Review - The Mermaid Moon

The Mermaid Moon
by Briony May Smith
Date: 2022
Publisher: Anne Schwartz Books
Reading level: C
Book type: picture book
Pages: 40
Format: e-book
Source: library

In this magical picture book perfect for all young mermaid lovers, two best friends--one who lives on land, the other in the water--share an exciting adventure on the night of the Mermaid Moon: the one time each year mermaids can leave the sea.

Once, there were two best friends. One was from the sea, a mermaid named Merrin, and one was from the land, a human named Molly. Of course Merrin has never been to Molly's house; how can she visit when she must stay underwater? But then comes the night of the Mermaid Moon, when sea creatures can fly through the air! And this year, Merrin is finally old enough to join in. Together she and Molly visit the Mermaid Moon festival, eat ice cream, and ride on a swing in Molly's backyard. But when it is time for Merrin to leave--the moon is sinking toward the sea--she is unable to get down from a tree the girls have climbed. And if she doesn't get back home before the moon sets, the Mermaid Moon magic will disappear from the earth forever.

Here is a delightful and dramatic picture book that makes every girl's dream of being friends with a mermaid come true!

(synopsis from Goodreads)

I read Margaret's Unicorn a couple of years ago and thought it was absolutely charming. Briony May Smith is back with another magical tale, this time about two little girls—one human and one mermaid—who share a magical evening together on a very special night of the year.

The stakes are high. (Merrin's mother tells her that if she doesn't make it home to the sea in time, all the magic will be lost. No pressure.) But of course the girls manage to figure out a way to preserve the magic.

The illustrations are really cute. Since much of the story takes place at night, lighting casts a dreamy effect over the pictures.

This is another winner from Smith. It's sure to be a hit with mermaid lovers, as well as with those looking for sweet picture-book stories about friendship.

Premise: 4/5
Meter: n/a
Writing: 4/5
Illustrations: 4/5
Originality: 5/5

Enjoyment: 5/5

Overall: 4.5 out of 5

Review - Emeline and the Golden Ukulele

Emeline and the Golden Ukulele
by Susan Kinsey
Date: 2020
Publisher: BooksGoSocial
Reading level: C
Book type: prose novel
Pages: 37
Format: e-book
Source: NetGalley

The Talented Tiara contest is only days away before Emeline's ukulele breaks. Disappointed she won't be able to enter, the sea fortune tellers assures her there is another way. Sent on a journey through the bottom of the sea, Emeline must find the sea wizard's golden ukulele to borrow on one condition--she must believe in magic. When a jealous classmate tries to stop her, Emeline must unite with her friends, believe in herself, and enter the Talented Tiara contest without any self doubt. Read Emeline and the Golden Ukulele and enjoy this short, witty chapter book to build reading skills, imagination, and embrace your love for the mermaids under the sea.

(synopsis from Goodreads)

Drawn in by the cute cover, I was expecting a simple chapter book about mermaids. Unfortunately, this is a book full of technical issues so blatant as to be a huge distraction. And the story is too weak to offer much redemption.

Emeline is a mermaid who wants to enter the Talented Tiara contest. No, it's not a contest for talented tiaras. It's a talent contest for undersea creatures where the prize is a tiara. Emeline wants to play her ukulele, but when she tries out for the contest, a string breaks. This leads her to the other side of the black rocks to borrow a sea wizard's golden ukulele, which can only be played if she has the love of music in her heart. On her way, she must try to ignore a mean girl named Pearl who seeks to undermine her confidence.

To begin with, the whole premise is really weak. Emeline's ukulele pops a string... and somehow this is a big deal. The octopus at the repair shop tells her it'll take four days to fix (a broken string takes four days to fix?!) but the talent show is in three days (except, it isn't; the author messed up the timeline). Wouldn't a broken ukulele neck have made more sense? At the end of the story, the resolution to the main character's problem is hackneyed and unrealistic. (Nobody would disqualify a contestant simply for trash-talking!)

The author seemed to forget her setting throughout the book. The text is continually describing smells. The girls eat popcorn and cotton candy at the fair. (Do you know what happens when either of those things hit water?) Emeline's mother somehow made pancakes. (How do you get the batter to stay in one place and not go floating off on the currents?) For that matter, how do you twirl a baton underwater with all that friction? And, at one point, Emeline and her friend were sitting under a tree. There are trees at the bottom of the sea?

