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Murray Out of Water
Win a free print copy of this book!
1 day and 06:10:05
5 copies available
U.S. only
Perfect for fans of Rebecca Stead, Natalie Lloyd, and Jasmine Warga, this beautiful novel in verse explores one girl's struggle to regain her magic after a hurricane forces her to move away from her beloved ocean that, she believes, has given her special powers. Bighearted and observant twelve-year-old Murray O’Shea loves the ocean. Every chance she gets, she’s in it. It could be because the ocean never makes her apologize for being exactly who she is—something her family refuses to do—but it could also be because of the secret magic that Murray shares with the ocean. Though she can’t explain its presence, the electric buzz she feels from her fingertips down to her toes allows her to become one with the ocean and all its creatures, and it makes Murray feel seen in a way she never feels on land. But then a hurricane hits Murray’s Jersey Shore home, sending the O'Sheas far inland to live with relatives. Being this far from the ocean, Murray seems to lose her magic. And stuck in a house with her family, she can no longer avoid the truths she’s discovering about herself—like how she feels in the clothes her mom makes her wear, or why she doesn't have boys on the brain like other girls her age. But it’s not all hurricanes and heartache. Thankfully, Murray befriends a boy named Dylan, who has a magic of his own. When Murray agrees to partner with him for a youth roller-rama competition in exchange for help getting her magic back, the two forge an unstoppable bond—one that shows Murray how it's not always the family you were given that makes you feel whole...sometimes it's the family you build along the way.
400 pages, Hardcover
Expected publication May 21, 2024
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
May 17, 2023
I read an early edition of this book - it's a beautiful middle grade verse novel about a girl finding a new family after the home she knew gets destroyed. It's about finding yourself, the small kind of magic that found family holds.
A magnificent story of friendship, drag, and dealing with disasters you don't have the words for.
I love love love it
A magnificent story of friendship, drag, and dealing with disasters you don't have the words for.
I love love love it
April 29, 2024
As an early reader (the author is my partner), this has so much heart and is so important and is also just a lovely book! I can’t wait to get it into the hands of kids.
December 27, 2023
What a lovely, affecting novel in verse about a young person figuring out who she is amid the upheaval of a hurricane decimating her hometown. I can't wait for more people to get to know Murray and her story next year.
Read
January 8, 2024I blurbed this one and loved it! MURRAY is about a kiddo who has ocean magic & is displaced after a hurricane hits Jersey. It explores all things queer and lonely, and had so much ocean in it that it made me cry and miss Puerto Rico down to my bones.
May 13, 2023
I read an early version of this book, and it’s so sweet and heartfelt. ❤️
April 20, 2024
This novel in verse is very emotional and complete. It explores many themes such as:
Murray's passion for the ocean where she feels at home and more like herself. The hurricane destroys her house, forcing her to live far from the ocean and face many changes, but some changes are good. Like finding new magic in a new place.
Murray spends less time under a strict, religious mother who always forces her daughter to act and dress like a lady. Murray stays with her uncle and aunt in a house where adults don't ban books and feels more relaxed. In her temporarily new school, she meets Dylan who, like the ocean, will help her understand who she is and with whom she can just be herself. There is also Patrick, her older brother, whom she misses a lot. He argued with his parents in the past and they didn't apologize, but we hope this will change because their actions kept Patrick away from Murray's life for a long time.
I relate a lot to her passion for the ocean, missing the ocean, and feeling the ocean as my home. The loss of the house, the changes, the confusion about identity, friendship, family, new friends, the relationship with the ocean, turning thirteen, liking girls, and standing up to the truth... make this novel a wonderful read that can always be reread with the same intensity.
Communication is key among friends and family.
Thank you, publisher and net galley for this e-arc.
Murray's passion for the ocean where she feels at home and more like herself. The hurricane destroys her house, forcing her to live far from the ocean and face many changes, but some changes are good. Like finding new magic in a new place.
Murray spends less time under a strict, religious mother who always forces her daughter to act and dress like a lady. Murray stays with her uncle and aunt in a house where adults don't ban books and feels more relaxed. In her temporarily new school, she meets Dylan who, like the ocean, will help her understand who she is and with whom she can just be herself. There is also Patrick, her older brother, whom she misses a lot. He argued with his parents in the past and they didn't apologize, but we hope this will change because their actions kept Patrick away from Murray's life for a long time.
I relate a lot to her passion for the ocean, missing the ocean, and feeling the ocean as my home. The loss of the house, the changes, the confusion about identity, friendship, family, new friends, the relationship with the ocean, turning thirteen, liking girls, and standing up to the truth... make this novel a wonderful read that can always be reread with the same intensity.
Communication is key among friends and family.
Thank you, publisher and net galley for this e-arc.
