Mermaids Don't Run Track

The Adventures of the Bailey School Kids #26

by Debbie Dadey, Marcia Thornton Jones, John Steven Gurney (Illustrator)

Mr. Jenkins, the director at Camp Lone Wolf, has decided to hold a track meet. He's even brought an expert running coach to help the Bailey School kids prepare. The new coach is strangely inspirational -- when she sings, people feel like they can do anything. But when the kids notice the strange resemblance the coach bears to a mermaid, the fact that she refuses to get wet, and that she's planning to run off with Mr. Jenkins, they wonder if this coach is more than she appears to be. Can the kids solve this mystery before they lose Mr. Jenkins and Camp Lone Wolf forever?

Genres: Childrens, Fiction, Middle Grade, Fantasy, Mermaids, Chapter Books, Mystery

112 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 1997

About the author

Debbie Dadey is the author and co-author of 162 books for children, including the Mermaid Tales series from Simon and Schuster and the beloved Adventures of The Bailey School Kids from Scholastic. Ms. Dadey is a former teacher and librarian. Please like her at Facebook.com/debbiedadey.

Reviews

[Brian · Rating 2 out of 5]

My kids left this book lying around the house so i picked it up and started reading it just to see what it was like and it was all over before i knew it. I wonder whether coach waterford really is a mermaid. And i have a feeling that eddie is nothing but trouble in the other 25(+?) stories that must be exactly the same as this one.
I think it could be interesting to see a version of this story rewritten from the point of view of the adults. That could be quite a gold mine for someone. Imagine how many books they could write if they "reimagined" even just a few of these kinds of kids' series!
My favorite part was the "about the authors" note that explained how they are able to write stories together even though one lives in Kentucky and one in Illinois: "They talk on the phone and use computers and fax machines!"

[Erika Conley · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great transitional-chapter book for older elementary school students. The Adventures of the Bailey School Kids focuses on interesting mysteries concerning people around them. In this case, the kids are concerned with the camp director being a werewolf, and the track coach being a mermaid. This series has no dull moments, and is a fun read!

[Samantha Osborne · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very interesting read I love these books

[Emi J · Rating 4 out of 5]

these books were my childhood 😭🧜‍♀️

[Dean Deters · Rating 5 out of 5]

Summary
This book is about a woman and she isn't just a track teacher she is also a mermaid.They all say that she has gorgeous long blond hair and Mr.Jenkins is under Mrs.Waterfords spell. The children all think that Mr.Jenkins was a WEREWOLF and he want's to go on a cruise but their is a carving of Mrs.Waterford as a mermaid so the children where suspicious and so Mrs.Waterford did not go in the water because she would say that her skin would be all scaly and one night they herd singing and it was a woman's voice the runners could not sleep because the woman was so loud . At the end of my book the mermaid goes away.

Setting.
The setting is in the school bus when they're going to camp lone wolf and it is also at the camp when they meet Mrs.waterford but that is the important part of it .Oh and at the lake when they tried to splash Mrs.Waterford.

character trait.
The main character is Mrs.Waterford she is a smart and always happy,beautiful amazing.


Most important event.
I think the most important event is when they figure out that Mrs.Waterford is mermaid not a real woman.



Recommendation.
I think the kind of person who would like this kind of book would also like or love mermaids or just fairy tales and that is all.


By:Kendra

[Joanna Price · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ages 6-9 In this book of the Bailey School Kids series, the kids go to Camp Lone Wolf for a track meet, where Liza and friends suspect that their coach, Miss Waterford, is a mermaid. The story has a lot of lovable characters, including young boys who sing obnoxious songs on the school bus, and Melody, Liza's best buddy who takes her side against the boys. The book is reminiscent of real life both in the way the children behave and in their fanciful imaginations. The story does not conclude one way or the other on Miss Waterford, and the plot is somewhat compromised by the clear preference of the authors to not solve the mystery. Overall, though, the book is warm and funny. Children will be pleased with the new installment. Recommended for children's collections at public libraries and for elementary school libraries.

[Charlotte · Rating 5 out of 5]

Its summer time, and the Bailey School kids are going to Camp Lone Wolf for the summer. And Mr. Jeknson got a new coach named Coach Waterfall, a tall woman with huge shoes. When she trains the kids, she sings a beautiful song that makes the kids full of energy. Then Mr. Jeknson act funny, is Coach Waterfall a mermaid trying to steal the camp counseler?
"The Bailey School Kids" is a mysterious series filled with weird adults with normal jobs. As the kids Eddie, Howie, Liza, and Melody try to find if the person is a normal person or not, it leads on journeys from space camp to Camp Lone Wolf. The age range is 7 and up.
I like this book because its funny and mysterious. My favourite character is Eddie, don't think I'm crazy, but his pranks are kinda funny. There is nothing I don't like about this book. Enjoy "Mermaids Don't Run Track".

