Real Mermaid's Don't Wear Toe Rings

Real Mermaid’s Don’t Wear Toe Rings

Author: Hélène Boudreau

Publisher: Sourcebooks

Pages: 210

Read Time: One sitting

Rating (1-5):4.5

Tag Words: Mermaids, coming-of-age, first periods, missing mothers, best friends, chocolate mug cake

My Summary:

Jade’s mother has been missing for a year when she sprouts a tail in the middle of a bath. Confused and disoriented Jade is happy enough when her tail splits back into her ordinary two legs, but when Jade begins to hear a call she must choose to sink or swim...

My Review:

This was a great book! It’s middle grade, which usually calls for a very immature main character, but Boudreau’s character Jade was fabulous! Jade has her own beat, her own voice and a sense of courage, loyalty and passion that made Real Mermaid’s unforgettable!

The take is fresh (pun intended, if you’ve read the book) and unique which makes for a fabulous, clean plot. I was surprised by how entertained I was and I read the book in one sitting. 

I only have one issue with the book and that is that the author did nothing with the Toe Ring in question. After Jade morphs back into being a human with two legs she remarks that her toe ring was vamoose! Then...nothing, that was it, no explanation for where the Toe Ring went, or why it was titled Real Mermaid’s Don’t Wear TOE RINGS! I think if it’s good enough for the title, it’s good enough to finish up the thought.

Notes on the Names: I wanted Cori to be Cora, so that there would be a Jade and a Cora. That would have been fantastic!

Thoughts on the Cover: Not a fan of the cover at all. I know that the designer was trying to achieve a bath-tub scene, but the tub-to-tail ratio isn’t working out very well. 

Parental Book Review *spoilers*

Sexual Content: 

None.

Language: 

None. 

Jade uses her grandmother’s “swear words” like Pickle Juice. 

Violence:

Jade uses pepper spray to attack the “freshies.”

Other Notables: 

Jade gets her first period.