The Tail of Emily Windsnap, by Liz Kessler

I am always on the hunt for a cheap book to read and when I saw a book with a price of $4.79 and a mermaid theme, I was sold.  I have not read Forgive My Fins, but reading this definitely makes me want to give that book a try as well.  The Tail of Emily Windsnap is a short children's book about a young girl who discovers she morphs into a mermaid whenever she's been in water for awhile.  Mystery and whimsy inevitably follow as innocent Emily Windsnap begins to figure out the clues to her past.  Soon, Emily finds her first true friend who just so happens to be a real mermaid (instead of a half-mermaid like Emily) and starts learning more and more about this watery world she never knew existed, even spending a day at a mermaid school with her new friend.  One of my favorite things about reading is the ability to experience things you never could and reading The Tail of Emily Windsnap gave me a chance to be a mermaid for a couple hours and for less than five bucks too!  Quite a bargain if you ask me.  However, I would caution other readers before buying this book to be prepared for some annoying gaps in the writing that make for a bit of a stumble instead of a smooth journey.  The transitions are definitely in need of some work, but it was a debut from this author and definitely geared for the youngest of readers, so I tried to overlook that and just focus on the story itself, which was quite enjoyable.  A few of the situations in the book were set up a little too conveniently as well, so I found that to be a bit disappointing.  I enjoyed the concept and the journey; I just wasn't a fan of the writing itself.  Sentence structure, grammar, flow, etc. all could use some improvement, but I would still recommend this to fans of mermaids or anyone wanting to read to their young daughter (this would be a great story to share).  There are a lot of prevailing themes of love, friendship and family that make this story touching as well.  I'm not sure if I'm going to continue this series or not, but I don't regret buying the first one and it definitely sparked a new interest in mermaids for me.  I might buy Forgive My Fins next.


Favorite things:  mermaids, the main theme which was true friendship and true love, the descriptions of the sea and swimming as a mermaid, the mermaid school and of course the amazing low price!

Criticisms:  poor transitions, some things were a bit too convenient and some of the basic writing in general made for a disjointed read at times.

Overall:  4 out of 5 stars, could've been better, but I still liked it.