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Debbie Viguié
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Midnight Pearls Mass Market Paperback – June 1, 2003

by Debbie Viguié (Author)
4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 132 ratings
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An intricately woven tapestry of magic, adventure, and romance tells the tale of a stunning mermaid, a horrible curse, and the power of love in the Kingdom of Aster--a place where legends are born. Original.
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  1. Part of series
    Once upon a Time
  2. Print length
    208 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Publisher
    Simon Pulse
  5. Publication date
    June 1, 2003
  6. Grade level
    7 - 9
  7. Reading age
    14 years and up
  8. Dimensions
    4.24 x 0.56 x 7.1 inches
  9. ISBN-10
    0689855575
  10. ISBN-13
    978-0689855573
  11. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 6 Up-Pearl is rescued from the sea during a storm by a fisherman; he and his barren wife take the child in, lovingly raising her despite her silvery hair, translucent skin, and too-long legs. Pearl lives a lonely life with only a young prince, James, for a friend. Years later, when she is 17, her true identity is revealed. When their boat capsizes, Pearl makes her way to shore, but James must be saved by Faye, a mermaid who instantly falls in love with him. Looking on from the waves is Kale, Faye's merman brother, who realizes that Pearl is actually Adriana, his betrothed who was kidnapped years before. After the Sea Witch becomes involved, Faye becomes a mute human charged to get a marriage proposal from James or die, and Kale becomes a blind human charged to attain the love of his beloved or meet the same fate. Too much of this story is borrowed from other mermaid tales and lends to the predictable nature of Pearl's tale. The language is stilted and there are far too many instances of chills going up or down the spine of one character or another. For a mermaid story that is far better written, recommend Donna Jo Napoli's Sirena (Scholastic, 1998).
Kimberly L. Paone, Elizabeth Public Library, NJ
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Simon Pulse (June 1, 2003)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Mass Market Paperback ‏ : ‎ 208 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0689855575
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0689855573
  • Reading age ‏ : ‎ 14 years and up
  • Grade level ‏ : ‎ 7 - 9
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 3.78 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 4.24 x 0.56 x 7.1 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 132 ratings

About the author

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Debbie Viguié

Debbie Viguié

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Debbie Viguié has been writing for most of her life and holds a degree in creative writing from U.C. Davis. Debbie loves theme parks and enjoys traveling with her husband, Scott. Debbie grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area and now lives in Florida.

Customer reviews

4.3 out of 5 stars
132 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find the book readable and enjoyable. They appreciate the well-written story with interesting twists and perspectives. Overall, customers describe it as a lighthearted fantasy novel.

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ReadabilityStory quality
8 customers mention "Readability"8 positive0 negative

Customers find the book readable and enjoyable. They describe it as a quick, well-written read that is worth the money.

"...Either way, I enjoyed the book a great deal...." Read more

"...Still this was a really good book. Read it and embrace the similarities AND differences from the version we all know and love." Read more

"...I thought it was well written, sweet and satisifying. And if you like that sort of thing (which I obviously do) then I would recommend it." Read more

"...I first found this book years ago and to this day Midnight Pearls is a fun read. It's a nice spin on a classic story...." Read more

6 customers mention "Story quality"6 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the story's quality. They find it wonderful with elements of the original tale while still creating a more interesting and lighthearted fantasy. The book has many twists and point of views that offer unexpected perspectives. Overall, readers describe it as interesting and enjoyable.

"...The story is complete and I was satisfied after the final page. However, I was disappointed at the short length...." Read more

"This book was a wonderful story about a girl who find her true self she didn't even knew exist. A story about love , and adventure..." Read more

"...It's a nice spin on a classic story. Some of the writing does seem a tad overpaced, but it doesn't detract from the story itself...." Read more

"I really liked this story because it had elements of the original tale while still creating a more complicated scenario...." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

  • Cassie Ogle
    5.0 out of 5 stars Mermaids and betrothals and mystery, oh my!
    Reviewed in the United States on February 26, 2007
    Verified Purchase
    This is one retelling of Andersen's fairy tale that I'm glad I didn't miss. I was skeptical about ordering, but it was a nice twist. The only objection I had is that the denouement was a bit short (i.e. the resolution of the climax of the story). I would have liked to have seen more detail than "and we lived happily ever after."

