num_pages: 272
description: On the island of Normost, in the kingdom of Windward, 13-year-old Cerinthe Gale is a folk healer who dreams of being a dancer. When her mother falls ill, Cerinthe fights to save her — but fails. She blames herself for her mother’s death, gives up healing, and decides to pursue dance. Cerinthe travels across Windward to audition at the School of the Royal Dancers, which accepts her even though she is a commoner. It should be the beginning of a brilliant future, but Cerinthe feels an emptiness she can’t identify. A disagreement with a young man, a conflict with a cruel teacher, a rivalry with an aristocratic classmate, Elliana, and a meeting with a mederi — a healer with magical powers — add to her anguish. When the rivalry between the two girls causes a terrible accident, Elliana’s life hangs in the balance. Cerinthe faces the same awful choice she had faced with her Should she try to heal Elliana herself or hope that the mederi arrives in time? Only the song of the Sea Maid holds the answer.Aria of the Sea is an ALA Best Book for Young Adults, a Book Sense 76 Recommended Children’s Book, and a New York Public Library Best Book for the Teen Age.
language: English
title: Aria of the Sea
titlecomplete: Aria of the Sea
genres: Historical, Young Adult Fantasy, Music, Young Adult, Middle Grade, High Fantasy, Childrens, High School, Historical Fiction, Fantasy
ratings_count: 722
awards: awardedAt: 978336000000
name: Mythopoeic Fantasy Award
category: Children's Literature
publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR)