Little Orchid's Sea Monster Trouble
"If we take a special one from the sea, the sea will take a special one from us."
Or maybe, Little Orchid thinks, a not-so-special one.
It begins with a desperate wish to prove to Ma that she isn't spouting nonsense about the Giant Cuttlefish. Yet when Little Orchid encounters the sea monster face-to-face, she can only stand by and watch helplessly as it gets killed for dinner. Horror and guilt wash over her. That night, Little Orchid wakes up and finds boils all over her body, her nose and mouth stretched, and her fingers transforming into creature-like arms.
With an unexpected storm approaching, and without a proper goodbye to her family, Little Orchid must now leave home and start a new life as a sea monster.
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LITTLE ORCHID'S SEA MONSTER TROUBLE is a middle-grade story about the frail trust between children and mothers, the resilience of family love, and the strength summoned when we are staring straight at our monster selves. (Age 9 & up)
