ADD To Goodreads

This darkly fantastical climate change tale explores hope, memory, and what really makes a monster—set after the end of the world.

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.

(Content warnings: Child endangerment, depictions of anxiety and depression, kidnapping, natural disaster)

AWARDS & PRAISE

☆ School Library Journal Best MG Book of 2025 ☆

  • "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

  • "The Tear Collector handles climate fears with aplomb, answering the question “Is there still hope?” with a resounding “yes.” R.M. Romero treats middle-grade readers to a gripping novel about hope beyond the end of the world.”

    — Shelf Awareness starred review

  • "A vivid, emotionally resonant narrative that showcases an unforgettable world.”

    – Kirkus

  • “A terrifically tender tribute to the power of hope and unconditional love in a challenging world.”

    – Booklist

  • “Romero crafts a timely portrait of an extreme but resonant near future, laying out the stakes of climate doomerism while making an argument for action as an antidote, if not a cure, for the ills humans have inflicted on the planet.”

    – BCCB

  • “A dark and powerful middle grade fairy tale that is infused with hope and fantasy. This dystopian novel is filled with lyrical prose and adventure.”

    –School Library Journal

  • “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 A Snicker of Magic

  • “A powerful story that proves hope can win even in the darkest moments.”

    — Stacy McAnulty, bestselling author of The Miscalculations of Lightning Girl

  • “Filled with hope, fantasy, and child-like 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

  • “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

  • “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

  • "Romero’s The Tear Collector reconsiders what it means to hope—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

  • “This gripping fantasy story rises up from a drowning sea that has covered much of the earth. 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