Teenage girls have to deal with a lot of tough firsts. First zit. First crush. First... mermaid’s tail?
In the fourth installment of Hélène Boudreau’s breezy, fun and “unputdownable”Real Mermaids series, our favorite mer-girl Jade can’t think of a better way to celebrate peace in the underwater mer-world than with a tropical vacation in the Bahamas with her family and BFF.
Soon, Jade is enjoying the tropical sunshine, all-you-can-eat buffet, and island day trips. But when Jade gets lost in the island’s famous waterfront Straw Market, something doesn’t feel quite right. A body splashes into the water as a cruise ship enters the harbor and a teen boy selling conches from his boat behind the market knows more than he’s willing to admit.
With no body, no leads, and no other witnesses, though, the local police don’t seem too concerned. Maybe Jade’s imagination has been acting up on her, just like Cori said, considering everything she’s been through in the past few months. But with Mom and Dad off on a honeymoon excursion it wouldn’t hurt to check things out, would it? Little do Jade and Cori realize, they are about to uncover more secrets about the splashing body, dangerous cruise ship cargo, and more questions than answers lurking in the nearby Caribbean waters.
“Absolutely fresh and sweet, a quirky coming of age story complete with first periods and bumbling dads...an unputdownable adventure, part Judy Blume, part Hans Christian Anderson, and 100% delightful, this fun, fresh tale (tail?) will have girls begging for a sequel...” – The YA-5
“[T]he author keeps suspense high and her prose moving while tapping straight into young teens’ angst about friends, enemies and boys.” –Kirkus
the mermaid part sounds fun