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Mermaid Tales #1
Trouble at Trident Academy
In this start to a new series starring Shelly the mermaid, a classroom conflict is no fun—even when school is 20,000 leagues under the sea.
It’s MerGirl Shelly Siren’s first day at a new school, and she is nervous from the tip of her head to the end of her sparkling mermaid tail. How will she ever fit in at the prestigious Trident Academy? Everyone there is so smart and so pretty and so rich. At least she and her best friend, Echo, are in the same class, but so is Pearl, a spoiled know-it-all who only wants to make trouble for Shelly; Rocky, a MerBoy who loves to tease everyone; and Kiki, a shy MerGirl who’s new to Trident City.
At first Shelly and Echo have lots of eating lunch together, trying to make grumpy Mr. Fangtooth smile, and joining after-school clubs. But when Shelly and Echo have an argument about their very first school assignment, Pearl gets involved and makes matters worse. Will Shelly and Echo fix their friendship?
It’s MerGirl Shelly Siren’s first day at a new school, and she is nervous from the tip of her head to the end of her sparkling mermaid tail. How will she ever fit in at the prestigious Trident Academy? Everyone there is so smart and so pretty and so rich. At least she and her best friend, Echo, are in the same class, but so is Pearl, a spoiled know-it-all who only wants to make trouble for Shelly; Rocky, a MerBoy who loves to tease everyone; and Kiki, a shy MerGirl who’s new to Trident City.
At first Shelly and Echo have lots of eating lunch together, trying to make grumpy Mr. Fangtooth smile, and joining after-school clubs. But when Shelly and Echo have an argument about their very first school assignment, Pearl gets involved and makes matters worse. Will Shelly and Echo fix their friendship?
112 pages, Paperback
First published May 8, 2012
70 people are currently reading
610 people want to read
About the author
Debbie Dadey
239 books327 followersDebbie 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.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 62 reviews
September 3, 2019
Shelly Siren is off to her first day at Trident Academy. She's not wealthy or super-intelligent like most of the merkids at Trident, and she's worried about fitting in. Shelly's awfully glad her best friend Echo will be right there with her! Or will it? After the friends disagree on a school assignment, Shelly is left to navigate the waters of her new school alone while Echo hooks up with mean-girl Pearl and her posse. Now it's up to Shelly to fix her friendship and find her own niche at her new school.
The Mermaid Tales series is insanely popular with the second-through-fourth-grade girls' sets I know, so I was expecting much more out of this first installment. While it's possible the author hasn't yet hit her stride with the series, this story was a bit of a disappointment in several ways.
The plot and writing are choppy, jumping among scenes and character attitudes randomly and without apparent reason. Characters are incredibly one-dimensional, particularly Pearl, who is your typical high-school mean girl for zero reason. And they're only supposed to be in third grade. Pearl is wealthy, gorgeous and blonde but doesn't seem to have many friends or much clout, yet continues to be horrible... just because, apparently. No reason for her behavior or depth are ever given to her. Shelly is supposed to be brilliant at marine biology, yet seems completely unable to demonstrate this when given the opportunity. Characters jump in and out of "friendships" so fast it can give a reader whiplash, but with little motivation for doing so. Ocean vocabulary is very elevated for the target age group, and while the glossary in the back is helpful, younger readers may struggle with it. The trip to the principal's office was glossed over but seemed unnecessarily harsh.
Back matter includes a cute set of "reports" written by the students for their class project and a glossary of ocean terms.
While this series hopefully will find better footing, at this point, I would send readers to Purrmaids if they're after young readers mermaid stories. Very similar idea but stronger stories with a good flow and engaging characters and plots. Let Shelly and her friends find a little better water to swim in before jumping into this series.
The Mermaid Tales series is insanely popular with the second-through-fourth-grade girls' sets I know, so I was expecting much more out of this first installment. While it's possible the author hasn't yet hit her stride with the series, this story was a bit of a disappointment in several ways.
The plot and writing are choppy, jumping among scenes and character attitudes randomly and without apparent reason. Characters are incredibly one-dimensional, particularly Pearl, who is your typical high-school mean girl for zero reason. And they're only supposed to be in third grade. Pearl is wealthy, gorgeous and blonde but doesn't seem to have many friends or much clout, yet continues to be horrible... just because, apparently. No reason for her behavior or depth are ever given to her. Shelly is supposed to be brilliant at marine biology, yet seems completely unable to demonstrate this when given the opportunity. Characters jump in and out of "friendships" so fast it can give a reader whiplash, but with little motivation for doing so. Ocean vocabulary is very elevated for the target age group, and while the glossary in the back is helpful, younger readers may struggle with it. The trip to the principal's office was glossed over but seemed unnecessarily harsh.
Back matter includes a cute set of "reports" written by the students for their class project and a glossary of ocean terms.
While this series hopefully will find better footing, at this point, I would send readers to Purrmaids if they're after young readers mermaid stories. Very similar idea but stronger stories with a good flow and engaging characters and plots. Let Shelly and her friends find a little better water to swim in before jumping into this series.
August 9, 2025
3.5 🧜🏼♀️
a cute little mermaid series that will work well for early-chapter-book or middle-grade readers.
Tropey with the mean girl at school, learning to like yourself, friendship, etc etc.
I also wanted more background information (there were so many cool sounding places and a map in the front), but as it's the start of a series, I guess we'll get more later on.
a cute little mermaid series that will work well for early-chapter-book or middle-grade readers.
Tropey with the mean girl at school, learning to like yourself, friendship, etc etc.
I also wanted more background information (there were so many cool sounding places and a map in the front), but as it's the start of a series, I guess we'll get more later on.
December 16, 2017
These books hooked my 5 year old kindergartener. I am desperate to start getting her into chapter books and this is the first one she has LOVED! Goes to show how much choice and interest matter when comes to reading. It reads very similarly to a Sophia the First episode. Characters stay the way that they are throughout the series which allows our youngest readers to make exciting predictions and inferences. The song is great - lots of youtube videos with choirs singing the song. We sing it all the time now.
June 16, 2013
Fine, I'll up it to 2 stars. But I'd say it's more 1.5. See, I'm totally the wrong audience for this book. My sister got it from the library (she's eight, and therefore really is the right audience), and i picked it up out of boredom.
Please. Just because they're young doesn't mean we need to spoon feed them ridiculously simplified (and stupified - the word not the Harry Potter spell) story lines. I think the lesson in this book is about taking care of the ocean and keeping your friends, but in reality the characters just kind of stumble around, get in a fight for a ridiculous reason (fighting over wether or not to ask an adult for help on a school project), and just as quickly make up toward the end. The mean girl at school is incredibly typified, just rude and horrible for no apparent reason other than being very rich.
So, again, I'm not the target for this book. But I'm appalled at this book, and every other little fairy book or unicorn book (or talking kitty book, but my sister would probably disown me for saying this) out there. Please. They're not idiots. Give them something a little more readable, like the Animal Rescue Farm books (slightly better, my sister loves the ones about rescuing kittens/cats), or The Princess in the Pigpen, a gem I just found that's slightly older, but still a fairly easy read.
And the environment message? Ridiculously trumped. The guy mentions not putting oil in the water once, and the author expounds on it at length once the book is over.
Please. Just because they're young doesn't mean we need to spoon feed them ridiculously simplified (and stupified - the word not the Harry Potter spell) story lines. I think the lesson in this book is about taking care of the ocean and keeping your friends, but in reality the characters just kind of stumble around, get in a fight for a ridiculous reason (fighting over wether or not to ask an adult for help on a school project), and just as quickly make up toward the end. The mean girl at school is incredibly typified, just rude and horrible for no apparent reason other than being very rich.
So, again, I'm not the target for this book. But I'm appalled at this book, and every other little fairy book or unicorn book (or talking kitty book, but my sister would probably disown me for saying this) out there. Please. They're not idiots. Give them something a little more readable, like the Animal Rescue Farm books (slightly better, my sister loves the ones about rescuing kittens/cats), or The Princess in the Pigpen, a gem I just found that's slightly older, but still a fairly easy read.
And the environment message? Ridiculously trumped. The guy mentions not putting oil in the water once, and the author expounds on it at length once the book is over.
October 26, 2015
Your somewhat typical school story about friendship, starting at a new place, bullying girl, new girl, trying out for sports - only with mermaids.
I would have liked this book had it been done better. But it felt like the author kept forgetting that she was dealing with an undersea environment (which started with a mermaid spilling something on herself). I can suspend disbelief enough to accept mermaids and their society, so long as it still works by certain rules. In this case, where being underwater feels like, well, being underwater.
