Book Review of the Tale of Emily Windsnap

Spoilers are in white. Highlight to reveal.

I had always dismissed this book and this series as as well fluffy to effort, one of those that I would notice too juvenile to be enjoyable, being well past the historic period of Kessler'due south intended audience—or too girly, too concerned with the little dramas of centre school and flirtation, just a recent issue for work sent me scurrying to apace read information technology to be prepared to lead a discussion. I didn't detect whatever available copies of the printed book at my local libraries, but I came domicile with a re-create of the audiobook, read by the accordingly named Finty Williams.

This is not a fluff read. This was a good mystery, which I failed to solve entirely (I did solve pieces of it).

This was a story of the power of love: familial, romantic, and platonic.

Romance is a thing in this kickoff novel left to the adults, which was refreshing.  I don't inappreciably remember any mention of schoolhouse-aged boys, human being or merperson.

This was a phone call against making not-traditional marriages illegal. I read this at first as a metaphor for interracial marriages, merely its lessons could only as easily be applied to homosexual marriages (as I write this, the Usa Supreme Courtroom is hearing arguments for and against allowing employment discriminating based on sexual orientation and/or gender identity); in the story, of course, it is a merperson and a human SPOILER ALERT (in this case, a woman and a merman, twisting Hans Christian Anderson's "Little Mermaid" tale type).

This is a story about friendship and finding friends and the promises of friendship. Emily has simply started at a new school, Brightport High (she's in Year Seven, approximately America's 6^th grade), merely she has been struggling to make friends, one of the more influential girls at the schoolhouse leading others away from Emily because Emily accidentally got Mandy in problem with her parents.  Emily finds a friend outside of schoolhouse in Shona, a mermaid who too feels isolated from her classmates, who resent the instructor'southward appreciation of Shona that Shona wins through her dedication to her classes.  Emily and Shona wrestle with what is owed to a friend and with what their friendship means to each other.

This is a book in which a girl is bullied and ultimately decides that she is comfortable and proud of herself as she is and stands up (or swims up) proudly before her bully.

This is a delightfully British setting (enhanced in my reading probably past Williams' accent, only Kessler as well is British and hers is the dialogue). Emily and her mother live on a moored boat in their seaside boondocks, her mother working in the nearby bookshop. The lighthouse keeper comes over ever Lord's day for tea. All this sounds like a life near which I could daydream, and I could take probably happily read about life in Brightport even without the added drama and excitement of merpeople.

I think Finty Williams improved my feel of this book with her personable representation of the kickoff-person narration by Emily and the memorable voices that she gives each other character.

All of this to say: Don't let the pastel covers, smoothen, and swishy tails mislead you. This book is worth your time, with just enough meat and but enough innocence.

I've been listening these past few weeks to Finty Williams' reading of the 2nd book in the series, Emily Windsnap and the Monster from the Deep, and though quite different from the start book, it likewise is proving fun while still tackling more challenging ideas.  More on that book when I take finished it.

****

Kessler, Liz. Tail of Emily Windsnap, Volume 1.  Narr. Finty Williams.  Listening Library, 2009.

The book was originally published in 2004.  The sound CDs are no longer in print, but Penguin Random House has a digital version of the audiobook available.  The link attached to the cover photo will take you to that version.

This review is not endorsed by Liz Kessler, Finty Williams, Listening Library, or Penguin Random Firm. It is an independent, honest review past a reader.

Intended audition: Ages eight-12.

The cover photo is ane that I took for the header for the Facebook event for the effect that I led.

My love of books has been carefully cultivated by the adults who raised me and too by the friends who love to share. My life has led me down long library shelves, to online forums, fanfiction sites, the front of a lecture hall, and into college classrooms. I have an English caste and have taken a couple chief'southward classes in Children'due south Literature. I worked nearly 8 years as a bookseller for Barnes & Noble. I have been an editor for Wizarding Life Networks (the people who brought you Wizarding Life, Panem October, and MyHogwarts at present HogwartsIsHere). Now I am helping a small, local business succeed while selling used books and art online and dreaming of my own bookstore. View all posts by Kathryn

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