Grand Summer Fall 2019

Half-mermaid, half-girl Emily Windsnap is back in her eighth
novel: Emily Windsnap and the Pirate Prince by Liz Kessler
(Candlewick, 2019). In her latest adventure Emily is heading
home via cruise ship with her mother and boyfriend Aaron,
while her father and best friend Shona took Neptune’s chariot.
The trip has barely begun when they’re boarded by pirates
and Aaron is kidnapped by the pirate king’s oldest son. To save
him, Emily lets herself get kidnapped by the younger son, and
they set off to find Neptune’s treasure. Along the way Emily
learns the importance of being true to herself and not letting
others define her. For ages 8 to 12.
Kate Pugsley’s Mermaid Dreams (Tundra, 2019) is a new
take on the eternal theme of making friends. Maya and her
family head to the beach for some summer fun, but when they
arrive her mother and father tell her they want to relax instead
of play. After settling into their lounge chairs they tell Maya to
go and play with the other kids.
But, Maya doesn’t know what to say. She watches the kids
from the safety of her turtle floaty as she considers how to approach
them. While she ponders this, she ends up falling asleep
and waking up in the middle of the ocean. Mermaid Maya and
her turtle dive down to the coral reef below. There among the
sea weed and coral, she plays hide-and-seek with another mermaid.
For ages 3 to 7.
Of course, magic isn’t always the best way to solve problems
as Ella discovers in Fairy in Waiting by Sophie Kinsella and illustrated
by Marta Kissi (Puffin, 2019). Ella’s mother, aunt and
grandmother are fairies. One day Ella will be one too.
Right now, she’s just a fairy in waiting, but that doesn’t stop
her from helping her mother when her mom’s spells go wrong,
or from attempting to do magic herself. These hilarious stories
are interspersed with some delightful pictures that help you see
just how wrong the spells can go sometimes. For ages 7 to 10.
So the next time your grandchildren tell you they are bored,
feel free to send them on an adventure to try and spot unicorns,
make magic, or play with mermaids. No beach or party required.
Christina Van Starkenburg is a freelance writer and mother of
two young boys. You can read about their adventures at thebookandbaby.
com.
IslandParent.ca
Summer/Fall 2019 27