Mermaid Academy #2: Cora and Sparkle

Mermaid Academy

by Julie Sykes, Linda Chapman, Lucy Truman (illustrator)

Mermazing action-packed underwater adventures for young readers. Beautifully illustrated throughout and with a glittery cover! From the authors and illustrator of the bestselling Unicorn Academy series. Hidden deep beneath the waves is Mermaid Academy, a magical school where mermaids are paired with their very own dolphin and must discover their unique mermaid magic, with plenty of adventure along the way! Cora loves all ocean animals, but there's something strange about the creature she spots stealing jewels from the school's coral walls. With Sparkle's help, she follows it to a mysterious cave. Then the tide starts to turn... Can Cora and Sparkle escape before their water runs out? Mermaid Academy is the perfect series for 7+ readers who love magic and adventure. Look out for more titles! Isla and Bubble and Maya and Rainbow

Genres: Fantasy, Childrens

128 pages, Paperback

Published April 1, 2025

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads database.

Welcome to my website. Come on in and have a look around. You can find out about my books and also about me.

Name:
Julie Sykes

Birthday:
My birthday month is August

Place of birth:
Kingston upon Thames

Places I’ve lived:
My family moved to Australia just after I was born but returned to England in time for me to start school. I was educated in Surrey and lived there until I got married. I now live in the south of England with my husband and our three children. We used to live on a fish farm, which we shared with 300,000 rainbow trout. We share our current home with a few goldfish and a white wolf cunningly disguised as a dog.

Jobs:
I’ve worked in a kennels, shops, pubs and on a mushroom farm. My first full-time job was as a laboratory technician and after that a teacher. I’m now a full time writer.

First book published:
There were two - This and That and I Don’t Want To Go To Bed!

Favourite Things:
Family, friends, Spring (the season not the bouncy sort although bouncing is good, too), cappuccino, Danish pastries, Cornwall, the sea, books, animals, chocolate.

Worst Things:
Litter, vandals, cleaning the house, having NOTHING to read.

Hobbies:
Reading, walking, cooking, hanging out in cafés.

Reviews

[Julie Ditton · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Mermaid Academy is the school where all the young mermaids learn to protect the oceans. Cora is having problems dealing with the fact that her twin sister has made new friends and they areno longer each other's best friends. She even wants to hide the fact that she has found her magic, so that her sister won't be jealous that she has done something first. But when her bunkmates are in trouble, Cora doesn't think twice. This story is ideal for girls learning to be true to themselves and that you can be close to someone even if you like different activates. the book is part of a series, but a child could easily read it as a stand alone.

[Kassi (kassi.found.books) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you Net Galley and Random House Children’s for a copy of Mermaid Academy #1: Cora & Sparkle in exchange for an honest review.

This is a great introductory Fantasy book for young girls (and boys!). As a fellow Mermaid obsessed preteen, I am so excited for my daughter to read these books, I know she will adore them. I love the illustrations throughout the book. The chapters are the perfect length for kids at this reading level. I love the examples from Cora of difficulties that can pop up in friendships when you don’t see eye to eye. This story demonstrates staying true to yourself which ultimately as we know leads to self discovery and building confidence! I love to see these themes in my kids reading material.

[Cute Rabbit · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this book cora really misses her sister isobel as she is on a different dorm and they don't talk that much and she really want to spend more time with her.However cora is really happy when she spends time with her sister at a club she doesn't like than the music club she really wanted to got to.Cora realises her mistake by sparkle telling her to actually do what she wants and isobel is happy enough.Cora is able to rescue her dorm with the help of her friends and save them from some evil sharks!(with her new discovered magic of creating waves)

[Gill James · Rating 4 out of 5]

In many ways this is a school story. Mermaid Cora is at the Mermaid Academy. So is her twin sister Issy but they are forced into different classes. Cora wants to be popular but she also wants to stay close to her twin sister.
There is a strong element of fantasy too: Cora has to find her one magic. She does. And anyway, mermaids?
It is also an adventure story.
It touches on ecology and environment too.
All in a format accessible to the newly fluent reader.
Very enjoyable.

[Amanda Murphy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received an ARC of this book through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I love that early chapter books are being written at such a speed these days. This is a really nice little addition to what's already available. Kids are going to love this series. I am hopeful that in future books we'll hear more about the boys at the school and the dolphins that they pair with. In the meantime-this book is definitely not just for girls.