FREE: EMILY WINDSNAP AND THE MONSTER FROM THE DEEP by Liz Kessler

Grade 4-6–This is Liz Kessler's sequel (Candlewick, 2006) to The Tail of Emily Windsnap (Candlewick, 2004; Listening Library, 2004), in which a 12-year-old girl discovers she is part mermaid and reunites her human mother and merman father. Emily's happily reunited family moves to an idyllic island located in the Bermuda Triangle where humans and merpeople peacefully coexist. Emily and her mermaid friend Shona become involved in a dangerous adventure. Because of her past hardships in junior high school, Emily wants desperately to fit in with her new peers. While swimming with their friends, Emily and Shona come across a forbidden cave and, trying to prove that they are cool and brave, the girls enter it and unintentionally awaken the kraken, a huge and terrifying monster with tentacles and tusks. A careful balance between the island and the kraken is disrupted and only Emily can put things right. Chapters from Emily's narration alternate with those of a bully from her previous school, Mandy, who becomes involved in the adventure when her vacation on a cruise ship is interrupted by the kraken. The threesome eventually restored peace to the Triangle, and Emily is able to face her personal demons. Narrator Finty Williams brings to life all the charm and imagination of Kessler's tale, expertly alternating character voices. This engaging tale will be a hit with middle schoolers who enjoy fantasy and adventure stories with female characters.–April Mazza, Wayland Public Library, MA