Personally I tend to think the author missed a real opportunity here. Following rules for being underwater would have been a challenge to stretch herself in writing, and would have made this story so much more interesting. Instead...it's just kind of ok. Not awful, but not great either. There are definitely better series for kids to read. I might try a couple more of these to see if they improve at all.
I would have liked this book had it been done better. But it felt like the author kept forgetting that she was dealing with an undersea environment (which started with a mermaid spilling something on herself). I can suspend disbelief enough to accept mermaids and their society, so long as it still works by certain rules. In this case, where being underwater feels like, well, being underwater.
Personally I tend to think the author missed a real opportunity here. Following rules for being underwater would have been a challenge to stretch herself in writing, and would have made this story so much more interesting. Instead...it's just kind of ok. Not awful, but not great either. There are definitely better series for kids to read. I might try a couple more of these to see if they improve at all.
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June 12, 2023I’m sorry to everyone for all my updates today
August 16, 2016
This was a cute mermaid story with fun characters and cute illustrations.
June 11, 2024
My daughter picked out this book and we thought it was cute. We talked about how it’s best to talk about your feelings and including others and thinking about other people’s feelings.
September 1, 2020
Way too many story lines going on here. No real plot, no real lesson.
July 9, 2019
Another chapter book that my daughter asked me to read to her at bedtime. Only took us a couple of days.
January 6, 2022
A story that will resonate with its target audience. In a bid to encourage my daughter to read I made a deal with her and included an irresistible incentive. As a result I'd be reading every book that she does to ensure she doesn't try her usual chicanery. Fun times! Bring on the Mermaid Tales!
April 21, 2016
This book was given to me to read as an assignment by my 9-year-old granddaughter who has decided that I must now read, and write a report on, every book she reads. The book reports she writes for school require a couple of sentences on why she likes, or doesn't like, the book; another couple on her favorite character; and, usually, a drawing of a favorite scene. As there is no place here to draw, I'll have to make do with word pictures.
I liked this book because it had me asking questions. What's it like, being a merchild, to play Shell Wars, a game in which the goalie just happens to be an octopus, when you had tiny octopus legs for lunch earlier? Why do they call it third grade when it's the first year of school?
My favorite character was Grandpa Siren, Shelly Siren's grandfather, I suppose because he's really smart. Well, and like me he's a grandpa.
My favorite scene takes place in the Reef family home when Echo Reef shows off her backflip with a left and right twist and upends furniture and gets her tail stuck in a pot.
I also like that the book opens with a map, inviting the reader to see a place before meeting any of the characters or reading any of the story's words. And I like that the map is followed by pictures of some of the principal characters and that only after we've looked at the map and the faces do we start reading the story.
I liked this book because it had me asking questions. What's it like, being a merchild, to play Shell Wars, a game in which the goalie just happens to be an octopus, when you had tiny octopus legs for lunch earlier? Why do they call it third grade when it's the first year of school?
My favorite character was Grandpa Siren, Shelly Siren's grandfather, I suppose because he's really smart. Well, and like me he's a grandpa.
My favorite scene takes place in the Reef family home when Echo Reef shows off her backflip with a left and right twist and upends furniture and gets her tail stuck in a pot.
I also like that the book opens with a map, inviting the reader to see a place before meeting any of the characters or reading any of the story's words. And I like that the map is followed by pictures of some of the principal characters and that only after we've looked at the map and the faces do we start reading the story.
January 27, 2016
I think this book is a cute, quick read for the younger ages, mainly targeted to females. The book sometimes felt as though it were a hallmark card trying to teach lessons, such as sayings like "sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me." I got sick of all the mer- references by the second chapter, with merpeople, merschool, mergirl, and way too many other forced mer- words. I know some little ones would adore this book, but intellectually and creatively this book did nothing for me. The one redeeming value was the clever way they put the reports about krill at the end of the book to educate kids. I'd recommended this book to any little one with a passion for mermaids.
December 13, 2018
I read this one to my daughter; she loves mermaids quite a bit. I liked that you learned a lot about the underwater sea life, and even though mermaids don't exist, the things that they were talking about in the book, they do exist which was interesting.
There were a few plot holes, I kind of wish there was maybe a little more details about the characters, backstories maybe. I did find it a bit ridiculous that one little argument meant that the two girls weren't friends anymore. But the way they tried to do the right thing, I think it is the reason why I liked reading this book to my daughter. I love it when the books I read have little lessons in them so I can ask her about it.
