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Summary
Summary
For as long as she can remember, twelve-year-old Emily Windsnap has lived on a boat. And, oddly enough, for just as long as her mother has seemed anxious to keep Emily away from the water. But when Mom finally agrees to let her take swimming lessons, Emily makes a startling discovery--about her own identity, the mysterious father she's never met, and the thrilling possibilities and perils shimmering deep below the water's surface. With a sure sense of suspense and richly imaginative details, first-time author Liz Kessler lures us into a glorious world where mermaids study shipwrecks at school and Neptune rules with an iron trident--an enchanting fantasy about family secrets, loyal friendship, and the convention-defying power of love.
Reviews (4)
Publisher's Weekly Review
The heroine discovers she is half-mermaid in her seventh-grade swim class. "Pre-teen girls will likely bite at this novel's tempting bait," in PW's words. Ages 8-12. (Apr.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Horn Book Review
Attractive black-and-white spot art accompanies this tale about a girl who learns, to her initial horror, that she is a mermaid. Kessler's story has more potential than success and, while the mermaid theme alone will satisfy some readers, the relatively flat characters and convenient plot devices are disappointing. (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. All rights reserved.
Booklist Review
Gr. 4-7. This first novel opens with a classic teaser: Can you keep a secret? It turns out that the secret is a particularly juicy one. Though outwardly a normal seventh-grader, Emily Windsnap transforms into a mermaid when she goes swimming. The phenomenon worries her but thrills her, too, especially when she discovers an underwater mer-city not far from where she lives, and begins to learn the answers to nagging questions about her origins: Why did her father abandon her when she was a baby? Why can't her mother remember details about her husband? After a new mermaid friend mentions illegal marriages between mer-people and humans, readers will guess where things are headed--long before Emily herself does. Emily's eventual reunion with her merman father seems overly reliant on luck and coincidence, but her determination keeps things cruising along, and the premise of someone slipping easily into a shimmery underwater world has considerable allure. Light, imagination-tickling fare ideal for middle-grade girls, with charming ink-wash illustrations scattered throughout. --Jennifer Mattson Copyright 2004 Booklist
School Library Journal Review
Gr 3-6-Twelve-year-old Emily discovers her true self and uncovers family secrets in Liz Kessler's imaginative fantasy novel (Candlewick, 2004), which begins with Emily offering to share a secret with listeners. Emily discovered she was half-mermaid when she decided to conquer her fear of swimming and found that her legs transformed into a mermaid's tail when underwater. Exploring the waters around the houseboat on which she and her mother live, Emily finds an entire mermaid world underneath the surface. The wonders of this world are described in detail, from the colors of the mermaid tails to the glowing magic of the coral reef. Guided to the land of the merfolk by her new friend, Shona, Emily learns about the history of these people and their relationship with humans, especially the so-called "illegal marriages" between the two. When Emily realizes that her merman father, who supposedly abandoned their family when Emily was a baby, was imprisoned for having a relationship with her mother, Emily sets out to free her father and reunite their family. Narrator Finty Williams reads the story with a British accent and steady pacing, and provides an excellent interpretation of the characters. Slight variations in intonation give each character a unique identity. This audiobook will appeal to young girls who enjoy a good fantasy adventure.-Casey Rondini, Hartford Public Library, CT (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Excerpts
Excerpts
As I swam around the rocks at the end of the bay, the water became clearer and softer. It was like switching from grainy black-and-white film into color. The fat gray fish were replaced by stripy yellow-and-blue ones with floppy silver tails, long thin green ones with spiky antennae and angry mouths, orange ones with spotted black fins---all darting purposefully around me. Every now and then, I swam across a shallow sandy stretch. Wispy little sticklike creatures as thin as paper wriggled along beneath me, almost see-through against the sand. Then the water would suddenly get colder and deeper as I went over a rocky part. I swished myself across these carefully. They were covered in prickly black sea urchins, and I wouldn't be thrilled to get one of those stuck on my tail. Soon the water got warmer again as I came to another shallow part. I was getting tired. I came up for fresh air and realized I was miles from home; farther away than I'd ever been on my