STARBOARD

An 11-year-old English reality TV star discovers what really matters.

Kirsten Bramble, the Kirsten Bramble of At Home With the Brambles, a successful show in which Kirsten tries to help her single, adoptive dad find a girlfriend (even though he doesn’t want one), thinks of her life in terms of lines to be learned, scripts to be followed, and a brand to be developed. On a class school trip to visit the dry-docked SS Great Britain in her hometown of Bristol, Kirsten feels a strange pull toward the beautiful ship. During the tour, she becomes separated from the other children, later to be found by her ex–best friend, Olive Chudley. (Clever but not traditionally telegenic Olive was replaced on the TV show with a child actor in the role of best friend; she and Kirsten have been estranged since.) As the two girls begin to leave, strange things happen: The ship starts moving, breaking out of dry dock and setting off with Kirsten, Olive, and the mannequins who inhabit the exhibits onboard. This magical mystery tour of an adventure quest is written with a profound understanding of the human condition and all the ways people (and magical ships and mannequins) try to avoid the pull of their deepest needs. As the story unfolds, Kirsten, at turns fearful and belligerent, gradually begins to understand the true nature of the journey. Main characters read White.

An extraordinarily profound and far-reaching coming-of-age story.