Product Description

Thora's no ordinary girl. She's got scales on her legs, purple feet, and a blowhole that squirts water from the top of her head. Thora's a half-mermaid. And as mermaid law commands, Thora must spend ten years at sea and ten years on land. In a houseboat called the Loki, Thora sails the seas with her mermaid mother, Halla, and guard ian, Mr. Walters. But following her tenth birthday, Thora heads to the seaside town of Grimli, where her father grew up.

In Grimli, fat-cat tycoon Frooty de Mare will stop at nothing to expand his Tooty Frooty Enterprises. With the help of new friends and her pet peacock, Thora has her work cut out thwarting Frooty's evil plans -- not to mention doing a bit of exploring into her own Grimli roots.

Gillian Johnson's fanciful tale captures the unflappable spirit of an exceptional young heroine who, despite being half-mermaid, somehow always manages to land on her feet.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #525980 in Books
• Published on: 2005-08-01
• Released on: 2005-07-26
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 256 pages

From Booklist
Gr. 4-6. Half girl and half mermaid, 10-year-old Thora moves to the odd little seaside town of Grimli in order to fulfill her destiny as revealed by a fortune-teller. With a buoyant attitude and a loving heart, she quickly befriends and helps many of the town's inhabitants, though her goodwill does not extend to all. Thora's distrust of a greedy local tycoon named Tooty Frooty proves to be well founded when his dastardly deeds threaten the welfare of her mermaid mother and the town he professes to help. Like Pippi Longstocking, Thora lives largely on her own (her mermaid mother cannot live on land) and ignores normal ways of doing things. With a light touch and a smattering of Briticisms, this entertaining fantasy will charm children who like their magic with its feet on the ground. The broad premise may be fantastic, but the details are precise and realistic. Lively, witty line drawings illustrate the action. The story will end all too soon for young readers who long for a loyal, unconventional, and confident friend like Thora. Carolyn Phelan
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Review
"The scribbly, black-and-white illustrations display an edgy, kinetic line reminiscent of Quentin Blake’s work." -- Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books

"…this is a frothy, boisterous tale of insurrection that fans of Roald Dahl will find familiar and welcoming." -- Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books

Review
"The scribbly, black-and-white illustrations display an edgy, kinetic line reminiscent of Quentin Blake's work." (Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books )

".this is a frothy, boisterous tale of insurrection that fans of Roald Dahl will find familiar and welcoming." (Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books )

Customer Reviews

This is a great read for girls ages 8-11!
Thora: A Half-Mermaid Tale is a delightful combination of comedy, adventure, and fantasy. Thora hereself is a unique character who brings fun whenever she shows up. Gillian Johnson slipped in many fun, witty lines that add humor to the book. There is a whole menagerie of delightful characters. Also, the comedy/fantasy turns into a mystery/adventure when Thora, with the help of her new friends, must rescue her mother. Overall, an excellent read for fans of authors such as Gail Carson Levine, and Roald Dahl! Enjoy!

A Fantastic Fantasy Book
My daugher is [...] and we came upon this book at a yard sale. She read it right away- we couldn't tear her away from it. This is definately the best book about a mermaid for her age group (8-10?). (She is a pretty good reader, so some people may want to wait a bit since it is recommended for 9 year olds).

My daughter believes in mermaids and the magic of knowing or becoming one, so this was the perfect book for her. She loved the plot and giggled at the whimsical humor that runs throughout the story. She insisted on showing us all the cute and funny pictures. It is now her FAVORITE BOOK OF ALL TIME (and she has read a lot of books). She shared her book with other girls in their bookclub- and they all loved it too. Our only problem was that we couldn't find it for a while. Now that we know it is here at Amazon, we will tell all our friends. I am looking forward to giving her the sequel for her birthday.

Thank you Gillian Johnson for writing such a wonderful book!

Happy 8 Year Old
Bought THORA for my 8 year old daughter last week because she is a big fan of EMILY WINDSNAP. It arrived on a rainy afternoon--perfect time. My daughter didn't stop reading until she was done. We had to go to the book store the next day and buy the others in the series (our library doesn't carry them).