Sea

by Heidi R. Kling

Book Overview

Still haunted by nightmares of her mother's death, fifteen-year-old Sienna Jones reluctantly travels to Indonesia with her father's relief team to help tsunami orphans with their post traumatic stress disorder--something Sienna knows a lot about. Since her mother's plane went missing over the Indian Ocean three years before, Sienna doesn't do anything if it involves the ocean or planes, so this trip is a big step forward.But the last thing she expects...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0399251634
• ISBN13: 9780399251634
• Release Date: June 2010
• Publisher: G. P. Putnam's Sons
• Length: 327 Pages
• Weight: 0.99 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 6.1" x 8.3"
• Age Range: 12 years and up
• Grade Range: Grade 7 and higher

Customer Reviews

Signed Copy

This is my favorite book and when I ordered it I got a signed copy of it from the author it was amazing.

Romantic and Beautifully Written

What can i say about the amazing debut that is Sea by Heidi R. Kling? It was well written, interesting, with fantastic characters, and a unique premise. The setting and plot was so original and it really opened my eyes to the struggles countries like Indonesia face after natural disasters. I've always wanted to do relief work, and Sea proved just how big a difference these volunteers and doctors make for the victims. The characters in Sea were believable and extremely well developed, even the minor characters. The descriptions were vivid and I could picture everything that Sienna saw- even the awful things that made you want to turn your head. Sienna was a brave and inspiring character. She's been through a lot herself, so could better connect with the orphans of the tsunami. Her mother had been killed when Sienna was twelve and Sea was still dealing with it when she arrived in Indonesia. Luckily, the orphans opened Sea's eyes to how important it was to move on and come to terms with her mother's death. Sienna was a character that I could really understand, her pain was very real and I loved being able to see how her character changed through the course of the novel. The love interests were awesome- I loved them both! Faithful Spider back at home stuck with Sienna through her pain and suffering and really understood her more than anyone. He was sweet and a surfer at that! On the other hand, I also loved Deni. He was kind, understanding, and could relate to Sienna more than anyone. The trauma and pain he had witnessed was awful, and to believe he was able to stay strong and rebuild his life afterwards? This made him all the more admirable and impressive. His relationship with Sienna developed quickly and intimately, but was very believable. Both characters needed someone to support and understand them, someone they could fall back on, yet could distract them from reality. Deni and Sienna had a great connection, and I cried at the end even though it was meant to be. Back to the setting- what an original and eye opening setting. The timing (after a huge tsunami) and setting (an orphanage and village in Indonesia) was perfect. It made Sea an even more emotional and fantastic read. I practically cried hearing the survivors stories and those of the brave children living in the orphanage. Team Hope, the team compromised of Sienna, her father, and two others, really made a difference for these orphans and it was very inspiring to read about. Reading about the Indonesian customs so different from ours was intriguing and interesting overall. All the characters were really well done and likable, even though that only were featured for a scene. The reader will feel a real connection with Sea after they're done reading and will want to read certain pages over again. Heidi R. Kling is a beautiful and inspiring writer, and Sea will effect the lives of all it's readers. I know I've said this in quite a few reviews, but I definitely recommend picking up a co

SEA is a book you can't put down.

This story takes Sienna on a journey she never expected to take. At first she isn't thrilled with the idea of going to Indonesia, but she decides to take a chance. When she arrives, it's nothing like she expected. She meets Deni, a young boy who has been through more than Sienna could ever imagine. Their immediate bond shocks them both and leads them on a journey of learning and discovery that will last a lifetime. From the surface they couldn't be more different. However, their connection ran deeper than cultural backgrounds. The way Heidi describes the settings in this book are astounding! You can feel the water and visualize the scared children through the detailed accounts Heidi presents to us in this book. Your heart will break because Heidi has painted an amazing visual masterpiece, that just happens to be real in the lives of so many children. The characters Sienna meets help her get past the issues and fears she has carried with her for so long. Deni helps her learn to take risks and to live her life to the fullest. Through everything, he has hope. Sea takes us on a adventure to a place so many people are unaware of, and into the lives in a culture we may not understand. Heidi's words bring us closer to a story that is real in an area of the world that still needs so much help. This story will stay with me a long time. I found myself in tears during many parts. To know this catastrophe took place and that people are living in these situations, it's hard to not be impacted by that. Parts will leave you breathless..waiting for what may happen on the next page. Characters: I immediately loved Spider, Sienna's longtime friend, and Sienna's father. The children from Indonesia broke my heart. They were so young but so full of hope considering what they had been through. They looked up to Sienna and needed the kindness she provided. Deni was full of adventure and never afraid to take a risk, or hope for the best no matter the circumstance. Sienna was very mature for her age and showed a level of understanding well beyond her years. The way she was able to reach out to the children and react in bad situations, would be a trait I think most adults wish they possessed. This will be a book that you will never forget! It's beautifully written, wonderfully told, and this story is a light shining on a dark place.

