The Tail of Emily Windsnap (Tail of Emily Windsnap #1) by Liz Kessler, Sarah Gibb (Illustrator)

From the Publisher

"Liz Kessler makes a splash with this tightly written, highly imaginative debut." — FAMILYFUN

For as long as she can remember, twelve-year-old Emily Windsnap has lived on a boat. And, oddly enough, for just as long, her mother has seemed anxious to keep her away from the water. But when Mom finally agrees to let her take swimming lessons, Emily makes a startling discovery - about her own identity, the mysterious father she's never met, and the thrilling possibilities and perils shimmering deep below the water's surface. With a sure sense of suspense and richly imaginative details, first-time author Liz Kessler lures us into a glorious undersea world where mermaids study shipwrecks at school and Neptune rules with an iron trident - an enchanting fantasy about family secrets, loyal friendship, and the convention-defying power of love.

Publishers Weekly

The heroine discovers she is half-mermaid in her seventh-grade swim class. "Pre-teen girls will likely bite at this novel's tempting bait," in PW's words. Ages 8-12. (Apr.) Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.

Mary Quattlebaum - Children's Literature

The Tail of Emily Windsnap opens with a tantalizing question: "Can you keep a secret?" The first-person narrator, a 12-year-old girl named Emily, then relates an amazing fish story. Discovering her mermaid nature in seventh grade swim class, she goes on to find her father (a merman imprisoned for loving Emily's human mother) and to confront Neptune in his glittering underwater court. In her debut novel, Liz Kessler creates an engaging heroine, full of funny asides and derring do, and a sparkling, fast-paced story with more plot twists than a mermaid's flipping tail. Hand this one to your kids when they complain of nothing to do. 2003, Candlewick, Ages 8 to 12.

Angela Carstensen - VOYA

Emily is in seventh grade and has finally persuaded her mother to let her take swimming lessons. Even though they live on a houseboat, her mother stays away from the water. But when Emily jumps into the pool something strange starts to happen, and she panics. That night she just has to know. She sneaks out onto the pier, slips into the ocean—and becomes a mermaid. Somehow Emily knows to keep her discovery a secret, even from her mother. Fortunately a few nights later she meets Shona, a full-time mermaid. They have great fun exploring the ocean and become best friends. Emily even visits Shona's mermaid school. Emily never met her father, and although her mother misses him deeply, she seems to have trouble remembering him. At Shona's school, Emily hears the scandalous story behind her father's disappearance. The mystery intensifies when the two girls stumble across secret files being kept on Emily, her mother, and her father. Initially Kessler's story shows every intention of being lighthearted and sweet, including illustrations sprinkled through the text. But once Emily becomes determined to find her father, she goes through some frightening times. She is betrayed by a former friend, struggles against a memory drug being forced on her mother, infiltrates an underwater prison, and confronts Neptune himself. Kessler seems unsure about the tone she wishes to set, but middle school girls nonetheless will enjoy the tale. VOYA Codes 3Q 4P M (Readable without serious defects; Broad general YA appeal; Middle School, defined as grades 6 to 8). 2004, Candlewick, 224p., Ages 11 to 14.

School Library Journal

Gr 4-6-Seventh-grader Emily Windsnap has never learned to swim, in spite of the fact that she and her mother live on a houseboat. When she finally takes a swimming class at school, her legs turn into a fishtail. She tries to hide her strange affliction, but something draws her to the sparkling surf. Soon, she is secretly gliding through the water as a mermaid. Below the waves, she meets Shona, also 12, who takes her to mermaid school and leads her on several adventures. When Emily learns the intriguing history of the Shiprock community and of illegal marriages between humans and merpeople, she begins to look for her merman father. Danger, humor, confrontation, and even a trial before Neptune all play a part in her search. Eventually, she finds her dad and comes to understand the truth about her oddly controlling neighbor, Mr. Beeston; her mother's dislike of water; and her parents' love affair. All ends well when the family is reunited and swims away to live a new life on a secret merfolk island. This fantasy has some delightful moments, but not enough to keep it afloat. Characters are not fully developed, the plot wavers between complicated and oversimplified, and the transition from merworld to human is not smooth.-Beth Tegart, Oneida City Schools, NY Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.

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