Our YA book for September is a gorgeous collaboration between bestselling author Patrick Ness and CBCA-winning illustrator Rovina Cai that will simply take your breath away. That book is none other than And the Ocean Was Our Sky, a unique retelling of Herman Melville’s classic novel Moby Dick featuring a pod of whales at war with humankind and on the hunt to defeat a mysterious evil.

A flipped retelling of Moby Dick told from a whale’s perspective is admittedly a pretty unusual concept for a YA novel, but when it’s written by Patrick Ness you just know it’s going to be incredible. The writing is vivid and beautiful, offset by Rovina Cai’s stunning illustrations, and you are instantly drawn into the world they have created. And the Ocean Was Our Sky is a haunting tale of the dangers of obsession and prejudice that is like no YA book you’ve ever read. Give it a read and experience its magic yourself.