Keeper, by Kathi Appelt

Ten-year-old Keeper is part mermaid. At least, that's what she's always believed. After all, wasn't her mother, who swam away when Keeper was only three, a mermaid? How else could Keeper hear the cries of the gumbo-bound crabs, pleading for someone to rescue them before they became dinner? 

Of course, listening to those crabs is what turned the best day ever into a total and complete nightmare! Now Signe, Keeper's guardian, won't be able to have everyone over for the traditional Blue Moon dinner. Now Dogie won't be able to ask Signe the special question he's waited ten years to ask. Now Old Mr. Buchamp won't ever find the one thing he's been searching for since he was a boy. Everything, everything is ruined. And it's all because Keeper listened to those crabs.

Keeper needs her mother more than ever. So she sneaks out of her house in the dark of night, "borrows" the neighbor's row boat, and sets off to the open sea to find the place she last saw her mother all those years earlier. Her mother will know what to do. Her mother will help make everything right again. Won't she?

But what if Keeper's mother isn't there as expected? What if everything Keeper has believed about her life isn't true?

Keeper, by Kathi Appelt, is a delightful story about family, love, friendship, and self-discovery...all with bits of magic and mythology woven throughout. As well as a few surprises. Characters are believable, and Appelt's uniquely poetic writing style gives the story color, life, and depth. Keeper is definitely one of my favorites, and is one of those stories that can be enjoyed by people of all ages (guys and girls too). There's truly something here for everyone. Just read it! You'll be happy you did!

Keeper can currently be found in our Tween section. --AJB

Aquamarine, by Alice Hoffman

A few days ago, we reviewed Ella Enchanted, by Gail Carson Levine. So in keeping with the trend of reviewing adorable girlie books made into adorable girlie movies, we give you Aquamarine, by Alice Hoffman.

I'm not ashamed to admit I love both the book and the movie version of this sweet story. And, like most understated books adapted for the screen, you're probably most familiar with the movie version of the tale (or is it tail?). 

In the movie, a headstrong mermaid (named Aquamarine) washes up on land and is discovered by best friends, Hailey and Claire. Aquamarine has swam away from home with a very special mission: To find true love. She has three days to do this and, if she is unsuccessful, she must return to the sea and honor her father's wishes to marry a merman who she can't stand (like, ew!). The girls agree to help her meet and find love with Raymond, the cute lifeguard every girl on the beach is crushing on. In exchange, they'll get a wish...and they know exactly what they'll ask for (no spoilers here). Despite the time crunch and encounters with mean girl Cecilia and her mean girl posse, Aqua and Ray do get together. But, not unlike in the movie Frozen, the actual love that is so crucial to the plot isn't the romantic sort at all, but the kind one good friend feels for another. The ending is kind of bittersweet, but the audience feels good about it. It feels right. There's lots of bright colors, fun music, cute boys, cool fashion ideas (I've actually tried that T-shirt transformation idea & it works), and a villain you love to hate. In short, it's the quintessential teen girl movie.

That's the movie version.

But I was fortunate enough to stumble upon the book long before learning there was a movie adaption. Had I not... Well, I might not have been able to write so positively about the book.

The BOOK version of Aquamarine is much more understated than it's movie counterpart. And it's very, very different from the movie except for a few bare essentials (actually, I can understand why they changed it so much, because an exact interpretation of the book wouldn't be very exciting to watch). In the book, best friends Hailey and Claire, both 12, spend their days hanging out at a deserted beach club where they don't really do much of anything but hang out. At the end of the summer, Claire will be moving far away, and Hailey will be alone. Then, the day after a nasty storm, they discover a mermaid in the swimming pool of the club (like in the movie). The mermaid falls in love with Raymond, the bookish boy who runs the snack shop, and the girls agree to help the two meet. Claire and Hailey arrange a blind date for their friends, and the date goes very well (there IS some trouble with hiding the tail). Then the mermaid returns to the sea, Raymond leaves for college, the beach club closes forever, and Claire moves away as planned. It's a sweet story, clocking in at less than 100 pages. No mean girls, no wishes, no cool soundtrack, no flash or flare. And not nearly as exciting as the movie. But it has a certain quiet charm to it the movie doesn't possess. And, as with most cases, I actually prefer the book (if I had to pick only one).

If you haven't experienced either the book or movie, read the book before you watch the movie. Then let me know what you think.--AJB

Monstrous Mystery

Fantastical creatures, a deadly curse, a mysterious haunting, a forbidden romance...all are part of Elizabeth Fama's fantasy thriller, Monstrous Beauty. 

Unlike other girls her age, Hester Goodwin is forbidden to fall in love. Because love (specifically, having a child) has always resulted in death for the women in her family. Fearing the same fate, Hester keeps her distance from all boys...until the stormy night she meets Ezra on the beach. Despite the strange circumstances surrounding their meeting, Hester finds she can's stay away from this odd, yet intriguing boy. Soon, Hester finds herself drawn deep into a mystery that's plagued her coastal town for nearly two centuries. A mystery involving mermaids, hauntings, and revenge from beyond the grave. If Hester unravels this mystery, she just might get to the root of the curse that's plagued the women in her family. 

Despite the popularity of John Green and writers like him, the Paranormal Romance genre is still huge. That is, storied about love between a human and a vampire/werewolf/zombie/ghost/whatever. On the surface Monstrous Beauty sounds like it would fall in with the rest of those books, but it really doesn't so much. True that there is romance and there are mythical creatures, those elements really take a backseat to the mystery of Hester's family curse. But everything works together to create a unique and awesome story. --AJB

Kiss Me!

Half-human, half-mermaid Princess Waterlily has only a few months to choose a mate. Otherwise she'll lose the throne and her inheritance to her evil cousin.  She's got big plans, though: She'll kiss her longtime crush, Brody, and bond with him for life. Then they'll travel under the sea where they'll live happily ever after. Never mind Brody is fully human and has no idea about Lily's true mermaid identity. Never mind they've barely spoken in the three years they've gone to school together. It'll work out. It has to. But a case of mistaken identity at the school dance bonds Lily with her annoying neighbor, Quince, instead. Oops! The two journey to Lily's undersea kingdom to undo the bonding magic. Along the way, Lily discovers maybe she kissed the right boy after all.

Forgive My Fins may not be terribly deep or introspective. But this light and bubbly romance is definitely fun to read! Perfect for the beach--or curling up on a chilly night with a cup of hot cocoa. And stay tuned afterward for some fun extras, including a recipe for Mermaid Cupcakes, a short story about Quince and Lily's first meeting, and a sneak peek at the sequel!--AJB