Customer Reviews

Aquamarine And Indigo - Water Tales

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This book is made up of two stories, each about one hundred pages. I don't usually provide plot synopses in my reviews but I will this time, since Amazon hasn't provided them.

The first story is "Aquamarine," which is about friendships. The story starts with two best friends faced with parting at the end of the week as one moves to another state. They discover a mermaid in an unexpected place and their experiences with her change their attitudes about distance.

The second story is "Indigo" and it centers on a girl who doesn't fit in and her two best friends, boys who are decidedly odd. They live in a town that is terribly afraid of water and yet the two boys are irresistibly drawn to the ocean. The events of one day dramatically impact the town and all of its inhabitants.

Like one of the other reviewers, I felt that "Aquamarine" was certainly the weaker of the two stories. I wasn't gripped in the same way as I have been by Alice Hoffman's previous work and "Indigo." I felt mildly interested in the outcome of the story but certainly not riveted. This story could have made an excellent full-length novel (with the addition of a few scenes) because what was lacking for me was character development. I was told why the characters made certain choices but I didn't *see* it.

On the other hand, I found "Indigo" compelling. There were a multitude of clues about the identity of the two McGill boys, but these made the ending feel logical, rather than trite. Part of the reason that I think I liked this story better than "Aquamarine" is because it more fully integrates the magical realism aspect, making the whole story cohesive, rather than featuring one very unusual element in a very normal setting. Because the town in "Indigo" was almost as odd as the McGill boys (it never rained there, seemingly through sheer force of will), their strange heritage is just one part of a fuller tale.

Overall, I would give "Aquamarine" three stars and "Indigo" five stars, hence my conclusion of four stars for this combined book.

I love to read. Espeacially fantasies. I was so excited to see this book sitting on the shelf, after reading a great mermaid book I had to read more. This book was not at all intended for me. It was a story collection and none were very good. I thought a lot more work could have been added and more descriptions. I only recomend it to children in 3rd grade, though it does not have pictures for the younger. I highly suggest that if you are any older then don't read it. I disliked it a lot, the stories were really cheesy.

As a sixth-grade teacher I think this is an excellent book for girls ages 9-12. The author does an excellent job at keeping young readers interested. Water Tales allows young readers to predict, question and wonder. Both stories tell of childhood adventures with mermaids. This book is truly magical and exciting.

Alice Hoffman was a recent author I came across and I was surprised to see she wrote a book my daughter was familiar with (movie-Aquamarine) and got her to read the book. It is nice we can read the same authors.

I would give the Aquamarine part of this book a 4 because.....
When i first read it i kind of got bored.But when i got into the book i felt like i was in a magical world or in peter pan.,Sarah

i think that aquariem was awesome i read it 2 times. i think that it should have a newbarry award. my favroite part was when they found the mermaide. i also like the part when she go's on a date with the man that worked at the shack.the sadest part was when the mermaid was getting sick and she was falling apart.well at least they got her back inside of the sea.
i thought that indigo was my favroite in the hole story i would rate it 5 stars. i think that it was wrong to even put up that wall so that they could not see the pretty view of the ocean. that was such a great book i loved it ecspeacally when they found there mom.

As much as I enjoy Alice Hoffman, I felt the stories in this book just didn't live up to her usual wonderful writing. Aquamarine wasn't her best, but Indigo proves to be far better. Read this collection if only for the story Indigo which had some really interesting twists on Mermaid legends.

Aquamarine: This book had the potential of being interesting and fun to read. But instead this book was just bland.

Hailey and Claire are best friends and they have one summer together before Claire has to move to Florida, leaving Hailey beind. Their 'hang-out' is the nearly abandoned country club, with it's very green, dirty pool. One day they find a mermaid in the pool and when the mermaid asks them to set her up on a date with the only employee of the country club, they help her fulfill this wish before putting her back in the ocean.

Indigo: I got the impression that I was like I wasn't even reading a real book; it was more like reading something that a 4 year old dreams about. And not in a good way. This book has a stupid plot line.

Martha, Eli and Trevor are best friends. They live in the very dry town of Oak Grove. All the people of Oak Grove are terrified of water because of a flood that the town had a few years prior. But Martha, Eli and Trevor all want to see the ocean, despite their parent's wishes to have stay on dry land all their lives. So the children all start walking one day to get to the ocean. A storm comes and a tree branch falls onto Martha and hurts her, so they turn back to Oak Grove. And Eli and Trevor save Martha and all the townspeople because they can naturally swim, because they are offspring to mermaids.

I do not recomend this book. Not worth buying, let alone reading.

~Atalanta

I loved the book. I'm not a big reader. I HATE reading but this book was good. I never could find a good book until AQUAMARIANE AND INDIGO. I think you sould read it. And or buy it. Well thats my opinon.But then, I don't know yours. HAVE A NICE DAY!!!!!!!!!!!!