Compellingly inventive and unpredictable, kept me guessing right till the end. Piers Torday, author of The Last Wild The City is the only home that Ellie has ever known. She's always been told that there is nothing to see beyond the shores of her small, salty island.

This book was very slow and I ultimately had to put it down when I was just over a third of the way through. The main character was written more like a 20-something adult than a 12 year old child, and the story was too slow and had too many inconsistencies in small details to make me want to continue. So when a whale washes up on top of a church and a boy crawls out from its belly, you can imagine how the already-and-always-terrified town reacts.As well as the engaging story and well-developed characters, the text is full of wonderful vocabulary and complex plotlines. This book is a must-have in any Year 6 teacher’s classroom. The middle of the book, however, was great. Full of action, it was perfectly in sync with how I thought the book should have gone. What a thrilling conclusion to a brilliant trilogy. I have been hooked on this series ever since reading the very first chapter of Orphans of the Tide and this final instalment lived up to all of my expectations and more. All of the threads from the previous two books were drawn together with some totally new ingredients thrown in for good measure.

A deftly told story that dramatizes how Danes appointed themselves bodyguards—not only for their king, who was in the habit of riding alone in Copenhagen, but for their Jews.A world with only one city left standing. The gods drowned, the world drowned. The enemy comes and takes over humans and burst out and causes mayhem. Priests rule, whale lords rule. The sea gives and takes. Fear is always near, when will the Enemy return? The opening of Orphans of the Tide must surely be one of the most arresting and memorable in recent children’s literature: a whale washes up and is caught on the rooftops of a partly submerged city. As crowds gathers to stare, young inventor Ellie realises the danger they are in. Cutting into the whale’s belly to avert a build up of gas, the incredible happens and a living boy falls out. The story continues at similar levels of drama, the City’s religious authorities dragging the boy to prison and a death sentence, believing his body is home to The Enemy, the god they hold responsible for putting the world in its watery grave. Only Ellie is convinced of his innocence and determines to save him. This remarkably assured debut won the Branford Boase Award, impressing the judges with quality of the writing, the power of Murray’s storytelling and his ability to explore timeless themes such as courage, friendship and loss. A sumptuously atmospheric adventure . . . Murray is a tirelessly inventive storyteller -- Emily Bearn - The Daily Telegraph Yes, it's intriguing to find a whale beached (and I'm using beached here which is absolutely wrong because the poor animal didn't get marooned in a beach but in a roof top) and even more intriguing is that a boy comes out if it when, peppy and darkly mysterious protagonist, comes to cut the whale in half, but there's more, has to be, to a good dark story.

Orphan Ellie Lancaster lives in the City, the only remaining one that remains after the Great Drowning. She makes a living by fixing all manner of intricate and wonderful things in a workshop that used to belong to her mother. When a whale washes up on the shore and a boy crawls out the City inhabitants come to the only logical conclusion, he is a deadly force that has not walked the City for 23 years. The Vessel, the life form of the dreaded Enemy has returned and must be destroyed before it can cause devastation and destruction. Gripping . . . with a touch of Frances Hardinge's bizarre brilliance Imogen Russell Williams, The Guardian Reason it's actually 4.5? It's a bit wordy in places. The descriptions made it slow going to get into the beginning of the book. But that's honestly such a minor issue, I'm not even complaining. Not if Ellie gets her chance to save the boy first; she is determined to prove that he is innocent. There must be something in one of her workshops, one of her inventions, that she can use to offer up proof. She doesn't have to tell everyone all of her secrets, as long as her inventions are there to protect her. The past cannot harm her if she won't speak it. Besides, she doesn't have time for friendship right now anyway. Saving the boy might be the only thing that can save the City from itself. If you were registered for the newsletter, you will now receive the Puffin Schools newsletter, which is filled with all the latest information about accompanying resources and upcoming shows.This activity focuses on prefixes and chapter 12 of the book. Your class will use the words within the context of the story. I enjoyed this series greatly. This finl book is the most emotional of the lot. You really feel your heart being twisted for Ellie. For me, it was too big and too epic. It let go of that Middle Grade feeling. There are several Gods, a spirit realm, a war… and a lot of suffering. It has that dark tone that made the first book so good but left no space for anything else. There is no joy in it at all. In "Orphans of the Tide" by Struan Murray we follow the story of Ellie, who has lost her whole family. She lives in a city that believes they are the last city in the world. The city lives in constant fear of The Enemy that is housed in The Vessel. I loved the first book in this series. Yes it was a Middle Grade, but it was also very dark. The Enemy really is evil, and very manipulative. The way he was written and the reveals we get throughout the book were just so superbly done. It is a very firm favourite of mine.

Orphans of the Tide, Struan Murray’s debut novel, is a great middle-grade read. I was drawn in immediately by the unique world-building. The novel is fast-paced, filled with action, and populated with delightful characters. Looking to celebrate Burns Night? Or do you just want to read some great Scottish literature? Discover these magical Highland adventures and classic tales by Scottish authors.I won’t say too much about it so that others can experience the story in their own way, but I will say this; the way Murray has written this book draws you right into the story, you experience everything alongside the characters. The language choices, the imagery, the people, everything, it all marries together to create a detailed and well woven story that keeps you gripped from start to finish. The changes in pace and tension have been crafted so wonderfully that it’s nearly impossible to find places at which you can put the book down. The epilogue of the story suggests that Seth and Ellie’s adventures have only just begun. Your class task is to write a sequel to the story. They will use the grid in the resource to plan what will happen to the two characters as they set off in search for a new home (possibly the island which they saw on the edge of the map when they were searching the Inquisitor’s stronghold). The map and illustrations by Manuel Šumberac are dark, delicious and provide a beautiful visualisation of Murray’s imaginings.