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The Tear Collector
Contributors
By R. M. Romero
Formats and Prices
- On Sale
- Oct 14, 2025
- Page Count
- 336 pages
- Publisher
- Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
- ISBN-13
- 9780316578042
Price
$17.99Price
$23.99 CADFormat
Format:
- Hardcover $17.99 $23.99 CAD
- ebook $9.99 $12.99 CAD
Buy from Other Retailers:
Climate change culminated in the Flood, an enormous wave that wiped out entire countries. Malka and her younger brother Ezra survived and now live with Dr. Jonas Hollman on the Island, the only piece of land left on Earth. Scavenging useful things from the shoreline under the watchful eye of the Island’s sinister leader Mr. Gray, Malka and her family get by. Barely.
But an illness called the Sorrow is changing people into monsters when their memories of the Mainland grow too sad…and Ezra is the latest to get sick. Desperate not to lose her brother, Malka throws herself into helping “Uncle” Jonas with his research to find a cure.
Then her family’s dismal lives are turned upside down by the mysterious Olivia, who crashes a plane on the beach. More people are out there, she says. The world isn’t lost forever. To save Ezra and the other Islanders, Malka will have to uncover the secrets of her flooded world—and the lies even the people she loves have told her about the true nature of the Sorrow.
R.M. Romero tackles our fear and anxiety surrounding climate change and weaves it through with hope in this beautifully told adventure that will resonate with readers young and old.
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"Lyrical prose, darkly whimsical worldbuilding, and an intersectionally diverse cast of exquisitely rendered, emotionally complex characters complement Romero’s inspiring plot, which advocates for mental health awareness as well as activism both social and environmental."Publishers Weekly, starred review
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“R. M. Romero writes like fireworks—bursts of action, sparkling prose, and characters who shine against the deepest dark. I loved The Tear Collector from the first line.”Natalie Lloyd, New York Times bestselling author of Hummingbird and The Witching Wind
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“Urgent, dreamy, and darkly lyrical as the very best fairy tales. The Tear Collector is timely cli-fi and timeless fantasy rolled into a heart-wrenching adventure unlike any other. Everyone needs to read this.”Mary Averling, author of The Curse of Eelgrass Bog
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“A powerful story that proves hope can win even in the darkest moments.”Stacy McAnulty, bestselling author of The Miscalculations of Lightning Girl
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“Filled with hope, fantasy, and childlike imagination, R. M. Romero’s The Tear Collector weaves together an end-of-the-world story unlike any other, and one that shines a beacon on those that remain behind—as well as the bonds that tie them all together.”Steven Banbury, bestselling author of the Pumpkin Princess series
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“Romero’s The Tear Collector reconsiders what it means to hopeI>actively hope—in a time of darkness and loss. A timely and inspiring work.”Christiane M. Andrews, critically acclaimed author of Wolfish and Spindlefish and Stars
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“An eerie apocalyptic fairy tale drenched in sorrow and ultimately brimming with hope, The Tear Collector is exactly the kind of story we all need right now: a story about the power of love and the endurance of truth.”Hayley Chewins, critically acclaimed author of The Turnaway Girls
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“This gripping fantasy story rises up from a drowning sea that has covered much of the earth. Just at the moment when resourcefulness is most needed, sorrow is turning people on this small island into strange misshapen monsters. With twists and turns and surprises that lift hope out of despair, a brother and sister struggle to discover who is the enemy and who can be trusted before the seas rise again to drown their little colony.”Amy Herrick, author of The Time Fetch and The Tiltersmith
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Praise for Tale of the Flying Forest:Sophie Anderson, award-winning author of The House with Chicken Legs
“With stunning prose and deeply relatable characters, Tale of the Flying Forest is a love letter to Jewish storytelling wrapped in a fairy-tale bow. As lyrical as a song and decadent as storybook chocolate, this story will sweep you away among its fox-shaped clouds.” B>Kalyn Josephson, New York Times bestselling author of the Ravenfall series
“A delightful middle grade fantasy that's really quite timeless. It's absolutely charming, with lovely illustrations.” B>Charles de Lint, award-winning author of The Cats of Tanglewood Forest
“Rich, lyrical storytelling in a breathtakingly imaginative world. A joy to read!”
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