    The plot change that I enjoyed was that there are two additional characters that are introduced in the middle of the story. You think you're getting to know the couple that's intended, but you discover that you aren't. It helps you to identify with the characters a bit more, I guess.

    Either way, I enjoyed the book a great deal. The ending is a lot like the Disney version, though, so if you are looking for a sad ending like the original tale, don't get this book.
    11 people found this helpful
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  • Pacey1927
    4.0 out of 5 stars Retelling of Little Mermaid Keeps Its Charm
    Reviewed in the United States on November 13, 2009
    Verified Purchase
    I love all things Little Mermaid (except maybe the traditional tragic ending) and I was eager to read Midnight Pearls, a retelling of the story. I've read a couple other books in the "Once Upon A Time" series so I knew to expect only the unexpected in these fairy tales. In this particular story, a fisherman catches a young girl in his net during a terrible storm. The child looks different but they raise and love her as their own. But Pearl is avoided and whispered about because she is so different. Her skin is so pale its nearly see through, her hair is silver, and her legs are much longer than other girls. But she has secret friend she met on the beach as a child. He is James, the royal prince and heir to throne. He sneaks away to meet her at the beach for years. When Pearl's peasant parents try to find her a fiancé and James father tries to force him to find a bride, their lives will forever change. The book offers plenty of turns and I figured a few of them out before their conclusion but it was still so charming and fun that it didn't detract from the story at all. I have read some reviews that say the book feels rushed toward the end. I didn't feel that it was rushed as in missing parts or that the author was just trying to get it over with. The story is complete and I was satisfied after the final page. However, I was disappointed at the short length. I feel the author missed an opportunity to flesh out the characters more thoroughly. They deserved it. Still this was a really good book. Read it and embrace the similarities AND differences from the version we all know and love.
    3 people found this helpful
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  • Victoria Moore
    5.0 out of 5 stars Great short read
    Reviewed in the United States on June 15, 2006
    Verified Purchase
    I personally loved the book, even though I agree with other reviewers who have stated that the characters were under-characterized, but I think their personalities still shone through, and although it did look like the love interest looked like it MIGHT have gone a different direction there were plenty of clear indications how it was going to happen.. including and especially the very first page in the book. So my hopes weren't dashed or any such thing. Yeah I would agree there were too many "chills going up the spine" phrases but it didn't detract from my enjoyment of the book. I thought it was well written, sweet and satisifying. And if you like that sort of thing (which I obviously do) then I would recommend it.
    2 people found this helpful
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  • it's too wonderful...tricky but very coooool
    5.0 out of 5 stars Midnight Pearls
    Reviewed in the United States on January 14, 2014
    Verified Purchase
    This book was a wonderful story about a girl who find her true self she didn't even knew exist. A story about love , and adventure...
    Helpful
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  • Aurora
    3.0 out of 5 stars I didn’t know it had a witch.
    Reviewed in the United States on July 11, 2022
    Verified Purchase
    I enjoyed the first part and found out later there was a witch… and I’m just not into that stuff. Overall it was easy to understand which was nice.
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  • Jenn
    5.0 out of 5 stars twisty twist
    Reviewed in the United States on August 5, 2013
    Verified Purchase
    this retelling has been twisted so it is barely the same but its better than anything and i loved every bit of it. it was craftily but together. i love it and i bet so will you.
    One person found this helpful
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  • ChristineLasette
    4.0 out of 5 stars A beloved story retold
    Reviewed in the United States on April 2, 2011
    Verified Purchase
    Midnight Pearls is a sweet story of an odd looking young girl found in the sea, by a fisherman, with a dark pearl clutched in her hand. He and his wife raise this girl as their own, loving her instantly despite her pale skin and hair, dark eyes, and general uneasiness on her own two feet. Pearl grows into a sweet young woman with a few insecurites. Her different looks make it hard for her to find a suitor. Which is just fine with Pearl due to the fact that she has feelings for her best friend, James. Who just happens to be the prince. However, she looks forward to her weekly meetings with him by the sea more than anything else. Pearl loves the ocean, but has always had nightmares warning her to never step foot into it. One day, James convinces her to go into the water on a rowboat. Pearl is wary, but filled with hope that she and James will finally be together. Unfortunately, fate has other plans.
    I first found this book years ago and to this day Midnight Pearls is a fun read. It's a nice spin on a classic story. Some of the writing does seem a tad overpaced, but it doesn't detract from the story itself. Mermaids and witches, royalty and traitors, and mostly-true love. This book has everything you'd want in a lighthearted fantasy. Young, or not so young anymore, will enjoy this enchanting story.
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  • puppitypup
    2.0 out of 5 stars Fairytale - Simplistic
    Reviewed in the United States on October 12, 2015
    Verified Purchase
    I'm surprised this isn't listed as Children's, it's too full of holes to qualify as YA, much less hold the interest of an adult. Everything falls into place too easily in this story, including love at first sight.

