. And what does the small town of Point Aconi have to offer? Maggots, bullies, and grumpy old men. But along the way, Eliot discovers much more – a hidden library, starry nights, and a mysterious girl named Mary Beth. Critically acclaimed author and artist Frank Viva (Along a Long Road) brings us this warm, funny, and innovatively designed coming-of-age story. See Point Aconi through Eliot’s eyes, as he finds that this place he never wanted to visit is becoming a home he doesn’t want to leave. 

Frank Viva is an award-winning artist and designer who lives in Toronto with his family. Many decades ago he spent summers in Point Aconi, Nova Scotia – and while the story in this book is entirely fictional, Frank’s memories of the place inspired it. Viva’s other books include the New York Times Best Illustrated Children’s Book selection Along a Long Road, the Parents’ Choice Award winner A Long Way Away, and TOON’s Cybils award-winning A Trip to the Bottom of the World. His art has appeared in many places, including regularly on the cover of The New Yorker. 

★ "Moving from picture books into fiction can be a stretch; Viva makes it look easy."
--Publishers Weekly STARRED REVIEW

★ "[Sea Change] is the novel equivalent of the best summer-vacation postcard a person could get."
​ --Shelf Awareness STARRED REVIEW

​★ "Viva's Sea Change is a magical book, a deft, understated chronicle of the moment a young boy passes from childhood into something altogether more mysterious -- and terrifying -- almost without being aware of it himself. Eliot is a skillfully drawn fictional creation: at times he is demanding and nearly unbearable, at others vulnerable and relatable, but always fundamentally human."
Quill & Quire STARRED REVIEW

"In Viva's transporting first novel...[Eliot] reads, makes friends, has a first kiss, explores a lighthouse, and discovers a well of compassion and courage in himself.”
--The New York Times

"Playful typography weaves the art and story together in unexpected ways . . . The inventive visuals reward careful attention."
--Kirkus Reviews

​"Viva’s bold, simple illustrations are whimsical and bring to life the story’s unique characters. The unconventional format of this funny, poignant coming-of-age story will appeal to fans of comics and graphic novels."
--School Library Journal