January 29, 2024
E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus
Murray lives with her parents, baby brother Sean, older sister Kelly, and the shadow of older brother Patrick, who doesn't speak to the family, in Lavalette, New Jersey, along the shore. She loves being in the water, and seems to feel she has magic that can control the water and help her save creatures from it. Her mother doesn't understand why she wants to be a marine biologist, and hopes that she will be a doctor or lawyer, even though her grades are mediocre. When a massive storm approaches, the family evacuates inland to stay with an aunt and uncle from who they are estranged due to the circumstances with Patrick. The family is welcoming, especially older cousin Laura, who has a funky sense of fashion and wants to be called Blake and use they/them pronouns. Murray is worried about this, mainly because her mother is very religious, and is critical even of Murray's desire to read Stonewall Honor books. After the storm is over, the family finds out that their home is badly damaged, and they will have to rebuild. Kelly decides to go back home and live with a friend, and the mother and father are taking baby Sean to stay in an apartment the father has for his work. Patrick has reconnected with the family tentatively, since he was checking in with the aunt and uncle during the storm. The father seems glad, but the mother is still not happy, as the fact that Patrick is gay doesn't align with her values. Murray enjoys being with her aunt and uncle, even though she misses the sea, and makes a friend at her new school, CJ Hooker Middle School. Dylan is bullied by the other students, but the two enjoy being at the local roller rink, where the owner is supportive of all of the teens and tweens who come there to skate and practice roller derby. Murray starts to realize that she doesn't like to dress in the girly way her mother makes her, but Dylan would like to wear dresses. This conversation leads to a drag show at the roller rink. Will Murray be able to live her own authentic life while keep ing the peace with her parents?
Strengths: This was an interesting novel in verse that addresses the problem of being forced out of one's home by a natural disaster, and the author's note that this was based on Superstorm Sandy was intriguing. Murray is a very typical tween who is both wanting to please her parents but also rebelling against their unreasonable stances on many issues. Her aunt and uncle, along with her cousin, are more supportive, and it was good to see that Patrick also had support from family members even if he didn't have it from his parents. The local skating rink was a fun setting, and the LGBTQIA+ community shows the importance of found families.
Weaknesses: There was a lot going on in this book, and it would have been a fine story without the magic, which seemed to take me out of the story a bit and was confusing. For the record, the name of the school has nothing to do with TJ Hooker, the 1980s police drama with William Shatner.
What I really think: This will be a popular book with the fans of the work of Lisa Bunker, A.J. Sass, and Kyle Luckoff.
Murray lives with her parents, baby brother Sean, older sister Kelly, and the shadow of older brother Patrick, who doesn't speak to the family, in Lavalette, New Jersey, along the shore. She loves being in the water, and seems to feel she has magic that can control the water and help her save creatures from it. Her mother doesn't understand why she wants to be a marine biologist, and hopes that she will be a doctor or lawyer, even though her grades are mediocre. When a massive storm approaches, the family evacuates inland to stay with an aunt and uncle from who they are estranged due to the circumstances with Patrick. The family is welcoming, especially older cousin Laura, who has a funky sense of fashion and wants to be called Blake and use they/them pronouns. Murray is worried about this, mainly because her mother is very religious, and is critical even of Murray's desire to read Stonewall Honor books. After the storm is over, the family finds out that their home is badly damaged, and they will have to rebuild. Kelly decides to go back home and live with a friend, and the mother and father are taking baby Sean to stay in an apartment the father has for his work. Patrick has reconnected with the family tentatively, since he was checking in with the aunt and uncle during the storm. The father seems glad, but the mother is still not happy, as the fact that Patrick is gay doesn't align with her values. Murray enjoys being with her aunt and uncle, even though she misses the sea, and makes a friend at her new school, CJ Hooker Middle School. Dylan is bullied by the other students, but the two enjoy being at the local roller rink, where the owner is supportive of all of the teens and tweens who come there to skate and practice roller derby. Murray starts to realize that she doesn't like to dress in the girly way her mother makes her, but Dylan would like to wear dresses. This conversation leads to a drag show at the roller rink. Will Murray be able to live her own authentic life while keep ing the peace with her parents?
Strengths: This was an interesting novel in verse that addresses the problem of being forced out of one's home by a natural disaster, and the author's note that this was based on Superstorm Sandy was intriguing. Murray is a very typical tween who is both wanting to please her parents but also rebelling against their unreasonable stances on many issues. Her aunt and uncle, along with her cousin, are more supportive, and it was good to see that Patrick also had support from family members even if he didn't have it from his parents. The local skating rink was a fun setting, and the LGBTQIA+ community shows the importance of found families.