But that's not even the worst of it. This is probably the most badly written book I've read all year. First, it comes across as a school assignment where the teacher implored the students to avoid the words "said" and "asked" as much as possible. I counted twenty alternate dialogue tags in the first chapter alone! That's extremely distracting. And, at times, the tags didn't even make sense in context. People "groaned" when they didn't seem to be particularly distressed about anything, or "cooed" just for the heck of it. Characters sometimes performed actions that seemed awfully random, like raising their hands for no reason or putting their hand on top of their head; it was almost as if the author thought there should be some sort of action, but couldn't think of anything appropriate for the moment.

And then there were the typos. Oh, the typos. "An ukulele" popped up at one point. "Weary" was used when it seemed "wary" was the word the author was going for (and, even so, I think the word she actually needed was "disappointed"). Emeline was referred to as "petty" when it should've been "pretty". And Mrs. Gills turned into Mrs. Gill once thanks to a misplaced apostrophe. I kind of lost count of all the errors after a certain point, and now I'm annoyed. This book had zero editing (and, if it did, the author needs to ask for a refund).

Had the message been stellar, I might've been willing to overlook some of the technical issues. After all, those are easily fixed. But the characters aren't appealing (Emeline is a wishy-washy sort of heroine who's easily swayed by a few unkind words that she knows aren't even true) and the resolution is way too pat (would Emeline have won if Pearl hadn't been disqualified for the flimsiest of reasons?).

I can't recommend this one at all.

Thank you to NetGalley and BooksGoSocial for providing a digital ARC.

Premise: 2/5
Plot: 2/5
Characters: 1/5
Pace: 2/5
Writing: 0/5
Editing: 0/5
Originality: 2/5
Enjoyment: 1/5

Overall Rating: 1.25 out of 5 ladybugs

Review - Mabel: A Mermaid Fable

Mabel: A Mermaid Fable
by Rowboat Watkins
Date: 2020
Publisher: Chronicle Books
Reading level: C
Book type: picture book
Pages: 32
Format: e-book
Source: library

Mabel isn't like the other mermaids. Lucky isn't like the other octopuses. But when they find each other, they discover that true friendship isn't about how you look, and that sometimes what we are searching for is right under our noses.

(synopsis from Goodreads)

It's official: Rowboat Watkins' books just aren't for me. Am I missing something? I always feel like I am. I don't find his work particularly funny or interesting. Often, it just seems like an absurd concept taken to an illogical conclusion.

In this case, we have Mabel, a mermaid who's embarrassed because she doesn't have a moustache. (All mermaids have moustaches, apparently. Even the babies.) So she spends a lot of time wearing fake ones and hiding out in various caves to get away from the creatures who call her a nudibranch. She meets a seven-legged octopus, and they become friends. Then she finds out what a nudibranch is, and the book ends.

I. Don't. Get. It.

Sure, Mabel makes a friend. Sure, Lucky realizes that he can do pretty much anything, even with only seven legs. But the resolution--when Mabel realizes that everything she ever needed was right under her nose--is too vague to be meaningful. She finds out that nudibranchs are sea slugs, and this suddenly makes her lack of moustache okay. I'm afraid I'm not following that line of thought.

Kids might like the absurdity of moustachioed mermaids, but I'm not a fan. The pictures are cute. They don't really make up for the rest of the nonsense, though.

Premise: 2/5
Meter: n/a
Writing: 3/5
Illustrations: 3/5
Originality: 2/5

Enjoyment: 2/5

Overall: 2.33 out of 5

Review - Miranda: Fantasyland Tour Guide

Miranda: Fantasyland Tour Guide
by Aaron L. Humphres
Date: 2019
Publisher: Action Lab Entertainment
Reading level: C
Book type: graphic novel
Pages: 40
Format: e-book
Source: NetGalley

Join tour guide Miranda as she takes the Deedle family on a tour of the fantastical land of Wondaria. The tour takes readers through an enchanted wizard's house, an underground shopping plaza, and a haunted castle. Come explore the magic of Wondaria with Miranda's tour services.

(synopsis from Goodreads)

This isn't so much a story as an exercise in world building. As such, the plot is nearly non-existent; it's just Miranda, a tour guide, taking the Deedle family out to enjoy the sights of Wondaria.

The book is done in almost a graphic novel format. For each sight on the tour, Miranda gives us a brief explanation, and then we're treated to interjections from the Deedles. The various locations are certainly creative, and the illustrations have plenty to look at. However, at the end, I was left wanting more. A story set in this world could be really neat. But this book is more like one of those volumes that accompanies a series. It has maps and profiles of various settings, but there's no story; that's left to other books.