There were a few plot holes, I kind of wish there was maybe a little more details about the characters, backstories maybe. I did find it a bit ridiculous that one little argument meant that the two girls weren't friends anymore. But the way they tried to do the right thing, I think it is the reason why I liked reading this book to my daughter. I love it when the books I read have little lessons in them so I can ask her about it.
February 14, 2017
So much girl drama. Mermaid school could be cooler than this, but it's all about friendships and frenemies. Not a lot of substance.
December 28, 2020
3.5
An interesting take on mermaids. They are younger mermaids, but I do wish these books were longer and more detailed. Granted, I am older and reading these. Like I am 14. I know it seems lame, but they remind me of a book series, The Rescue Princesses, and another book series, Rainbow Magic and I wanted to read them. My sister found them and I just wanted short books, and just a nice easy book to read. I do like the mermaids eating what they would actually eat, not what humans eat. Also, I like that the books have the mermaids interested in human things. Overall, a good book for younger readers.
An interesting take on mermaids. They are younger mermaids, but I do wish these books were longer and more detailed. Granted, I am older and reading these. Like I am 14. I know it seems lame, but they remind me of a book series, The Rescue Princesses, and another book series, Rainbow Magic and I wanted to read them. My sister found them and I just wanted short books, and just a nice easy book to read. I do like the mermaids eating what they would actually eat, not what humans eat. Also, I like that the books have the mermaids interested in human things. Overall, a good book for younger readers.
July 23, 2019
Shelly is an eight-year-old merkid who loves exploring. Her best friend Echo is obsessed with humans and their fun trinkets. Both girls are super excited and a little bit nervous about going to Trident Academy for the first time. Things don’t start off too well: mean, stuck-up Pearl is in their class, and their first assignment is to write about boring krill. The duo has a number of low-key adventures and dramas that teach them about the importance of friendship, kindness, and not polluting. It’s fine, but fails to fully sell the underwater environment.
April 30, 2018
This book is a cute little story of two friends starting a new school with high standards. The friends are worried about making it in their new school, and making new friends. The learn important lessons about doing their work themselves, and being kind to others around them. I love that at the end of the book there are a few facts about some sea animals!
August 28, 2024
The mergirls and merboys start school at Trident Academy, and little jealousies, quarrels, ostracisms, and pettiness cause some friction and some hurt feelings. Happily, by the end, all is resolved and some new friendships develop. Cute story with nice reflections on the ocean environment and how to protect it; a glossary of sea life is included at the end.
May 4, 2025
I read this book with my daughter. She absolutely loved it. It was a cute mermaid story about friends. One page was confusing to both of us, I’m not sure if it had the wrong names in places or what. It seems to be a school setting story it’s got friends, the bully’s and how to deal with them, different family dynamics. It’s a great little chapter book for young kids.
October 29, 2017
This is the perfect book to introduce my daughter to. As a child I loved mermaids and couldn't get enough. This book teaches young kids important life lessons and I liked the illustrations through the book and the glossary at the end explaining everything you can find in the sea
December 3, 2018
I didn't like it as much as my other books, but I still like it. My favorite character was Shelly. I wonder if there's a sequel. I really liked the mermaids and everything, but it was kind of silly when the pot stuck on Echo. But it was still pretty good.
June 19, 2021
Another read with my sister. I liked the art style on the illustrations and i love mermaids. But this book just wasn't my cup of tea. I good pick for young readers just starting on chapter books though!
May 25, 2023
I am reading this series with my very excited 4 year old who is obsessed with mermaids and doesn’t really understand 3rd grade drama but we’re having a blast. I’m also counting each book towards my yearly reading goal because they are chapter books 🤷🏻♀️
April 5, 2018
it was good. shelly, echo and kiki are awesome. it was from a library in my school.
February 5, 2019
I liked the book because the friends get into a fight and then Shelly sits by Kiki and P Pearl says don't go over there. But Echo goes.
February 15, 2019
Cute little book my daughter and I read together. She is already looking forward to finding more of these.
December 14, 2020
Good books for young kids who like mermaids. My daughter really likes and helped give her confidence to read on her own. Good lessons without being preachy.
December 17, 2020
“My favorite part of the book was when they became friends again. That fight they had was actually kind of silly.”
Displaying 1 - 30 of 62 reviews