Product Description

"Liz Kessler makes a splash with this tightly written, highly imaginative debut." — FAMILYFUN

For as long as she can remember, twelve-year-old Emily Windsnap has lived on a boat. And, oddly enough, for just as long, her mother has seemed anxious to keep her 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 undersea 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.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #36541 in Books
• Published on: 2006-03-14
• Released on: 2006-03-14
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 224 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9780763628116
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
• Click here to view our Condition Guide and Shipping Prices

From School Library Journal
Grade 4-6–Seventh-grader Emily Windsnap has never learned to swim, in spite of the fact that she and her mother live on a houseboat. When she finally takes a swimming class at school, her legs turn into a fishtail. She tries to hide her strange affliction, but something draws her to the sparkling surf. Soon, she is secretly gliding through the water as a mermaid. Below the waves, she meets Shona, also 12, who takes her to mermaid school and leads her on several adventures. When Emily learns the intriguing history of the Shiprock community and of illegal marriages between humans and merpeople, she begins to look for her merman father. Danger, humor, confrontation, and even a trial before Neptune all play a part in her search. Eventually, she finds her dad and comes to understand the truth about her oddly controlling neighbor, Mr. Beeston; her mother's dislike of water; and her parents' love affair. All ends well when the family is reunited and swims away to live a new life on a secret merfolk island. This fantasy has some delightful moments, but not enough to keep it afloat. Characters are not fully developed, the plot wavers between complicated and oversimplified, and the transition from merworld to human is not smooth.–Beth Tegart, Oneida City Schools, NY
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist
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 © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Review
"...an absolutely enchanting debut - a salty splash of something fresh within the tradition of mermaid tales" -- Amanda Craig "This is a great read for a rainy Sunday. We were gripped from the first chapter." Mizz, Oct 03 "...a first novel with an intriguing plot" TES, 12 Dec 03 "Wonderfully imaginative, quirky characters people the world of Emily Windsnap...this rich story will be enjoyed at many levels." INIS, Children's Books Ireland Magazine, Winter 03 "A fascinating story." Armadillo, Winter 03 "Kessler creates a likeable heroine in Emily...Each new chapter of this agreeable debut novel is attractively decorated...by Sarah Gibb." Books for Keeps "A pleasant story that girls will enjoy reading." South Wales Guardian, 1 Jan 04 "...a magical fantasy...exciting, touching, funny and highly original" Cheshire Life, Jan 04 "From the opening sentence, 'Can you keep a secret?', the story involves the young reader" School Librarian, Spring 04 "fresh and funny" Amanda Craig The Times, 15 May 04 "...ideal for anyone taking a beach holiday or who feels like a fish out of water." The Times, 10 Jul 04 "...will entertain and fire the imagination" Haverhill Echo, 2 Sep 04

Customer Reviews

Exploring the Ocean -- a review by Rhea, age 11
Many things start to happen after Emily's first time underwater, in seventh grade swim class. She finds out she is a mermaid. Once Emily starts to explore the ocean, she finds out where her dad is. He's in the mermaid prison. She sets out in the ocean to try to free him. In the process, she is stopped many times by Mr. Beeston, the lighthouse keeper, Millie, her babysitter and hypnotizer, and the prison guards, and many other magical challenges.

The Tale of Emily Windsnap has a fun plot, but it is not very interesting. Though it is fantasy, there are some really unbelievable aspects about Emily, such as not being underwater her entire life. Emily does physically change throughout the story, but doesn't seem to grow much emotionally. Emily does become more aware of what is happening around her by the end of the book. Many things happen during the story. Because so many little things are happening, it pulls away from the real emotions and interactions with her dad. One very good thing about the book is that the setting is really described. While you read, you can really picture the setting.

Perfectly Timed
*First things first, anyone who loves Harry Potter and thinks this book will be like it, is wrong. I found it completely different. (I myself don't care for HP). It was written differently and was about a totally different fantasy.*
I read this book with total fascination. I felt like I was going through the hardships with Emily Windsnap. The author could not have described the underwater terrain more clearly and I could really picture what was going on in my head. The feelings characters felt and expressions they made came naturallly to me when I read the descriptions. The author timed all of the dillemas, miracles, sad scenes, and action scenes just right. Even the feeling of suspense was there when you needed it! The tale is dramatic and encasing, I never doubted that what I was reading could actually happen. A perfectly timed, real, fun novel I hope you pick up.

Dreams from the Sea
I read and finished this book VERY quickly, why? Because this is a dream that every girl would love, becoming a mermaid. This is a tail... I mean TALE about a girl named Emily that transforms into a mermaid only when she sets foot in the water and is human on land. She is a half mermaid half human because she soon discovered that her mother married a merman. In the deep blue sea this is apparently illegal so the father gets locked up in a underwater prison. Emily wants to meet her father badly so takes the risk of breaking into the jail. Please read this book.....it's a book EVERYONE can enjoy!