So, while I think this is a great starting point, I don't know that I'd bother reading this again. I'd much rather see Miranda (or the Deedles) starring in a story that has conflict, action, and suspense... as well as a beginning, a middle, and an end.

(Note that there's a typo on the map at the end. It reads "COZY CAZE", when it should be "COZY CAVE". Perhaps this will be fixed before it goes to print.)

Thank you to NetGalley and Action Lab Entertainment for providing a digital ARC.

Plot: 1/5
Characters: 2/5
Pace: 3/5
Writing & Editing: 3/5
Illustration: 3/5
Originality: 3/5

Enjoyment: 2/5

Overall Rating: 2.38 out of 5 ladybugs

Review - Julián Is a Mermaid

Julián Is a Mermaid
by Jessica Love
Date: 2018
Publisher: Candlewick Press
Reading level: C
Book type: picture book
Pages: 40
Format: e-book
Source: library

In an exuberant picture book, a glimpse of costumed mermaids leaves one boy flooded with wonder and ready to dazzle the world.

While riding the subway home from the pool with his abuela one day, Julián notices three women spectacularly dressed up. Their hair billows in brilliant hues, their dresses end in fishtails, and their joy fills the train car. When Julián gets home, daydreaming of the magic he’s seen, all he can think about is dressing up just like the ladies in his own fabulous mermaid costume: a butter-yellow curtain for his tail, the fronds of a potted fern for his headdress. But what will Abuela think about the mess he makes — and even more importantly, what will she think about how Julián sees himself?

Mesmerizing and full of heart, Jessica Love’s author-illustrator debut is a jubilant picture of self-love and a radiant celebration of individuality.

(synopsis from Goodreads)

This is a cute story about being yourself.

Julián sees some women dressed as mermaids on the subway, and he wants to be like them. While his grandmother is having a bath, he dresses himself up as a mermaid using a houseplant and some curtains. When his grandmother first sees him, she doesn't look very happy. Julián thinks he's going to be in trouble. But she eventually helps Julián with his costume, encouraging him to express himself.

I like the message here, and the illustrations are really lovely. People of all shapes, sizes, and colours are represented here. The scenes at the end are especially fun to look at.

I'd heard of this book and its message, and I'm glad I finally got a chance to read it. I'd definitely recommend this one to those looking for books about individuality and acceptance.

Quotable moment:

Premise: 5/5
Meter: n/a
Writing: 4/5
Illustrations: 4/5
Originality: 5/5

Enjoyment: 4/5

Overall: 4.33 out of 5

Review - The Horny Little Mermaid: A Short, Sexy Fairytale

The Horny Little Mermaid: A Short, Sexy Fairytale
by P. E. Kavanagh
Date: 2018
Publisher: Bold Soul Books
Reading level: A
Book type: prose novella
Pages: 46
Format: e-book
Source: Kobo

This is no cartoon mermaid!

Ria lives in an ocean paradise, but can't get relief. Her desires are too much to handle and the lack of males isn't helping. When she makes a deal with a witch for a set of legs and the chance to finally experience satisfaction, she believes it's going to be no problem.

The owner of the golden member she spied in the ocean won't give it up to her, so she has to make do with the rest of the surfers and beach bums. Her deadline, before giving up her soul for good, is quickly approaching with no guarantee that her good boy will ever turn bad.

The Horny Little Mermaid is a sexy, whimsical retelling of the classic tale. Due to mature content, this short story is not intended for the easily offended or readers under 18.

(synopsis from Goodreads)

WARNING: Major Spoilers! To read this review with the spoilers hidden, check it out on Goodreads.

This novella (short enough to be a short story, but with chapters) is both amusing and disturbing. It was fine for a quick freebie, but it's not exactly something that's whetted my appetite for more, nor is it something I would necessarily recommend (except with a warning).

Basically, this is a twist on Hans Christian Andersen's "The Little Mermaid", but with many of the recognizable elements stripped away and replaced by sex. Lots of sex. The title isn't lying. Ria is a horny mermaid. She's quite possibly the horniest character I've ever read (although, I don't usually read erotica, so that's not saying much). Unlike all the other mermaids, she has this urge that just can't be quenched, and she spends a lot of time in this special field where (I'm assuming) she does some sort of masturbation trick with some boulders. Anyway, one day, she sees a surfer tumble into the waves. His torn wetsuit reveals his glowing penis (well, it's probably not glowing, but the clumsy description using words like "golden" and "halo" makes it sound like it is) and Ria gets all hot and bothered. So she goes to the witch, Vera, and makes a deal. I assumed it would be similar to the deal in the original story, but it turned out not to be... which ended up being kind of disturbing.

