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Review: Starboard

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Starboard 
By Nicola Skinner 
New York: Harper, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers, 2023. 401 pages. 

Kirsten Bramble is a reality TV star whose fame has dimmed over the last few seasons. When she and her school class take a trip to the SS Great Britain for a tour—suddenly Kirsten gets a little more than she had bargained for. The ship is actually alive and has decided that Kirsten is her new captain. When all of the class except Kirsten and her ex-best-friend Olive have disembarked, the ship takes off—which is a feat since she has no working sails or engines. The two girls must figure out what quest the ship wants to take them on and what they must do to return home to their family and friends. And along the way they have to confront their past and face their futures. 

This is a fun magical realism/adventure book with a plucky tween captain and her quiet-yet-fierce first mate. Readers who love adventures, strong girl characters, and a good dose of magical realism (the ship and the map can talk to Kirsten among other fantasy elements), then this is the book for them.
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