Customer Reviews

Aquamarine

5 star:		(25)
4 star:		(23)
3 star:		(14)
2 star:		(7)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

A sweet little coming-of-age novel (check that, NOVELETTE), is a nice read and good diversion, by the author of Oprah Book Club "Here on Earth" (though I doubt anyone reading this book will care diddly). Though a bit too short and a bit too shallow, it's sweet.

Twelve-year-old neighbors Hailey and Claire have been best buddies all their lives, but this summer is the last they will be able to hang out together. Claire will be moving to Florida, and this hangs a pall over their fun. A nearby club will also shut down at the end of summer, a place that they know and enjoy.

But what happens when a mermaid is washed ashore? Aquamarine is not your typical Little Mermaid type, being both cranky and lovelorn. Despite the fact that land-based life will destroy her, Aquamarine falls in love with a local boy (I didn't see his charm, personally). Hailey and Claire manage to smuggle her about in a wheelchair -- but how can they help her survive, if she doesn't want to go back?

It's a nice little book, with excellent descriptions of the local areas. Unfortunately, Aquamarine was the only truly interesting character, as Hailey and Claire are typical book-kids who could be lifted from any other book. Their bright spot is the separation anxiety, which is often reserved mainly for parents. But things simply happen, with little insight into the characters' thoughts.

I also found the shortness of this novel distracting -- there are a fair number of pages, but there are very few lines per page, and the omniscient voice of the narrator destroys some opportunities to initiate more character development (telling us stuff about Aquamarine's background rather than having HER tell Claire and Hailey and US).

I advise younger kids to read this book, but middle grade and older readers will find themselves severely frustrated.

A book about two best friends about to be separated by miles and time is a definite catch for me to read. And it's an unforgettable read. When the two girls discovered a mermaid at the bottom of a pool, the girls (Claire and Hailey) did everything they could to help Aquamarine meet her true love, a boy named Ray.

It is a whimiscal & delightful read. It's a wonderful little book to add to everyone's library. Hoffman turns an old legend into modern day prose ~~ but the reader will fall in love with the characters and the siren song of the mermaid.

I am a fifth grade student at Waldron Mercy Academy (A.N.C.-L.). This book was a real page-turner. It had a mix of suspense, happiness, and sea creatures. On a hot day at the Capri Beach Club, Hailey and Claire are spending time together. The girls are sad because Claire is moving to Florida at the end of the month. Soon, the Capri will be knocked down. The day after a storm Hailey and Claire visit the pool. They are not allowed in, (Claire is scared of swimming) but they go anyway! In the pool, they find a rude sixteen year old mermaid. She is lost and in love. Claire sews her a beautiful dress (Claire likes sewing), and Hailey sets up a date for her. After the date she starts drying out and dying. Will Hailey and Claire get her to the ocean before she dies? Read the rest of the book to find out. This book was so good that my mommy called me for dinner at 5:00p.m. and I didn't go down until 5:30p.m. This book really deserves a five star rating.

This book is great. Even my 4 year old sister liked it. I'm in 2nd grade and it is so easy to read! It keeps you interested throughout the whole book. You want to read it in one day!

This slender volume satisfies as only Hoffman can provide. In her usual quirky style, she returns to her familiar territory of exploring the mythic within the mundane. This story, while perhaps aimed at a younger audience, will not fail to captivate new readers and fans as well. Honestly, who could pass up a 105-page tale of a mermaid in the swimming pool of someplace called the Capri Beach Club? Just too delectable. But an entirely justified temptation!

