Customer Reviews

Rani in the Mermaid Lagoon (Disney Fairies)

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Reporter's Opinion: I thought this book was awesome! I love all of the Disney Fairy books, but this one was great!

Summary: Rani previously cut off her wings to save Mother Dove, and Neverland, but now, she was the only fairy without wings. Even though Brother Dove let Rani ride on his back to get to where she needed to go, she felt like she didn't belong with the water-talent fairies anymore, but once she messed up the whole party, she felt like she didn't belong with any fairies at all! So, she decided to move to Mermaid Lagoon. When she got there, all of the mermaids were so excited to have a fairy, but once one of the mermaids, Oola, showed everyone her new ring, everyone forgot about Rani. Rani, then met a sea horse, and he got her a glowing pearl. Then, Rani went back to Pixie Hollow, and they had a party for her. They even made a dance with no flying! All of the light-talent fairies were so happy that they can now light up the water fountain with the pearls, and Rani got to put the jet on the top of the fountain. Rani was an official water-talent, and light-talent fairy. Rani felt like she really belonged in Pixie Hollow.

I can't say I actually cared for this story. It's a typical misunderstood, poor-pitiful me story of Rani who feels very un-fairy like since she had to cut off her wings to save Mother Dove's egg. I actually read this one after Girl, if I had read it first, I may not have let her read it. Rani feels she doesn't fit in and runs away...how typical, instead of finding a friend or elder to talk to or a new place in the fairy hierarchy, he just runs away into the night. Yes, this is the message I want my 8 year old daughter, preparing for her tween and adolescent years to read...you don't feel like anyone understand you...you don't fit in...why don't you run away then and have an adventure. You'll show them, and when you finally realize that you miss home and want to come back...of course they'll all throw a party for you because they missed you so and running away was the best thing to do at the time.

The story does demonstrate how home and her friends/family is the best place for her, after she is attacked by a water snake, left alone in a deep abyss by the selfish and vain mermaids who treat her like a possession or trinket (gee, wonder what that could be alluding to in the "real world"), and being led to go back home by a sea horse and his own love for his family.

This just doesn't work for me and I think it's the wrong message to be sending to readers of this age. I know, I know...literature through the ages is chock full of run away kids who learn the best lesson of all (there's no place like home...). I suppose if one uses it as fodder for discussion about other things Rani could have done it'll be with having read it. I give it a C, simply because I don't think presenting running away as an adventure and having it be rewarded with a party in the end is really the best message to be sending young readers.

The ONLY reason I gave it 4.5 instead of 5, is because the other 4 fairy books are better in my opinion.
This is still a great read, just seems to lack some character depth, and has a little less "fairy magic" then the first 4 books.

Opinion: I didn't like this book that much personally. It was kind of boring and focused too much on Rani, and not enough on what the other fairies were doing to help get her back. I always liked Rani, but her story was boring and not nearly deep enough.

Summery: Rani cut her wings of to save Mother Dove's egg, and all of Neverland. But when she ruins the Fairy Dance, Vidia is the perfect person to make it worse, right? Well that's exactly what she does. She makes Rani run away from Neverland! (Score 1 for her, although I do feel sorry for Rani) When Rani has to face evil (in my opinion) mermaids, and trecherous trenches, she realizes just how great Pixie Hollow is. She'd even rather face Vidia than Oola and her stuck up friends! But I feel sorry for Vidia at the end. Can't they all have a happy ending? Thanks alot Rani!

This book was not as good as the other we have read, Vidia and the Fairy Crown. The hero who leaves home should encounter challenges, overcome them, and return transformed. None of that here. Rani runs away because she feels sorry for herself. There is not a quest or a goal she must accomplish. She basically wanders around. The mermaids she meets are beautiful, shallow jerks but that was lost on my 4 year old. Ultimately Rani returns home because Tinkerbell tracks her down. She accomplishes little.

I am not sure whether to get another of these fairy books. I like Fairy Crown because it made sense and there was a takeaway message. If the message in Mermaid Lagoon is that one should appreciate people for what they are, not how they look, it is too subtle - partly because although the mermaids are drawn beautifully, Rani herself is no slouch.

Plus we were really hoping for a Tusked Nevershark to show up, but no luck.

I think we have all had our own times where felt left out or just plain useless. Rani goes on an adventure to find where she fits into the world of the faeries. She wants to feel she can make a difference in Pixie Hollow, but, because she is different from the others, now they only see her differences. In some ways they see her as incapable of using her talent as she always has. Rain comes to understand that her talent is just fine, and she learns to be creative along the way. So on the outside she maybe different from the other faeries, but on the inside she is a stronger faerie.

This was the first book that we had out of this series. My daughter got it as a birthday gift, and at first I wasn't real thrilled. I was like "oh great... a fairy book". But she loves them!!! We own all of this series now! Started reading them when my daughter was 4 (she just turned 5 now), and they are age appropriate. Not too scary and always a happy ending. One book only takes us about 4-5 nights worth of reading together. The longer ones are good too "Fairy Dust and the Quest for the Egg" and "Fairy Haven and the Quest for the Wand", but they are a little bit scarrier than the short books (more appropriate for ages 5-7 I would think).

My favorite book is Rani and the Mermaid Lagoon. The book theme is good vs evil and it's a fairy tale.
It's about a mermaid that feels left out because she thinks her talent is not good and because she has no wings. She runs away and gets caught in a bad storm. Rani's bout sinks and it gets ripped to shreds. Some mermaids come along and see Rani passed out on a rock they give Rani some power to stay under water They give her a makeover and then they send her to get some kind of treasures. Does she get caught? Read the book and you will find out.

This book is recommended for all people. It is fantastic that's my personal opinion.

I like fairies, especially Rani. This book has beautiful pictures. I recommend that anyone interested in Fairies, read this book.

K

I think this book is great! If you love fairies, THEN THIS BOOK IS FOR YOU! The other books in this series are great too. Rani has cut off her wings to save Neverland. She doesn't feel like she belongs to the fairies after she ruins a dance. So she runs away and goes live with the mermaids in the Mermaid Lagoon. But then she realizes how much she misses the Pixie Hollow and would rather face mean Vidia than the mermaaid Oola and her snobby friends (in my opinon). She also misses the feeling of the wind blowing against her hair when she's flying on the back of Brother Dove (who is her wings) instead of riding on the back of her seahorse friend. What does she chose to do, go back the Pixie Hollow or stay with the seahorse's family underwater? Find out when you read the book!