Read Time:2 Minute, 3 Second
In my house, mermaids are all the rage. In Bad Mermaids Make Waves, the first adventure in the middle grade series by author Sibéal Pounder, mermaids are so much more than just pretty girls with fish tails—and three young mermaids set out to search for answers and save their underwater kingdom.
The story travels under the sea with a trio of young mermaids, whose summer with legs is cut short by an urgent message from the queen of the Hidden Lagoon. The queen has been kidnapped, and the kingdom has been taken over by some seriously bad mermaids with a sinister plan. With the bad mermaids and their pet piranhas keeping watch over the entire kingdom, the girls have to be careful. So they race off in a stolen car with a talking seahorse named Steve to try to save the queen—and their underwater home.
While most mermaid stories focus on pretty girls with fins dealing with things like friendships and fashion, Bad Mermaids offers a fun twist: teenage mermaids solving mysteries and racing around the kingdom in a quest to save the day. Though some of the characters that they meet along the way are obsessed with fashion and pretty accessories, these three girls are more focused on foiling the bad mermaids’ evil plan.
Unfortunately, though, the story doesn’t feel especially solid, and the threat seems rather questionable. In fact, most of the plot points feel strange and random and underdeveloped. Suddenly, the queen is kidnapped, and some evil new mermaid has taken over the palace and given everyone in the kingdom some kind of GPS-tracking fingernail designs to make sure everyone stays in line. It all seems just a little too easy, the conflict a little haphazard. The characters, too, could use more development. Though the three mermaids are likable characters, the only character that truly stands out is the talking seahorse, Steve, who gives the story its comic relief.
Still, this series has plenty of potential—plenty of fun settings, clever comedy, and underwater action. With just a little more development—and some work on the plot—it could be a new favorite series.
If your young readers love mermaids, you’ll want to track this series down at your local library. It may not be one to add to their bookshelf, but the action and mystery make it a likable pick for some light bedtime reading.
Listen to the review on Shelf Discovery:
Kristin Dreyer Kramer has been writing in some form or another (usually when she was supposed to be doing something else) since the ripe old age of ten—when she, her cousin, and their two Cabbage Patch Dolls formed the Poo Authors’ Club. After a short career in advertising, Kristin got sick of always saying nice things about stuff that didn’t deserve it—so now she spends her days criticizing things, and she’s much happier for it.
Since creating NightsAndWeekends.com in February of 2002, Kristin has spent her life surrounded by piles and piles of books and movies—so many that her office has become a kind of entertainment obstacle course.
As if her writing and editing responsibilities for N&W.com weren’t enough to keep her out of trouble, Kristin also hosts a number of weekly radio shows: Reel Discovery, Shelf Discovery, and On the Marquee. She’s also a proud member of the Broadcast Film Critics Association (CriticsChoice.com), the Central Ohio Film Critics Association (COFCA.org), the Online Film Critics Society (OFCS.org), and the Women Film Critics Circle (WFCC.Wordpress.com).
Kristin lives in Columbus, Ohio, with her husband, Paul, and their daughter, Anna. She welcomes questions, comments, and fan mail at kdk@nightsandweekends.com.
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Kristin Dreyer Kramer has been writing in some form or another (usually when she was supposed to be doing something else) since the ripe old age of ten—when she, her cousin, and their two Cabbage Patch Dolls formed the Poo Authors’ Club. After a short career in advertising, Kristin got sick of always saying nice things about stuff that didn’t deserve it—so now she spends her days criticizing things, and she’s much happier for it.
Since creating NightsAndWeekends.com in February of 2002, Kristin has spent her life surrounded by piles and piles of books and movies—so many that her office has become a kind of entertainment obstacle course.
As if her writing and editing responsibilities for N&W.com weren’t enough to keep her out of trouble, Kristin also hosts a number of weekly radio shows: Reel Discovery, Shelf Discovery, and On the Marquee. She’s also a proud member of the Broadcast Film Critics Association (CriticsChoice.com), the Central Ohio Film Critics Association (COFCA.org), the Online Film Critics Society (OFCS.org), and the Women Film Critics Circle (WFCC.Wordpress.com).
Kristin lives in Columbus, Ohio, with her husband, Paul, and their daughter, Anna. She welcomes questions, comments, and fan mail at kdk@nightsandweekends.com.
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