Mermaid Tales Have Legs (and Fins)
This story originally appeared in Children's Bookshelf on April 5, 2007 Sign up now!
by Shannon Maughan, Children's Bookshelf -- Publishers Weekly, 4/5/2007
As if seventh grade isn't tough enough, what's a girl to do when she has to keep a whopper of a secret from all her friends? That's the dilemma facing Emily Windsnap, a 12-year-old who discovers—after a fateful dip in the pool—that she's half-human and half mermaid. This intriguing blend of often-breezy fantasy and middle-school drama found in The Tail of Emily Windsnap (Candlewick, 2004) and its sequel, Emily Windsnap and the Monster from the Deep (2006) by British author Liz Kessler has made a big splash with both readers and booksellers.
This month, fans can dive into another undersea adventure with Emily Windsnap and the Castle in the Mist, due out April 10 with a 40,000-copy first printing—the same day that Candlewick releases Monster from the Deep in paperback. In the latest installment, Emily discovers an old diamond ring that may hold the key to unlocking an ancient curse by Neptune, and may also be the root of a new curse that will force her to choose between mermaid and human life, as well as choosing between her two parents. To date, the books boast a combined 400,000 copies in print and have been published in 10 languages. Not bad for an idea that blossomed from the author's poem about a young mermaid.
One bookstore that's ready to catch the next Windsnap wave is Kepler's Books and Magazines in Menlo Park, Calif. Children's buyer Antonia Squire notes that sales have gone swimmingly for the first two titles; the shop has sold 170 copies so far, and is eager to receive both Castle in the Mist and the Monster from the Deep paperback. "I think the thing that makes them most appealing to kids is that they are set in the real world," says Squire. "Emily is a normal middle-schooler, with normal middle-school concerns. She just also happens to be a mermaid and has great adventures."
It's a series that Squire particularly likes to handsell, largely to tween girls. Once young customers hear the premise, Squire explains, "the result is usually 'oh cool' and they leave with the book." But there isn't much crossover to readers of the male persuasion, she says; as one might expect, "boys tend to be less impressed with the whole mermaid thing."
For booksellers hoping to reel in summer sales, Candlewick is offering a 20-copy mixed floor display for Kessler's three titles. Teachers, librarians and book club aficionados might also be interested in Kessler's brief video featurette that appears at the end of Candlewick's new promotional DVD Authors Out Loud. The program contains "behind-the-book" interview segments with such authors as Kate DiCamillo and Megan McDonald. A snippet of Kessler's video performance and an excerpt from Castle in the Mist are available on Candlewick's Web site.
