Teenage Mermaid (Hardcover)

~ (Author) "I panicked. I totally freaked out!..." (more)
Key Phrases: angel girl, silver heart, Madame Pearl, Seaside High, Calvin Todd (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 5-8-Younger teens who are not quite ready for the sophisticated magical realism of Francesca Lia Block's Weetzie Bat and crew or Alice Hoffman's lyrical Aquamarine (Scholastic, 2001) will giggle their way through these alternating chapters by Valley Girl mermaid Lilly and surfer-dude Spencer about their courtship and search for true love. The story all hangs on a magic potion and a silver heart locket, and that famous "kiss of life." Although the plot is completely predictable and the characters are caricatures, Schreiber still manages to render this classic theme into a charming romance that's sure to be popular with reluctant readers. It's easy to booktalk and would also make a good tie-in to Tom Hanks's 1984 movie Splash.
Susan Riley, Mount Kisco Public Library, NY
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

Gr. 6-8. The familiar story of the earth-bound mortal falling for a mermaid is given a modern makeover. Lilly is a teenage mermaid who saves 15-year-old Spencer after he slides off his surfboard and nearly drowns in the sea. From then on, Lilly and Spencer tell their stories in alternating chapters. An underwater kiss leads both Spencer and Lilly to believe they have found their soul mate, with Lilly taking the initiative in the relationship, using a potion to sprout legs and go to high school. The humorous conceit here is that California's youth culture extends outward onto the continental shelf: Lilly is a bored, rebellious teenager who just happens to have a tail fin and gill slits. The novel ends with a dramatic scene of Spencer saving Lilly with a kiss of his own, forever changing his life, as fireworks explode overhead. A sharp, funny novel that includes a super-sized serving of over-the-top romance. Todd Morning
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9-12
  
• Hardcover: 160 pages
• Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books; 1st edition (June 3, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060082046
• ISBN-13: 978-0060082048
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.7 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #606,014 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars a romance, a laugh, and a surpise ending, January 23, 2005

By	Sharon E. Levin "school librarian" (Northeastern U.S.) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Gr 6 up
This light-hearted romance pokes fun at romance itself.
Spencer is surfing in the Pacific before school, when he falls off his surfboard, which then hits him on the head. Is he drowning? He's drowning! But he doesn't even have his drivers license yet! A beautiful young swimmer saves his life, kisses him, and disappears. He wonders if she was a dream, a lifeguard, or a mermaid. He has fallen in love. He has survived with her silver locket held tightly in his fist, so he knows she was real.
Lilly is desperate to retrieve the locket, a family heirloom, before her mother finds out she took it. She is also falling in love with him, and yes, she is a mermaid.
Their problem is that one of them lives on land and the other in water. They take turns telling their side of a fast-moving, perfectly executed story. Amusing dialog (a few swear words add to the realism) and short, snappy, easy-to-read sentences lead with growing suspense to a surprise ending.
Spencer and Lilly are lightly sketched: the plot and characters are an airy scaffold for their evolving feelings. Their world as they tell it has very few adults, and school is definitely an impediment to real life.
This book is going to fly from one reader to another. Girls from grade six up will inhale it, especially if you put a romance label on the spine. Try it with boys who ask for funny books, and count it as a gift for reluctant and poor readers. Readers who enjoy this may also enjoy Fifteen Love, another recent romantic boy/girl duet, with a less airy and more serious approach.
This is a review I did for professional reasons, and as you can tell, I am a school librarian. This is a fun book for you to enjoy.

4 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars LOVE IT!! , June 2, 2005

By	Janet B. Cromer - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This book is an awesome book! It keeps you wondering whats going to happen next. I hope she writes a 2nd one! This book is a real page turner!



THIS BOOK IS ABSOLUTELY AWESOME!

if you don't like this book, you have SERIOUS issues!

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Funny and exciting, October 20, 2005

A Kid's Review

This is the worlds BEST book! As a Mermaid freak,I couldn't put this book down. Mixed with humor and romance, this is defently a book for those who enjoy fantasy. There REALLY needs to be a second one!
- Collie