The Mermaid's Twin Sister: More Stories from Trinidad [Paperback]

Lynn Joseph (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 18, 1996 | Age Level: 8 and up | Grade Level: 4 and up

This sequel to "A Wave in Her Pocket" offers six stories based on Trinidad's folklore, in a framework of contemporary island life.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 4-7-Six short stories, set in Trinidad, from the author of A Wave in Her Pocket (Clarion, 1991). The narrator is Amber, 12, who gathers with her cousins to listen to her grandaunt's stories. Tantie's tales are filled with images of the supernatural, from the duennes who threaten newborn babies who are not properly baptized to the mermaid of the title story who loses her human form when she defiantly goes for a swim on Easter Sunday. Several selections are meant to teach a lesson. The best of these is the moving "Obeah Woman's Birthday Present," which tells of an ungrateful child who banishes an old neighbor from his birthday party and throws her gift over the fence. Others offer a history of Amber's family and community. This volume has fewer figures from African and Caribbean folklore than the earlier book, and more of the stories are rooted in the lives of the children themselves. While some of the selections are better than others, all hold readers' interest, and even the briefer ones are reasonably well developed. The earlier title features unusual and distinguished scratchboard illustrations by Brian Pinkney; Perrone's illustrations are attractive but not extraordinary. Nevertheless, this volume complements the first one well and adds another dimension to Tantie's tales.
Lyn Miller-Lachmann, Siena College Library, Loudonville, NY
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

Gr. 3-7. Tantie, Amber's great-aunt, passes the traditions and values of their Trinidad culture to the many children in the extended family. She has chosen Amber to be her successor, and it is Amber who faithfully records these stories, giving them the flavor of the Trinidad patois but keeping them completely intelligible to the American reader. Tantie's stories all have a tinge of the supernatural. For example, in the title story, Jill mourns her identical twin sister, Tilly, who, 50 years earlier, defied the prohibition against swimming on Easter and disappeared beneath the waves. Swimming out to save her, Jill, overcome by exhaustion, was saved when Tilly took hold of her hair and towed her to shallow water. Tilly had been turned into a mermaid, but the sea did not recognize Jill as a separate person, believing her to be Tilly's reflection. Tilly remained in the sea, and Jill never aged after that day. These are wonderful tales to read aloud to middle-graders, who will want to reread them to scare themselves all over again. Sheilamae O'Hara --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 8 and up
  
• Paperback: 64 pages
• Publisher: Sandpiper (October 18, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0395813115
• ISBN-13: 978-0395813119
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6.8 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #667,645 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Lynn Joseph was born and raised on the island of Trinidad and is the author of books for children and young adults, including The Color of My Words, A Wave in Her Pocket, The Mermaid's Twin Sister and Coconut Kind of Day, all of which take place in the Caribbean. She travels extensively and has lived in the Dominican Republic, and on the Caribbean islands of Carriacou, Anguilla, and Water Island. She is also an attorney and mother of two wonderful sons, Jared and Brandt. Her new Young Adult novel, Flowers in the Sky will be published by HarperCollins Children's Books in Winter 2013. For more information about Lynn Joseph, please see her web site at www.lynnjosephauthor.com. Or follow her on Twitter @Lynnjoseph1 or on Facebook at Lynn Joseph Books.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent addition to the multicultural literature for late elementary school students, April 11, 2010

By 

Charles Ashbacher (Marion, Iowa United States) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)   

This review is from: The Mermaid's Twin Sister: More Stories from Trinidad (Paperback)

The people of the island of Trinidad in the Caribbean have a wide variety of ethnic origins; this is reflected in the stories told to their children. There is a distinct African presence as well as contributions from Europeans, Asians and native islanders. This collection of stories exhibits those traits as well as others injected due to the fact that Trinidad is an island in a warm sea.
One of the best ways for children to experience multiculturalism is to read or to have read to them the folk tales of other lands. These stories contain a bit of history, describe the "boogeyman" of Trinidad culture, talk about the enchantment of the sea and explain how the people of the island managed to recover from the devastation of a hurricane. They are well written, making them an excellent addition to the multicultural literature for late elementary school children.