own. I tried to flick myself along, but my tail flapped lazily and started to ache. Eventually, I made it to a big, smooth rock with a low shelf. I pulled myself out of the water, my tail resting on some pebbles in the sea. A minute later, it went numb. I wiggled my toes and shivered as I watched my legs come back. That part was still really creepy! Sitting back against a larger rock, I caught my breath. Then I heard something. Like singing, but without words. The wet rocks shimmered in the moonlight, but there was no one around. Had I imagined it? The water lapped against the pebbles, making them jangle as it sucked its breath away from the shore. There it was again---the singing. Where was it coming from? I clambered up a jagged rock and looked down the other side. That's when I saw her. I rubbed my eyes. Surely it couldn't be . . . but it was! It was a mermaid! A real one! The kind you read about in kids' stories. Long blond hair all the way down her back, which she was brushing while she sang. She was perched on the edge of a rock, shuffling a bit as though she were trying to get comfortable. Her tail was longer and thinner than mine. Silvery green and shimmering in the moonlight, it flapped against the rock as she sang. She kept singing the same song. When she got to the end, she started again. A couple of times, she was in the middle of a really high part when she stopped and hit her tail with the brush. "Come on, Shona," she said sharply. "Get it right!" I stared for ages, opening and closing my mouth like a fish. I wanted to talk to her. But what exactly do you say to a singing mermaid perched on a rock in the middle of the night? Funnily enough, I've never had that come up before. In the end, I coughed gently and she looked up immediately. "Oh!" she said. She gaped open-mouthed at my legs for a second. And then, with a twist and a splash, she was gone. Excerpted from The Tail of Emily Windsnap by Liz Kessler All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.
Table of Contents
| As I swam around the rocks at the end of the bay, the water became clearer and softer. It was like switching from grainy black-and-white film into color. The fat gray fish were replaced by stripy yellow-and-blue ones with floppy silver tails, long thin green ones with spiky antennae and angry mouths, orange ones with spotted black fins--all darting purposefully around me. |
| Every now and then, I swam across a shallow sandy stretch. Wispy little sticklike creatures as thin as paper wriggled along beneath me, almost see-through against the sand. Then the water would suddenly get colder and deeper as I went over a rocky part. I swished myself across these carefully. They were covered in prickly black sea urchins, and I wouldn't be thrilled to get one of those stuck on my tail. |
| Soon the water got warmer again as I came to another shallow part. I was getting tired. I came up for fresh air and realized I was miles from home; farther away than I'd ever been on my own. I tried to flick myself along, but my tail flapped lazily and started to ache. Eventually, I made it to a big, smooth rock with a low shelf. I pulled myself out of the water, my tail resting on some pebbles in the sea. A minute later, it went numb. I wiggled my toes and shivered as I watched my legs come back. That part was still really creepy! |
| Sitting back against a larger rock, I caught my breath. Then I heard something. Like singing, but without words. The wet rocks shimmered in the moonlight, but there was no one around. Had I imagined it? The water lapped against the pebbles, making them jangle as it sucked its breath away from the shore. There it was again--the singing. |
| Where was it coming from? I clambered up a jagged rock and looked down the other side. That's when I saw her. I rubbed my eyes. Surely it couldn't be... but it was! It was a mermaid! A real one! |
| The kind you read about in kids' stories. Long blond hair all the way down her back, which she was brushing while she sang. She was perched on the edge of a rock, shuffling a bit as though she were trying to get comfortable. Her tail was longer and thinner than mine. Silvery green and shimmering in the moonlight, it flapped against the rock as she sang. |
| She kept singing the same song. When she got to the end, she started again. A couple of times, she was in the middle of a really high part when she stopped and hit her tail with the brush. "Come on, Shona," she said sharply. "Get it right!" |
| I stared for ages, opening and closing my mouth like a fish. I wanted to talk to her. But what exactly do you say to a singing mermaid perched on a rock in the middle of the night? Funnily enough, I've never had that come up before. |
| In the end, I coughed gently and she looked up immediately. |
| "Oh!" she said. She gaped open-mouthed at my legs for a second. And then, with a twist and a splash, she was gone. |
| ______ |
| The Tail Of Emily Windsnap by Liz Kessler, illustrated by Sarah Gibb. Text copyright (c) 2006 by Liz Kessler. Published by Candlewick Press, Inc., Cambridge, MA. |