Weaknesses: There was a lot going on in this book, and it would have been a fine story without the magic, which seemed to take me out of the story a bit and was confusing. For the record, the name of the school has nothing to do with TJ Hooker, the 1980s police drama with William Shatner.
What I really think: This will be a popular book with the fans of the work of Lisa Bunker, A.J. Sass, and Kyle Luckoff.
April 16, 2024
Murray has always loved the ocean, because it never expects her to be something she’s not. She also has a secret magic connection to the water that makes her feel at home. But when a hurricane destroys her home and forces her family to move inland, her magical connection is severed.
Now stuck in a house with her family, Murray can’t avoid the things she’s learning about herself. A new friendship with a boy named Dylan opens up a whole new world for her, especially when she learns he also has magic. Her new friendships show that family doesn’t always have to just be blood.
Thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins for an advanced copy of Murray Out of Water by Taylor Tracy to review! I saw this book on NetGalley and was immediately drawn in by the cover. Since I’m trying to read more middle grade this year, I decided to give it a try!
This is a novel in verse, hitting a ton of strong emotional notes throughout. At the beginning, Murray’s parents are very conservative; contrasting strongly with her aunt and uncle she lives with most of the book. I loved the way Murray was able to reforge a connection with her estranged older brother, and also became closer with her other siblings.
In addition to the family relationships, Murray makes a lot of new friends along the way. She learns that a lot of queer community is based around found family because of people like her parents. She’s able to learn more about herself in these new relationships, and I loved that journey in a middle grade novel. There are so many middle grade readers that will resonate with her journey.
The magic aspect of the book is there, but it mostly reflects Murray’s emotional journey throughout the story. As she figures out more about herself, she is eventually able to find her way back to her magic. I loved the parallels between magic and queer identity throughout the story.
All in all, this is a wonderful middle grade novel you’ll definitely want to check out when it comes out in May!
Now stuck in a house with her family, Murray can’t avoid the things she’s learning about herself. A new friendship with a boy named Dylan opens up a whole new world for her, especially when she learns he also has magic. Her new friendships show that family doesn’t always have to just be blood.
Thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins for an advanced copy of Murray Out of Water by Taylor Tracy to review! I saw this book on NetGalley and was immediately drawn in by the cover. Since I’m trying to read more middle grade this year, I decided to give it a try!
This is a novel in verse, hitting a ton of strong emotional notes throughout. At the beginning, Murray’s parents are very conservative; contrasting strongly with her aunt and uncle she lives with most of the book. I loved the way Murray was able to reforge a connection with her estranged older brother, and also became closer with her other siblings.
In addition to the family relationships, Murray makes a lot of new friends along the way. She learns that a lot of queer community is based around found family because of people like her parents. She’s able to learn more about herself in these new relationships, and I loved that journey in a middle grade novel. There are so many middle grade readers that will resonate with her journey.
The magic aspect of the book is there, but it mostly reflects Murray’s emotional journey throughout the story. As she figures out more about herself, she is eventually able to find her way back to her magic. I loved the parallels between magic and queer identity throughout the story.
All in all, this is a wonderful middle grade novel you’ll definitely want to check out when it comes out in May!
January 29, 2024
Lyrical and beautiful describe this text that tackles issues important to young adults, including themes of parental disagreements, sexuality, and coming-of-age.
In this novel in verse, Murray loves the ocean. She is so connected, in fact, she feels magic – an acceptance – from the water. That is the only place she feels a part of something, until a hurricane displaces Murray and her family.
Murray’s world opens in ways that lead to curiosity and understanding as she finds a way to navigate familial relationships just to belong. Author Taylor Tracy puts into writing thoughts of millions of young people when it comes to identity, dress, and appearance and how to match internal and external feelings.
Recommended for middle grade readers who love stories with magic, LGBTQIAP+ issues, and those struggling to relate to family.
Thank you #NetGalley and HarperCollins Children’s Books for the ARC!
In this novel in verse, Murray loves the ocean. She is so connected, in fact, she feels magic – an acceptance – from the water. That is the only place she feels a part of something, until a hurricane displaces Murray and her family.
Murray’s world opens in ways that lead to curiosity and understanding as she finds a way to navigate familial relationships just to belong. Author Taylor Tracy puts into writing thoughts of millions of young people when it comes to identity, dress, and appearance and how to match internal and external feelings.
Recommended for middle grade readers who love stories with magic, LGBTQIAP+ issues, and those struggling to relate to family.
Thank you #NetGalley and HarperCollins Children’s Books for the ARC!
February 16, 2024
An amazing novel in verse! Powerful and much needed.
May 7, 2024
A beautiful novel in verse about finding your true self even as you're separated from the landscape you've always understood to be central to your identity. Highly recommend.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews