Anya and the light above the Ocean

• Written by Amelia Giudici
• Published by Andersen Press
• Cover design by Philip Harris

Since starting this blog in 2019 I have read so many books, and it only now occurs to me to do some sort of official BookBound award for those that truly are the creme de la creme of children’s literature. The cause of that thought manifesting (and one I now fully intend to follow through with) is this book right here, Anya and the Light above the Ocean by Amelia Giudici. It is, and I have no hesistation whatsoever in saying this by the way, my Middle Grade title of the year. Yes, we are only in the opening months of the 2026 calendar but this truly is one of my all time favourite reads – and for me it really was a I’m reading for pleasure kind of titles – so I am excited to also be able to share my review of this stelllar title as part of its respective blog tour too.

The first thing I noticed about the book is how it has been sectioned into five parts, done so in a way to clearly seperate the content as it unfolds through differing locations and narratives too. This is something I really liked about this book as it acts as a softer way to clarify the pause or conclusion on that which has just occured before the reader then settles into the next part of this tension filled adventure. It gives a definitive moment in which you can take a deep breath and get yourself comfy again before the next part begins. There are 52 chapters in all, and it would be impossible to pick one out over the others given how incredibly brilliant the writing in this book is. Ordinarily, with a book I absolutely love, I would long for just a few more chapters or a sequel to be possible, but with Anya dn the Light above the Ocean I feel like the conclusion came at the perfect time, and truly did justice to all of the groundwork laid by author Amelia Giudici, wrapping a beautiful bow around the gift of a lifetime.

From the very opening sentences I was gripped, immediately looking to find out more, and excited by the way that the reader is thrust into something that sounds both serious and captivating in equal measure.

She hasn’t come home.

The thought pulsed through Anya like a heartbeat.

She hasn’t come home.

She hasn’t come home.

I love the mystery of it, and how those very first four sentences of this book grip your attention and ensure you become invested in the book as a whole as a result. Where is Anya’s mum? Why hasn’t she returned? Is she ok? So many questions whirl through your head, and I found myself immediately hoping that this is going to be one of those strongly written stories that will own you through until the end, and it absolutely did that with me. Chapter by chapter I was swallowed up by it, and plunged into what has ultimately become one of my absolute all time favourite reads. This truly is award winning literature at its finest.

So, we accompany Anya on what begins with the unfolding of a mystery as to finding her missing mum, which is made apparent through their usual routine failing to occur. Anya takes it upon herself to head out searching, hopeful that somewhere along the breadcrumb trail of usual occurences her mum will be found. This leads to Anya taking her own little boat out on to the ocean that is the location for her mum’s work, desperately hopeful that she is out there and just delayed with work, and then what follows is an absolute explosion of literary gold. With the mystery of her mum’s absence still needing answering Anya now finds her whole world being turned upside down. She rowed out on the ocean, saw a light that she believes to be her mum’s, but upon reaching it realises its above the ocean, not on it, and when she reaches out to touch it… she awakes to find herself on the bottom of her row boat upon a now apparently calm ocean. No reunion with mum.

January 9th, 11:59pm.

The light hovered above the ocean.

Anya could feel its gentle warmth, the crackle and beat of electric energy. Transfixed, she reached out and touched it.

It vanished.

Part two becomes apparent at the fifteenth chapter, and sees Anya being sent to stay with strangers. They work for the same company as her mum, but Anya is quick to pick up things being odd. Very odd in fact. Whilst she tries to comprehend why her mum’s best friend, Imani, allowed her to be taken away she must also now obey rules in an eccentric household that treat her as though she does not belong for a much bigger reason than this not being her home, and the couple that live their being of no personal relevance to her. A tutor is her only regular interaction with any kind of normalcy, and all Anya can think about is her mum’s welfare. With this in mind, and having gathered some intel from her time at the house Anya makes an escape, and her destination in mind is home.

What has become abundantly obvious to Anya is the reasoning for her being treated so lowly by all who have interacted with her since she rowed out on to the ocean. They believe her to be an impostor. Non human. Irrelevant. She has been poked and prodded by a visiting doctor on a regular basis in this house, and interrogated for her memories throughout her childhood by him too. Its weird, and as a reader that has come to admire the loyalty and strength displayed by Anya you cannot help but sympathise with her as she endures so much that is alien to her. She in unwaivering in her search for answers, determined to find her mum, and her escape gives you hope that she will achieve these things. Her journey home is challenging, but she is a smart girl and puts her all into doing so.

It has taken Anya hours to return home, covering a patchwork of woodland and farmland and old country roads.

She’d hiked up hills, crossed streams and battled through thick swathes of bracken.

But she’d done it.

Chapter twenty sees part three of the book begin, and this is where readers are introduced to Anya B. The Anya we have been advocating for from the very start of this book comes face to face with herself! So much of what she has learnt starts to make sense as Imani takes them both somewhere save, away from the anger of others looking for her, for them, and as a trio they piece together things up to that point. There are definitely two Anya’s, but how? does it have anything to do rowing out to sea – the moment that changed everything for the girl – and how do they prove Anya is in fact just as human and relevant as Anya-B? How is it possible that this identical girl has replaced her within her life, living in her home, having her very bedroom too, and the most hurtful of all things is Anya-B making memories with Imani

Staying one step ahead of the people who employ her mum and are looking to continue keeping Anya captive and routinely test her is harder then they thought, and we see the young girl returned to a state of captivity after being caught. Whilst she is held in some clinical, barron setting she is saddened to realise so is Anya-B. Testing is near constant, and a connection between the two girls is being scientifically evaluated. Anya’s resolve to put an end to all of this is strengthened when she realises Anya-B is also being subjected to it, a situation she finds heartbreaking and takes responsibility for the pair. She escaped the house she was sent to, can they escape this too?

An interesting additional detail about this book as it progresses is how the narrative within part three changes from that of Anya to Anya-B, and the combination of seperate experiences unfolding in some chapters with those involving the pair of them, interracting together as much as they are making determined progress alone, and it certainly makes the book interesting, and ensures both Anya’s resonate with the reader. They do. The scientific testing being done to them, the research Anya’s mum was busily doing when she disappeared, and the clarity awared to reader’s as to how their has come to be two Anya’s existing now are examples of the science fiction threaded throughout Anya’s story here, and I do particularly like how it isn’t the main focus of the book as such, but is as significant a part of the unfolding adventure as the theme of family and friends is. Anya finds strength in a cardigan made by her mum, and linked to family friends’ too, and this relatable content will resonate well with the intended readers.

When the two girls are put together they find strength from one another, and soon start to share knowledge and ideas with each other which leads to them being able to escape the room they are being held in, and exploring of the facility takes place. They keep a really cool secret between the two of them, away from the prying eyes and ears -and even cameras -of those in charge there. This becomes a key part of their escaping their room, but it also works as a way of building trust between them, and their bond subsequently strengths alongside their resolve. One Anya seems a formidable strength but two becomes a force to be reckoned with that even those in charge could never have imagined. What becomes especially exciting is learning more and more about what Anya’s mum does for work, her prior research and the current project she was undertaking when she went missing, and little by little the girls start to understand the science behind their existence, the reason they are so valuable to the research company holding them captive, and that their is hope for a reunion with their mum. They’ve never lost hope of finding her again.

Anya ran.

Flying down the stairs, she hurtled towards the ground floor.

Part of her wanted to turn back, to chase after Anya-B.

Part four begins at chapter thirty eight, and the girls split up whilst trying different approaches to escaping the facility. The promise they make to come back for one another if either of them should fail is heart warming, and reflects how close they have become. They have both endured so much and yet they pick themselves up and dust themselves off over and over again as they utilise the inner strength that is equally apparent in them both. Initially it was Anya alone who was sent elsewhere and made to endure, poked and prodded and treated like she literally was not human but she is the one who succeeds in escaping, with Anya-B now the sole captive. Not a moment is lost as Anya and Imani work with others to plan to reunite with Anya-B, and yet more details become clear as more is uncovered by the group. The switching of roles is a really clever detail from author Amelia Giudici, and it means their is this balance achieved where enduring hostile imprisonment and scientific testing being done to them as well as making revelations about each other and how they came to be in this incredibly unlikely set of circumstances they find themselves in too. I love the flipping of narratives and admire how this is down so without sacrificing the flowing of this story for the reader.

Anya tried to open her eyes, but she felt dull and fuzzy.

Everything hurt.

The final part in the book, part five, sees chapter forty one arrive and as the reader you know that we are reaching the final chapters and therefore the conclusion to this book, to Anya’s story. Things really come to a head, plans are made, and emotions are running high as reuniting the girls continues to be a priority. Furthermore a potential rescue mission for mum becomes apparent through their diligent efforts, and so as tensions continue to be high we find ourselves willing them all on, and for that beautiful conclusion to their heartbreak. There are many bumps in the road, and it isn’t a given as to how this story will actually conclude itself and yet it does so in the most amazing way, where all the lose ends get tied up, and just when you think you might have it figured out you find you didn’t – not quite anyway.

This is such an incredible story to find yourself fully invested in, and it is one I will carry with me for a very long time. The sheer amount of detail and depth poured into each scene reflects this talented author’s determination to add the most amazing literary content to the world of children’s literature. She has succeed and then some. The reader gets transported into the most incredible of locations, from the fluid and volatile to the most heartwarming and wholesome too. There isn’t a singular chapter of this book that doesn’t have you gripped, and I will always have the utmost respect and admiration for an author who creates something by thinking outside of the box – something that this book has done impeccably. The combination of storytelling and science deserves such admiration, and to be so immersive from the jump cannot have been easy, and certainly isn’t a given in any book, and I couldn’t put this book down.

Life for me came to a welcomed halt whilst I read this book, and after getting to know the strengths of Anya I found myself desperately wanting to know what happens next, and the variety of ways things are revealed to the reader is one of the ways this book holds itself up there as my book of the year, 2026. Each chapter has your full attention, and that never waivers, which is testament to how incredibly well written this book is. I love getting my hands on a book you simply cannot take breaks from reading, but for those who want to take more time with this book there are the defined parts to the book that could serve as a pause point, or by utilising the labelled chapters in the same manner. I will definitely be keeping an eye on what comes next from Amelia Giudici as I have no doubt it will be as phenomenal and extraordinary as Anya and the Light above the Ocean has been, and knowing this is her debut novel is stunning to me because with this one book she has established herself as one of the finest children’s book writers in modern times.

• Anya and the Light above the Ocean is available to buy from all good booksellers.

• Check out the other stops on the Anya and the Light above the Ocean blog tour, information for which can be found on the banner below, for even more insightful content.