Young Readers

Beyond the Station Lies the Sea

“A darkly poetic, masterfully crafted view of life on the streets.” —PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
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Two misfits embark on a journey to realize their dreams in this timeless tale.

Cosmos and Niner live on the street. It’s not such a bad life, they think, but they dream of going to the sea, where it’s always summer. And to do that they need to raise money. Cosmos knows a woman who might be able to help them. When she asks them to exchange something precious for the money, Niner and Cosmos agree to trade her the most valuable thing either of them possesses—Niner’s guardian angel.

After the deal is struck, Cosmos and Niner quickly set out for the shore. But when Niner’s health takes a turn for the worse, Cosmos realizes he needs to get Niner’s guardian angel back. Can he act quickly enough to save his young friend’s life?

ISBN
9781571316905
Publish Date
Pages
96
Dimensions
8 × 5 × 0.5 in
Weight
7 oz

Praise and Prizes

  • “Weaving together the spare symbolism of fable and the magical high stakes of fairy tale, this skillfully written novella offers much food for reflection.”

    Kirkus
  • “Part fairy tale and part bleak urban parable, this spare story is reminiscent of Jean-Claude Mourlevat’s The Pull of the Ocean in its portrait of a magically realistic child set against a gritty background of poverty and homelessness and in its underlying anger against the social inequalities that leave children abandoned and vulnerable.”

    Horn Book Magazine
  • “The stark account of Niner’s bond with Cosmos is beautifully told.”

    Booklist
  • “Jutta Richter presents a darkly poetic, masterfully crafted view of life on the streets.”

    Publishers Weekly