    It doesn't help that I just read The Changeling Sea byPatricia A. McKillip, which is a similar story, but told with exceptional skill.

    This story is clean.
    One person found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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  • Madam Mim
    3.0 out of 5 stars A nice and easy retelling
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 10, 2015
    Verified Purchase
    I had never heard of these books before, but I found a whole host of them through the recommendations on Amazon. The first one I tried Beauty Sleep: A Retelling of "Sleeping Beauty" (Once Upon a Time), I just could not get into at all, but upon trying this one, a retelling of the Little Mermaid story, was better.

    This is a nice and easy read. It's just short of 200 pages, and I read it during a quiet day at work. It's in a similar vein to The Light Between Oceans, Latitudes of Melt, and The Snow Child, finding the baby in the water, and watching it grow throughout the years.

    This is shorter than those, and there's always the underlying threat that's ever present in the background of the book. It is set around the story of Pearl, a young child found in the ocean during a storm. How did she come to be there, and where did she come from? The parents are quite similar to the parents in the other books, fleshed out just enough so you start to care about them, with the main focus being on Pearl herself.

    She has an ongoing friendship with James, who's the Prince Eric of the Disney film. She's a strange girl, very much in the style of the other books, which may have been based on the original Little Mermaid story. I loved the innocent friendship, and kind of knowing what will happen, if you've seen the more child friendly Disney movie.

    Ursula features, however not as much as the Disney movie, and becomes much more a powerful threat towards the end of the book. There's also a more ominous threat to the people in this book. Yes Ariel may have lost her voice in the movie, but there's rendering someone blind in this book - not quite as child friendly.

    The story of Pearl gradually discovers who she is and where she came from, although with readers knowing the stories/Disney movies, then they will already know. The ending was changed however, and not quite as sickly sweet as the Disney movie. I wasn't as keen on the way the book ended, and I feel that it ruined it for me slightly. It wasn't the way that I wanted it to end, but I suppose having watched the Disney version fairly recently, that influenced me as well. It also did not end the way of the original story, which is definitely not child friendly!

    It's a good read if you want a different spin on a Disney classic, and will certainly keep you out of mischief for a little while, if you're a quick reader like me.
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  • Amazon カスタマー
    2.0 out of 5 stars 読みやすいことは読みやすい
    Reviewed in Japan on November 14, 2014
    Verified Purchase
    もっとファンタジーの要素があれば…。王子様とお姫様のお話。よ
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