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Sweet Valley Kids #49
Jessica's Mermaid
Jessica's claim to have seen a mermaid during a class trip to an ocean preserve may lure her to her social death with her disbelieving friends, and the osprey-eyed girl must find the mermaid in order to convince her friends of her tale. Original.
- GenresChildrensMiddle Grade
80 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1994
3 people are currently reading
122 people want to read
About the author
Francine Pascal
1,149 books1,856 followersFrancine Paula Pascal was an American author best known for her Sweet Valley series of young adult novels. Sweet Valley High, the backbone of the collection, was made into a television series, which led to several spin-offs, including The Unicorn Club and Sweet Valley University. Although most of these books were published in the 1980s and 1990s, they remained so popular that several titles were re-released decades later.
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July 2, 2023This is basically a SVK retelling of The Boy Who Cried Wolf and, as such, is one of the less interesting books. It's also rather concerning, in that the kids are all allowed to cuddle and pat a wild baby sea lion, which is really not what you want to be teaching children to do.
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February 18, 2026Jessica’s Mermaid
The SVK are about to go on a field trip. Lila is bragging about her seashell necklace that her father got her from Hawaii. Ellen and Amy think it’s pretty and want to make one. Lila says you can’t find shells like that in SV. Eva says there are more unique shells in Jamaica and isn’t impressed. Lila is telling her that she’s never seen her wear a necklace like that and Liz is saying that it’s a collection when Jessica tugs her arm and tells her there’s a horse on the playground. Everyone looks out the window and Jessica tells them made you look.
Lila starts talking about how her father is going to take her to Hawaii when she’s 10 (even tho as Liz points out that’s 3 years away). Jessica announces that the principal (Mrs. Armstrong) has dyed her hair green. But it’s another “gotcha”. Liz tells her she’s just trying to get the attention of Lila and she says maybe she is and maybe she isn’t.
We find out the class is going to the Wild Seashore Preserve by bus. Jessica says maybe Mrs. Armstrong’s hair isn’t green but the giant sea monster is. Liz just laughs and doesn’t look. On the bus, Jessica tells Liz she wishes she hadn’t worn her new shoes. They’re too tight. Liz tells her she’s lucky their mom didn’t see her. Jessica has on a sailor outfit and patent-leather shoes.
Everyone else is wearing, shorts, tee-shirts, and sneakers. Ellen says -when Jessica points them out- that her shoes are pretty but she’s crazy to wear them to the beach. Amy says Ellen thinks she can find the same shells in Lila’s necklace. Lila says no way. One of the shells is a cowrie shell and it’s special. Everyone encourages Ellen. Jessica gets bored with it and tells them there’s a squid out the window. They look and she said fooled you.
Winston starts to make fun of her and says *he’s* the squid. Liz tells her she should stop because even tho she thinks its funny it’s not. They get to the park. Their guide is Travis McCabe. He introduces himself and notices Jessica’s shoed and asks if she has another pair, but she says she likes her shoes. They’re comfortable. He tells her she can take them off but its best she keep them on because the path is rough. Liz says that they can trade shoes later.
Jessica says thanks but no thanks. Eva asks can they collect shells. Travis says yes. They can take home as many empty shells as they want. Travis leads them to a protected area. Jessica lags behind. She complains to Liz that it’s hot and her feet hurt. Liz tells her to try to forget about them. They catch up to the others and reach the beach. Ellen finds a pink (scallop) shell like the one in Lila’s necklace.
Liz goes off to listen to Travis talk about nature facts and leaves Jessica alone. Jessica sits down on a rock and takes off her socks and shoes. She’s starting to get a blister. She knows they can’t swim but the rules didn’t say anything about dipping their feet in the water. Jessica looks down into the pool and sees a pair of brown eyes and long hair looking back at her. In a splash they vanish. She sees the shadow of a long, graceful, tail.
Jessica is convinced she’s seen a mermaid and now everyone will have to pay attention to her. When she tells the others they burst out laughing. Mrs. Otis tells her good one. It’s the best one yet and their attention turns back to searching for seaweed. Jessica asks Liz does she believe her. She says no-tho there’s no twinkle in her eye-. She’s been making up stuff all day. Jessica pleads with her and says she can show her, but Liz says no. They go back and forth but Liz reminds Jessica of the story “The Boy Who Cried Wolf” and says not this time and goes to join her friends.
Jessica decides to give it one more try. She runs up to Ellen (who excitedly tells her she found all the shells except the yellow cowrie). Jessica says if she helps her find the shell will she believe her about the mermaid. Ellen says there is no mermaid. She’s just making it up. Jessica swears she’s not.
