Emily Windsnap has just reached the seventh grade. She has always wanted to learn to swim, but her mother is deathly afraid of the water, even though they live on a houseboat. The first day of swim class Emily feels her legs form together and she can barely struggle to get out of the water. Later Emily tries swimming again in the ocean and she finds that she becomes a mermaid. Shortly after finding her fins she meets another mermaid, Shona, who teaches her all about the mermaid world, just outside her houseboat. Emily eventually learns about her neighbor who has been keeping her mother from remembering Emily’s father and who is really is. Emily and Shona risk their lives to save Emily’s dad from prison under the ocean.
Kessler has a wonderful new “tail” she has woven with Emily. The reading level is mid to upper elementary and has a storyline that draws you quickly into the book. There is enough mystery that you keep reading for more answers and you want to know the outcome. This is the first of three books about Emily Windsnap. It is a book that leaves you wanting more Emily. Great book!
Reviewed by Carrie Holton
