Publisher: Sourcebooks Jabberwocky
Paperback: 206 pages
Genre: Juvenile Fiction, Fantasy
Book from Publisher*
From Goodreads.
Freak of nature takes on a whole new meaning...
If she hadn't been so clueless, she might have seen it coming. But really, who expects to get into a relaxing bathtub after a stressful day of shopping for tankinis and come out with scales and a tail?
Most. Embarrassing. Moment. Ever.
Jade soon discovers she inherited her mermaid tendencies from her mom. But if Mom was a mermaid, how did she drown?
Jade is determined to find out. So how does a plus-size, aqua-phobic mer-girl go about doing that exactly? And how will Jade ever be able to explain her secret to her best friend, Cori, and to her crush, Luke?
This summer is about to get a lot more interesting...
Review
REAL MERMAIDS DON'T WEAR TOE RINGS, by Hélène Boudreau, is an absolutely charming book. I went out of my comfort zone reading a lower YA book, but I have to say I was pleasantly surprised. I sat down to start the book and finished it about two hours later!
I think one of the reasons I was not phased by it being a lower YA age group was because Jade was so wise for her fourteen years. She had issues with her self-confidence and was still dealing with the drowning death of her mother, but her 'voice' was well articulated, strong, and often comical. Each step of the way, Boudreau unraveled a new possibility or barrier for Jade to make her way through. I was surprised at where the book took me and I enjoyed every minute.
Adults and children alike will enjoy this book. Boudreau created her own myth about mermaids and by the end of the book I wanted to believe in them too. Jade is definitely relatable to everyone. She is a dreamer that wants to believe there is something more out there, and just needs the simple things in life to be happy.
*FTC Disclosure: I received this book from the publisher. I do not receive payment of any kind in exchange for a review. I do not receive monetary compensation from any book links in my review.
