The House in the Cerulean Sea

• Genre: Fiction; queer fantasy
• Originally Published: 2020
• Reading Level/Interest: Lexile HL620L; grades 11-12; college/adult
• Structure/Length: 19 chapters and epilogue; approx. 393 pages; approx. 12 hours, 12 minutes on audio
• Protagonist and Central Conflict: Linus Baker, a case worker in the Department in Charge of Magical Youth, is assigned to visit and report back on an orphanage located on a remote island. Although Linus likes structure, he is enchanted by the unusual home and its six magical children, as well as by Arthur, the home’s manager.
• Potential Sensitivity Issues: Bigotry, including implied threats of violence; body shaming and “fatphobia”; references to child abuse; forced institutionalization of children

TJ Klune, Author

• Bio: Born in 1982 in Oregon; began writing fan fiction about the video game Metroid at age eight; identifies as queer and asexual; has worked as an insurance claims examiner; writes fantasy and romance featuring LGBTQ+ characters; received the Lambda Literary Award for his romance novel Into This River I Drown (2013)
• Other Works: The Lightning-Struck Heart (Tales from Verania, Book 1; 2015); Wolfsong (Green Creek, Book 1; 2016); Under the Whispering Door (2021); In the Lives of Puppets (2023)
• Awards: Lambda Literary Award (2013); Alex Award (2020); Mythopoeic Fantasy Award for Adult Literature (2020); RUSA Reading List: Fantasy Winner (2021); Locus Award (2021)

CENTRAL THEMES connected and noted throughout this Teaching Unit:

• Nature Versus Nurture
• The Perpetuation of Prejudice
• Found Family

STUDY OBJECTIVES: In accomplishing the components of this Unit, students will:

• Explore background information on fantasy and its subgenres and the literary technique of allegory to increase their engagement with and understanding of The House in the Cerulean Sea.
• Read/study paired texts and other brief resources to deepen their understanding of themes related to Nature Versus Nurture, The Perpetuation of Prejudice, and Found Family.
• Demonstrate their understanding of DICOMY and of Arthur’s and Linus’s perspectives by creating a file on a new magical child being added to the Marsyas Orphanage.
• Analyze the significance of various elements of the novel, such as plot, characterization, motif, language, and diction, and construct essay responses tying these to the novel’s meaning.