Bad Mermaids Make Waves

by Sibeal Pounder, Jason Cockcroft (Illustrator)

Overview

A trio of smart and stylish mermaids are about to make a splash in this hilarious start to a new middle-grade series that's The Little Mermaid meets My Big Fat Zombie Goldfish.

Mermaids Beattie, Mimi, and Zelda's summer on land with temporary legs is going swimmingly-until they receive a strange message ordering them to return home at once. The beloved queen of the Hidden Lagoon has been fishnapped, and some seriously bad mermaids have taken over instead! Now, the girls are the only ones who can stop them.

If they're going to save the day, they'll need a clam car, some piranha-print nail polish, and possibly a talking seahorse named Steve. Can they do it?

Filled with magical mysteries, fabulous shell fashions, and three fin-tastic protagonists to root for, Bad Mermaids Make Waves is a hysterical new middle-grade adventure that will have readers begging for the sea-quel.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781681197920
Publisher:	Bloomsbury USA
Publication date:	05/01/2018
Series:	Bad Mermaids Series
Pages:	256
Product dimensions:	5.60(w) x 8.30(h) x 1.00(d)
Age Range:	8 - 12 Years

About the Author

Sibéal Pounder is the author of the Witch Wars series. She has written for publications including the Guardian, fashion-trend forecaster WGSN, Vogue.com, and the Financial Times, where she was the resident philanthropy columnist for the How to Spend It section for four years-interviewing everyone from Vivienne Westwood to Veronica Etro.

www.sibealpounder.com
@sibealpounder

Jason Cockcroft graduated from Falmouth School of Art in 1994 and has been working as an illustrator of children's books ever since. He won the Blue Peter Book Award for his work on Geraldine McCaughrean's retelling of A Pilgrim's Progress and was the illustrator on the original covers of the final three Harry Potter novels.

jasoncockcroft.co.uk

Editorial Reviews

"Readers who love fantasy, particularly mermaids, and those who enjoy a good mystery will flip over this fresh, modern take with copious illustrations throughout." - Booklist

"Tongue-in-cheek jokes about mermaid myths such as perpetual hair combing round out the lightning-fast plot . . . Fin-tastic fun." - Kirkus Reviews

"Well developed and engaging . . . Pounder adeptly mixes mystery and adventure." - School Library Journal

"Fresh and modern and will appeal to young readers." - School Library Journal on WITCH SWITCH

"Pounder creates her little world full of rivalries, friendship, and silliness . . . Plenty of zany fun in the land of the little witches." - Kirkus Reviews on WITCH SWITCH

"Pounder’s imagination holds true . . . The mix of font sizes, invented words, plenteous dialogue, and Anderson’s detailed yet mirthful grayscale illustrations will hold plenty of appeal for readers of this humorous fantasy." - Booklist on WITCH SWITCH

"Silliness, riddles, puns, and many magical mishaps make this a great choice to help fill the elusive 'funny book' hole that exists in many collections." - School Library Journal on WITCH WARS

"Debut author Pounder blends the particular, peculiar power of elimination competitions with the magic of fairies and witches, a winning combination." - Publishers Weekly on WITCH WARS

"Packed with silliness, suspense, magic, and a surprising final turn . . . Promises good fun for middle-graders." - Booklist on WITCH WARS

"Pounder's comic romp froths with eccentric characters and whimsical worldbuilding . . . A sweet little magical tale." - Kirkus Reviews on WITCH WARS

From the Publisher

02/01/2018
Gr 4–6—Mermaids Beatrice, Mimi, and Zelda's summer on land is coming to an end. They get a mysterious note ordering them to return home at once. The queen has been fishnapped and a bunch of bad mermaids have taken over, with piranhas preventing mermaids from leaving their homes and everyone being forced to make fish jewelry for the new queen, "The Swan." The only clues to the queen's location lie behind enemy lines. Can the trio save the rightful queen and stop the bad mermaids? The plot is well developed and engaging. The characters are easy to like, believable, and draw readers into the story. Although the slightly cheesy fish slang takes some getting used to, Pounder adeptly mixes mystery and adventure. VERDICT A light fantasy recommended for library collections where mermaid tales are popular.—Kira Moody, Salt Lake County Library Services

School Library Journal

2018-02-13
Oh cod! Someone has fishnapped the Mermaid Queen!All young mermaids are required to spend a summer on land, with temporary legs and feet. Beattie, Mimi, and Zelda are three such mermaids, enjoying hot dogs by the sea, when crabmail arrives from the missing queen herself. The girls must end their summer early and arrive home by midnight—only they can stop the titular bad mermaids threatening the Hidden Lagoon in the queen's absence. When the girls arrive, they find Periwinkle Palace deserted except for an army of piranhas and a new queen, a mysterious mermaid who calls herself The Swan and who is forcing all mermaids to make shell tops for some unknown reason. The trio steal a clamshell car and set out to find the real Mermaid Queen and stop The Swan from carrying out her nefarious plan to control all mermaids. Beattie, whom the black-and-white illustrations portray as dark-skinned, is the leader. Fraternal twins Zelda and Mimi are shown with pale skin. Each mermaid has unique traits that set her apart from the others, and each uses her personal strengths to solve the mystery and save the day. Creative metafictive elements and tongue-in-cheek jokes about mermaid myths such as perpetual hair combing round out the lightning-fast plot. A cliffhanger finale suggests a sequel.Fin-tastic fun. (Fantasy. 8-12)

Kirkus Reviews

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