[paige turner ♡ · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one was a cute story about the kids thinking that a track coach is a mermaid.

There was something sad about it, but like all the guests in these kids lives, the person whom they think is some kind of monster, or fairy tale creature, disappears mysteriously. Who knows if they're going to see this mermaid coach again. I just think it's sad how you get the feeling that she's never going to be able to do the thing she loves most.

But, I feel like I'd want to be out of the water if I were a mermaid. As a regular human being, I constantly wish I was a mermaid.

[Julie S. · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved these when I was around younger. This particular one has a special place in my heart. It was one of the first books that I was able to visualize completely in my mind. Here's the story:

After finishing a chapter, I set it down and left the room to do something else. When I came back later, I could not remember what I had been doing. I thought that I had been watching TV, but then I realized that I had been imagining the book while reading it. That was a happy moment for me. :)

[Nikki · Rating 5 out of 5]

I highly recommend this book to beginning readers of chapter books (second grade). I read this series when I was in second grade and loved it! Just recently I read it aloud with a group of first and second graders and they also loved it. It's simple but grabs your attention. The ending is also left up to the interpretation of the reader, which I think is a fabulous opportunity to use their imagination and use clues from the text to back up their conclusions!

[BookeryBliss · Rating 5 out of 5]

The collection of "The adventures of the Bailey School Kids" stories are among my all-time favorite children's books. Witty, mischievous and fun, these short and silly books continue to bring giggles to the young and old. Just as I have enjoyed them as a kid, my own children also love them today. I even catch myself re-reading them (alone) from time to time. What can I say? I guess I'll always be a BSK kid at heart.

[Catherine Woodman · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Bailey School Kids is a best-selling children's book series by Marcia Thornton Jones and Debbie Dadey. Its main characters are a group of four children (Eddie, Howie, Liza, Melody) who suspect some persons in the stories are popular folk lore or fairy tale characters. They are appealing because they mix a familiar story in with this group of kids. Mid-grammar school

[Amy Burch · Rating 4 out of 5]

I remember seeing this series when I was in elementary school but just never got around to reading one. I enjoyed the book and found it funny. These children believe their track coach is a mermaid and it is ironic because kids usually think teachers and coaches don't have normal lives like everyone else.

[Hannah Belyea · Rating 4 out of 5]

An expert running coach has arrived at Camp Lone Wolf and is wooing Mr. Jenkins, leading the third graders to suspect she may in fact be a mermaid! Dadey will keep young readers glued to the pages with this funny and engaging entry!

[Maximilian Lee · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this book because I like track and field. I also liked this book because I like the swimming pool.

[katwoman93 · Rating 5 out of 5]

read this in elementary school, fell in love with it as a kid

[Sasa · Rating 4 out of 5]

i accidentally stole this from my school library meaning i forgot to return it because it fell under the fridge and no one was around to help me get it. it is surprisingly in good condition so i'll probably start rereading this series with #26.

[Marina (marinainw0nderland) · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have been nostalgically rereading “The Bailey School Kids”. Every book I read I still have a slight hope that there is a real monster involved.

[Alex · Rating 4 out of 5]

I pretty much never like the books that take place at the summer camp, but I really loved this one!

[Keshia · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. Nostalgic series for me!

[Colin · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5/5

[Zadie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked it, all though the reson it's not 5 stars is the plot kinda repetes itself in all the books, but it's still pretty good!

[Josh Epp · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars!

Another fun one. This had a lot of references to mermaids and how they are described in books. Really fun, a mystery setting too! Loved it!

[Autumn Ketchum · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was my favorite when I was a kid because I love mermaids. I still love it today because I love mermaids. It’s a simple story, but the nostalgia is strong.

[Katt Munro]

Rereading childhood favourites

[Maryann · Rating 2 out of 5]

My daughter has been reading "The Bailey School Kids" books like they are going out of style - so I thought I'd try one. It was okay (so I'll allow her to read the rest), but probably not something I'll read again.

[Jerome Otte · Rating 4 out of 5]

The kids return to Camp Lone Wolf, where Mr. Jenkins is planning a track meet and has hired a new track coach, who the kids suspect is a mermaid.

Good artwork and an interesting, creative story.

[Patricia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I LOVE these books! I loved these series when I was a kid. Excellent.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

great when ur little

[Angela · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good book...a little bit advanced for my fourth grade daughter who does not understand the literary device of inference.