In this version, Ria doesn't lose her voice. She basically screws away her month of humanity with any guy she can get her hands on. Unfortunately, Philip, the surfer she rescued from the waves, isn't interested. But Ria won't take no for an answer. This is the part I really have a problem with. I kept thinking, "What if the genders were reversed?" Well, what Ria did would probably be viewed as sexual harassment and sexual assault. It's not right that the book's basically portraying this as okay because it's a female doing the groping and fondling. (The ending takes this even further, when it turns out that Philip's been used all along. I wondered what the witch was getting for her end of the bargain, since she didn't take Ria's voice. Since all the young mermen were killed off by pollution, there's a shortage of males... and you can probably see where this is going. Ria basically rapes Philip on the beach--he's portrayed as being frozen in shock--and with that act, he's cursed into becoming a merman while Ria gets to stay in human form and screw human males for the rest of her life. But it's okay, because she somehow isn't attracted to Philip's glowing dick anymore. Never mind what Philip has to say about any of this; we never actually find out.)

The writing itself isn't terrible, but there are a number of editing lapses that mark the story as a self-published one. The dialogue is wooden (sorry... no pun intended) and there are some word choices that aren't quite right. The style is fairly simple, but when the author tries to get a little fancier, we end up with some interesting similes that seem a little purple (again, sorry) and are kind of hilarious; comparing the moon to a "pendulous breast" and having a cock bob "from side to side like a metronome" are some of my favourite bits (oh, my god... why do all my comments sound dirty?!).

I guess the worst part for me was simply the issue of the lack of consent. Philip keeps saying no, and Ria thinks that means "try harder". If the genders were reversed, this story would rightly be called out for promoting the idea that you're entitled to sex if you're horny enough. It's pretty problematic, no matter which way you look at it.

Premise: 2/5
Plot: 1/5
Characters: 2/5
Pace: 2/5
Writing: 3/5
Editing: 3/5
Originality: 3/5
Enjoyment: 1/5

Overall Rating: 2.13 out of 5 ladybugs

Review - Fish Girl

Fish Girl
by Donna Jo Napoli & David Wiesner
illustrated by David Wiesner
Date: 2017
Publisher: Clarion Books
Reading level: MG
Book type: graphic novel
Pages: 186
Format: e-book
Source: library

Who is Fish Girl?
What is Fish Girl?

She lives in a tank in a boardwalk aquarium. She is the main attraction, though visitors never get more than a glimpse of her.

She has a tail. She can't walk. She can't speak.

But she can make friends with Livia, an ordinary girl, and yearn for a life that includes yoga and pizza. She can grow stronger and braver. With determination, a touch of magic, and the help of a loyal octopus, she can do anything.

(synopsis from Goodreads)

This is a nicely illustrated graphic novel with a sort of fairy tale flair. At first glance, one might think that The Little Mermaid would be the obvious tie-in. But I actually saw more similarities with Disney's Tangled, a "Rapunzel" story. Poor Fish Girl (she doesn't even have a proper name at the beginning of the story) has a bad case of Stockholm Syndrome. She's kept in a fanciful aquarium on a boardwalk in an old house that's been converted to display all sorts of marine life. Neptune is her protector... at least at first. But as Fish Girl starts to understand the outside world, she starts to wonder if her protector is really that... or if he's her captor.

The illustrations were really quite lovely, especially when it came to Fish Girl herself. She's realistically drawn and quite pretty, and though she spends much of the book technically naked, she's always strategically covered by her fish friends (making this book completely suitable for younger readers). I liked the whole idea of the house converted into an aquarium; the way it was displayed on the pages was well done. Fish Girl's discovery of the outside world, including things like pizza and yoga, was touching. I really felt for her, and I wanted her to do well as she explored a new side of her life. Despite being naive, she was actually pretty smart... which is refreshing in a world of so many clueless heroines. I was, however, a little confused for the first few pages as I tried to figure out who was telling the story. I'm not sure if that was intentional or not, but I found it a little frustrating. Once I figured it out, though, it was smooth sailing for the rest of the book.

The plot is a little on the light side, and you do have to suspend disbelief a little to go with the events at the climax (I mean, even more than believing mermaids really exist). But, overall, this is a cute, quick read that would probably appeal to fans of graphic novels as well as fairy tales.

Plot: 3/5
Characters: 4/5
Pace: 4/5
Writing & Editing: 4/5
Illustration: 4/5
Originality: 3/5

Enjoyment: 4/5

Overall Rating: 3.75 out of 5 ladybugs