I think this book was really a good book, but it's for people who aren't as strong readers, or younger readers. I received it as a gift for my birthday. On a scale from 1-10 I'd give it an 8. I had my little brother (age 8) read it for his book report (he'll read anything he can get his hands on) and he rated it a 9. This is what he wrote for his plot:

It all started when Hailey found out that Claire was moving. They only had a few more weeks to spend at the Capri Beach Club because that was being torn down also. One day there was a horrid storm and the pool got all yucky and mucky. Hailey jumped into the pool and saw a mermaid. They came up with a plan to talk to the mermaid. Claire found out that the mermaid had swam away to be independent and "stuff." The mermaid was rude, but eventually they became friends. They found out the mermaid's name was Aquamarine. Aquamarine fell in love with Raymond and wanted to go out with him. She wouldn't leave until she did. Hailey read in a book that if mermaids spend more than three days out of salt water they would shrivel up and turn into a pile of green dust. So Hailey and Claire have to try and convince Aquamarine to go back to the ocean. They end up putting Aquamarine in a wheelchair and having her and Raymond go out on a date. When the date is over she is pale and she is starting to turn into dust. They rush her to the ocean where Raymond sees her and finds out the truth-that she is a mermaid. He still loves her though. Claire moves to Florida and one day sees Raymond and Aquamarine swimming in the ocean together. While that is going on, Claire is watching the Capri Beach Club being torn down and replaced by a hotel. They learn to make new friends and face their fears and grow.

It leaves out a few things but it is pretty accurate. It's a good late night read. Enjoy!

Aquamarine was a really good book.I luved it! It wasn't at all like the movie. I thought the book was better than the movie, but that's my opinion. If you want to be exicited, read the book.

The movie was exciting, but left a lot of the parts out. Aquamarine, the mermaid, had a tail the whole time, not just when she touched water. She never had to worry about the beach club, or mean girls, the beach club was about to get torn down. Raymond was the only other person there besides Haley and Clarie.

If you like better-than-the-movie books, this one's for you. Next time you go to the library, you should check this book out. I mean it!

In this enchanting story there are two girls named Hailey and Claire. Hailey lives with her grandparents and is moving away at the end of the summer. Claire and Hailey spend the whole summer together at the Capri Beach Club. They like to dip their feet in the pool and go have a snack at the snackbar. Raymond is the man who runs the snackbar and he is off to college at the end of the summer. One day Hailey and Claire see a shadow in the pool. Next, they set bait and find a mermaid. Aquamarine is snotty at first but finds out that she is in love with Raymond. She gets a date with Raymond but she starts to dry up! I won't tell the end but it was the best book ever! It as an easy level book and anyone from 2nd grade to adult would like to read it. This book shows that love is so important. Alice Hoffman also wrote Indigo, which is also one of my favorite books. I would recommed this book to anyone interested in fantasy, love, and friendship all in one book.

Aquamarine is a very odd book, yet beautiful in a way. But I read this book last summer. And I read it in one in a half days. So I just think that moving away, making new friends, and mermaid maddness go in the same thing here. You will like this book from the moment you start reading it. (I did.) So let me tell you about it: Aquamarine is a mermaid and two girls try to help her find her way back home. 'Cause you see, one day the two girls were going to the town swimming pool and they see that a mermaid is in the pool! So they ask if they can help but she says go away I don't need your help! Every day they come back until one day when they found out that the pool is going to be drained and no longer going to be there!

They are going to try to find the way to the sea, and put Aquamarine where her family is; and find a way to help one girl stop from moving... YOU WILL LOVE IT!!!! You know that Aquamarine is not the brightest fish in the sea, so beware of her being mean. And you will learn something from this book a lesson everyone should learn right away...

Alice Hoffman has transferred herself into the genre of young adult literature. Her magical tones are present in this novel as they are predominantly throughout her others.
Although her characters are twelve year old girls, the language is a bit heightened and the action takes some time to start.
The girls are getting ready for some big changes to come about at the end of the summer, the city is going to tear down the Capri Beach Club and Claire and Hailey are going to be torn apart as friends as one of them is planning on moving away. They are friends at opposite ends of the spectrum with one thing in common, they are both enamoured with Raymond, the teenaged boy who runs the Capri Beach Club gift shop. Then one evening the girls are provided their last great adventure of the summer and their childhood lives, a magical creature comes out of the storm and into the old raggedy swimming pool at the beach club. It becomes the girls quest to return the creature to the sea. However, the girls run into several road blocks and are faced with one of the biggest problems in adolescence, keeping a promise that could hurt someone.