The Tail of Emily Windsnap [Audiobook] [Audio Cassette]

Liz Kessler (Author), Finty Williams (Performer)

Book Description

"Liz Kessler makes a splash with this tightly written, highly imaginative debut." — FAMILYFUN

For as long as she can remember, twelve-year-old Emily Windsnap has lived on a boat. And, oddly enough, for just as long, her mother has seemed anxious to keep her away from the water. But when Mom finally agrees to let her take swimming lessons, Emily makes a startling discovery - about her own identity, the mysterious father she's never met, and the thrilling possibilities and perils shimmering deep below the water's surface. With a sure sense of suspense and richly imaginative details, first-time author Liz Kessler lures us into a glorious undersea world where mermaids study shipwrecks at school and Neptune rules with an iron trident - an enchanting fantasy about family secrets, loyal friendship, and the convention-defying power of love.

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 4-6–Seventh-grader Emily Windsnap has never learned to swim, in spite of the fact that she and her mother live on a houseboat. When she finally takes a swimming class at school, her legs turn into a fishtail. She tries to hide her strange affliction, but something draws her to the sparkling surf. Soon, she is secretly gliding through the water as a mermaid. Below the waves, she meets Shona, also 12, who takes her to mermaid school and leads her on several adventures. When Emily learns the intriguing history of the Shiprock community and of illegal marriages between humans and merpeople, she begins to look for her merman father. Danger, humor, confrontation, and even a trial before Neptune all play a part in her search. Eventually, she finds her dad and comes to understand the truth about her oddly controlling neighbor, Mr. Beeston; her mother's dislike of water; and her parents' love affair. All ends well when the family is reunited and swims away to live a new life on a secret merfolk island. This fantasy has some delightful moments, but not enough to keep it afloat. Characters are not fully developed, the plot wavers between complicated and oversimplified, and the transition from merworld to human is not smooth.–Beth Tegart, Oneida City Schools, NY
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

Gr. 4-7. This first novel opens with a classic teaser: "Can you keep a secret?" It turns out that the secret is a particularly juicy one. Though outwardly a normal seventh-grader, Emily Windsnap transforms into a mermaid when she goes swimming. The phenomenon worries her but thrills her, too, especially when she discovers an underwater "mer-city" not far from where she lives, and begins to learn the answers to nagging questions about her origins: Why did her father abandon her when she was a baby? Why can't her mother remember details about her husband? After a new mermaid friend mentions "illegal marriages" between mer-people and humans, readers will guess where things are headed--long before Emily herself does. Emily's eventual reunion with her merman father seems overly reliant on luck and coincidence, but her determination keeps things cruising along, and the premise of someone slipping easily into a shimmery underwater world has considerable allure. Light, imagination-tickling fare ideal for middle-grade girls, with charming ink-wash illustrations scattered throughout. Jennifer Mattson
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Audio Cassette
• Publisher: Imprint unknown (June 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0754099601
• ISBN-13: 978-0754099604
• Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (73 customer reviews)

More About the Author

Liz Kessler used to live in Manchester but had taken a year off to travel around Europe in a camper van. She studied English at Loughborough University, has worked as a teacher and a journalist and has an MA in Creative Writing from Manchester Metropolitan University.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Mystery, magic and mermaids all in one book!, May 16, 2005

By 

L. Laskey (Bellingham, WA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Tail of Emily Windsnap (Hardcover)

My 10 year old daughter and I read this one together. It was an impulse buy, so I didn't know what to expect. We loved this book. It really captures what it would be like for Emily to discover the changes she is going through (might also be helpful for girls going through puberty). The mystery developed nicely with just enough clues to keep the reader (young and old-er) turning pages. My daughter would beg for more time whenever we had to put the book down. Also as a teacher and a writer, this story is well-written, with great characters, good dialogue and terrific description. I am off to look for another Liz Kessler book!

22 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Exploring the Ocean -- a review by Rhea, age 11, October 12, 2007

A Kid's Review

This review is from: The Tail of Emily Windsnap (Paperback)

Many things start to happen after Emily's first time underwater, in seventh grade swim class. She finds out she is a mermaid. Once Emily starts to explore the ocean, she finds out where her dad is. He's in the mermaid prison. She sets out in the ocean to try to free him. In the process, she is stopped many times by Mr. Beeston, the lighthouse keeper, Millie, her babysitter and hypnotizer, and the prison guards, and many other magical challenges.

The Tale of Emily Windsnap has a fun plot, but it is not very interesting. Though it is fantasy, there are some really unbelievable aspects about Emily, such as not being underwater her entire life. Emily does physically change throughout the story, but doesn't seem to grow much emotionally. Emily does become more aware of what is happening around her by the end of the book. Many things happen during the story. Because so many little things are happening, it pulls away from the real emotions and interactions with her dad. One very good thing about the book is that the setting is really described. While you read, you can really picture the setting.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Dreams from the Sea, July 28, 2006

By 

Morgan-Kate - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Tail of Emily Windsnap (Hardcover)

I read and finished this book VERY quickly, why? Because this is a dream that every girl would love, becoming a mermaid. This is a tail... I mean TALE about a girl named Emily that transforms into a mermaid only when she sets foot in the water and is human on land. She is a half mermaid half human because she soon discovered that her mother married a merman. In the deep blue sea this is apparently illegal so the father gets locked up in a underwater prison. Emily wants to meet her father badly so takes the risk of breaking into the jail. Please read this book.....it's a book EVERYONE can enjoy!