Spare, affecting and real, this third book in the Crow Cove series is the sort of book that stays with one for a long time. There are plenty of great big real life issues here, laid out without mercy and without explanation, but with compassion. A lovely story, a splendid story in fact. Not a stand-alone, though- read them in order. ( )

In this third entry in her series of stories about the residents of Crow Cove - a remote seaside settlement, peopled by an odd assortment of friends and family, brought together by chance encounter, and remaining together by choice - Danish children's author Bodil Bredsdorff sets out the tale of Tink, the abused young boy rescued by the eponymous heroine of Eidi. Like Myna and Eidi, the protagonists of the first two books, Tink leaves Crow Cove, but unlike them, he doesn't get very far before circumstances lead him home again, with the drunken Burd - the abusive man from whom Foula and Eidi had escaped, in The Crow-Girl - in tow. Crow Cove isn't quite the haven here, the escape from the past, that it seemed in the earlier books, and the tension that ensues, as a result of the presence of this unwanted new resident, gives Tink an added poignancy.

There were themes explored in this book - alcoholism, and its effect, not just on the alcoholic, but on those around him; suicide, and the despair which leads to it - that cut to the bone, and that might be very difficult for some readers to encounter. I know that I myself found some of the events chronicled here deeply saddening, and am still thinking about them a week later. There is this moment, when Burd, speaking to Tink, says: "Remember that!... Order in your things, someone to care for, and a place to belong. Otherwise you become like a boat that drifts along without an anchor." that I think will stick with me for some time to come.

That said, I admire Bredsdorff immensely for her honesty, and her courage, in presenting the darker realities of the world which she has created, and for not sidestepping these topics as being somehow "inappropriate" in a children's book. Terrible things happen to children, and happen to the people around children, and that has to be reflected in their literature. Bredsdorff doesn't lose sight of that, and her simple, deeply felt narrative, for all that it is set in an unspecific locale, is grounded in a specific reality: that sometimes people get lost, drifting along like boats "without an anchor." ( )

In the third story of the Children of Crow Cove, Bodil Bredsdorff chooses another one of her multi-faceted characters to focus on. Tink, who we first meet as a small and miserable child, is now a little older - but still uncertain of his place in the world. In Crow Cove, survival is never a given, and Tink is sure he has broken the fragile line between the little community and starvation. But then he discovers someone who is even more of an outcast than himself; Burd, the abusive drunkard Foula and Eidi fled from. However, it is Burd who saves them all from starvation and helps Tink decide where he belongs and how he can contribute to their community.

Bredsdorff's spare prose contains volumes in just a few words, looks and thoughts. Her characters are focused on the essentials needed for survival, but are still fully realized emotional beings. As the children grow up and choose lives for themselves, each one must adjust to maintain the balance of the small community.

Although the length of the story may tempt librarians to offer it as a beginning chapter book, this story deals with intense emotions and ideas that some children may not be ready for, so I would recommend this for the older side of the 8-12 range.

Verdict: Hand this to thoughtful middle graders and teens who will appreciate the beautiful language and enter fully into the experiences of the characters.

ISBN: 9780374312688; Published May 10, 2011; Reviewed from ARC received at ALA