GreenBeanTeenQueen Reviews: www.greenbeanteenqueen.com

Love, Love, Love it! I love books with romance, but sometimes the romance genre feels oversaturated with paranormal or new girl falls for hot guy who finally notices her storylines. Sea stands out among these romances and is a breath of fresh air. In Sea, you'll find a wonderfully lovely story about a normal girl-and this girl actually travels the world and helps people! Sure, she's reluctant to at first, but what I loved about Sienna is that she goes for it-she joins Team Hope and travels to Indonesia and steps out of her comfort zone. She made me want to jump on a plane and find a Team Hope of my own. What really made Sea stand out for me though was that the unique storyline could have gotten very preachy about helping others, joining service projects and doing good. But it never does-this is more Sienna and Deni's story about finding and helping each other-and it just happens to be in a more exotic setting with a unique premise. This is much more than a contemporary love story-it's a story about two people thrown into hard situations and making it through and the healing that can come after tragedy. Even if you typcially shy away from books with romance, give this one a try-I think you'll be surprised! I do wish we could have gotten more information on the orphange and Deni's concerns about the owner, but I do that stayed true to the fact that Team Hope was only there for two weeks-they couldn't change everything. I don't want to give away any spoilers, but I have to say that I loved the ending-it was just right and I really loved how everything came full circle. Sometimes when an author tries to pull of an ending like the one in Sea, I want to throw the book across the room because it just doesn't work. But Ms. Kling makes it work and it left me happy and there was no book throwing-she pulled it off perfectly! I stayed up late reading Sea because it was a book I couldn't put down. It starts out innocently enough and I thought "I'll just read one chapter"-but this one pulled me in and once I started reading, I couldn't stop. Sea ranks at the top of my debut book list for 2010 and should be added to everyone's must read list.

Wonderful concept, sweet romance

When Sienna goes to Indonesia as part of her father's relief team (helping tsunami orphans suffering from PTSD), she doesn't know what to expect. She's resistant to going, but there's not much to keep her at home: her mother died three years ago in a plane crash over the ocean, and since then Sienna's stopped surfing, flying, or doing much of anything. The one bright spot in her life is the hint of tension with her guy friend Spider, a surfer who still calls her by her old nickname "Sea" (painful irony there, as she's now afraid of the ocean). But once she gets to Indonesia she meets Deni, a 17-year-old orphan who takes care of the other children from his region and has problems with the orphanage leader's authority. The two of them grow closer together as they help each other emotionally overcome their past losses. With this wonderfully unique premise, Sea engages with the trauma of a fairly recent world tragedy and spins a compelling YA romance from it. The Indonesian culture is portrayed in respectful detail, the love story rings true, short chapters keep the pace clicking along nicely, Sienna is a sweetheart and Deni...well, it's easy to see why Sienna falls for him. An observation: though there's plenty of peril in the story (psychological, physical, sanitary), the scariest moment in novel for me was when Sienna rides off into town with Deni on his motorcycle. I was thinking, Girl, you are so lucky you're in a YA romance, because under any other circumstances, driving off with a cute boy you recently met in a country where you don't speak the language, without anyone knowing who you're with, where you're going, or when you're coming back is a baaaad idea. The trip with Deni was fantastic and really advanced the story and the emotional arcs, but my big sister alarms were going crazy anyway. Lastly, when reading Sea, you can look forward to a fantastic and very unexpected ending. Usually, when a book takes an unexpected turn toward the end, I'm upset by the imbalance, and ready throw the book against the wall, but in Sea, the change is totally satisfying. I highly recommend it.

The book teens will be talking about this summer!

Palo Alto author Heidi Kling was inspired by her husband's relief work in post-tsunami Indonesia to write a young adult novel about a 15-year-old California (read: Santa Cruz) girl who reluctantly joins her psychiatrist father's relief team to an Indonesian orphanage. Though she'd never admit it, Sienna (Sea) also needs help - her mother's plane went missing three years earlier, and she hasn't been the same girl since. "Sea" is a page-turner set primarily in steamy Indonesia, a place where loss abounds but life goes on and romance blooms. There are so many characters to fall in love with - headstrong Sienna, surfer Spider, orphan-boys leader Deni, and my favorite, little Elli, who sleeps on the bunk below Sienna and scampers off to morning prayers at 5:00, carrying a "rolled-up carpet under (her) arm" as if she "were late for peewee yoga class." (a version of this review originally appeared in the Palo Alto Weekly, 6/4/10)