Now it’s time for lunch on Seal Beach. They don’t see any seals but Liz says maybe they’ll come out after lunch. Lois and Julie ask Jessica to sit with them. She asks if they believe her about the mermaid. Julie makes the crazy sign and says uh no. Lois says she lied about the horse so no for her too. So, she sits with Liz and Amy and tells them she really did see a mermaid. Amy tells her to come up with something better.
The boys start to tease her. Jessica starts to cry. Lila beckons for her to come over and she tells her to cut it out. If she stops lying she’ll stop getting teased. If she stops, she’ll even let her wear her necklace for 5 minutes. Jessica says she isn’t making it up and walks away. She sees Ellen looking in the water for the last shell and wants to help her, but why get her clothes wet for someone who doesn’t believe her.
Liz wonders to Amy and Eva if Jessica is telling the truth. She says she doesn’t believe in mermaids but Jessica usually doesn’t keep a joke up this long. Eva and Amy agree that she might have seen *something*. Liz goes over to her. She gets Jessica to make their secret promise sign to show she’s not making it up. Jessica points out where she saw it in the tidal pool. Liz asks if she’s sure it wasn’t an animal. Jessica says with long wavy hair? Liz says it is a mystery. Liz says she believes she saw something and she’ll go with her to tell Mrs. Otis.
Mrs. Otis, the class, and Travis walk back to the tidal pool. Ellen yells out she found it but what she’s found is the yellow cowrie shell. Then they hear a splash and Winston yells he sees it. Then Liz sees it. It’s a baby sea lion. Charlie says it looks more like a sea monster. Liz says she can see why she’s thought it was a mermaid. The seaweed made it look like it had hair. Lila says uh no. Jessica starts to cry and says stop teasing her. She didn’t see it good. Mrs. Otis says an easy mistake to make and not to pay them any attention. Liz says particularly with the sun shinning on the water.
Travis checks the sea lion over and says it seems fine. It’s a girl and it’s an orphan. Her parents might have gotten killed by a shark, or trapped in a net, or got sick. Travis says she’s lucky. If Jessica saw her or when the tide came back in she might have been killed too. Liz asks what will happen to her and Travis says they have a special program for rescuing orphan animals. They take care of them and try to teach them the same thing their moms would in the wild. Then when their old enough they let them go free again into the wild.
Liz and Travis say Jessica is a hero. Travis lets Jessica name the seal and she names her mermaid. Then Travis lets Jessica hold her and everyone wants to pet her. Travis then starts to tell them about the habits of sea lions. Mrs. Otis tells Jessica that even tho it worked out well, Mermaid could have died. They’d have come sooner if Jessica hadn’t told all those stories. Jessica says she’ll never do it again and Mrs. Otis promises that next time she’ll believe her. They go back to join the others and Caroline lends Jessica an extra pair of sneakers her mom made her bring. Lila is mad because Ellen’s necklace looks like hers.
Rating: 5 It sounded like a fun trip. I might have would have liked to go to this beach as a kid on a field trip. And I was happy that Jessica saved the baby sea lion’s life. It also had a good message about how you shouldn’t keep saying things that aren’t true. Some adults don’t *ever* learn this lesson!
The SVK are about to go on a field trip. Lila is bragging about her seashell necklace that her father got her from Hawaii. Ellen and Amy think it’s pretty and want to make one. Lila says you can’t find shells like that in SV. Eva says there are more unique shells in Jamaica and isn’t impressed. Lila is telling her that she’s never seen her wear a necklace like that and Liz is saying that it’s a collection when Jessica tugs her arm and tells her there’s a horse on the playground. Everyone looks out the window and Jessica tells them made you look.
Lila starts talking about how her father is going to take her to Hawaii when she’s 10 (even tho as Liz points out that’s 3 years away). Jessica announces that the principal (Mrs. Armstrong) has dyed her hair green. But it’s another “gotcha”. Liz tells her she’s just trying to get the attention of Lila and she says maybe she is and maybe she isn’t.
We find out the class is going to the Wild Seashore Preserve by bus. Jessica says maybe Mrs. Armstrong’s hair isn’t green but the giant sea monster is. Liz just laughs and doesn’t look. On the bus, Jessica tells Liz she wishes she hadn’t worn her new shoes. They’re too tight. Liz tells her she’s lucky their mom didn’t see her. Jessica has on a sailor outfit and patent-leather shoes.
Everyone else is wearing, shorts, tee-shirts, and sneakers. Ellen says -when Jessica points them out- that her shoes are pretty but she’s crazy to wear them to the beach. Amy says Ellen thinks she can find the same shells in Lila’s necklace. Lila says no way. One of the shells is a cowrie shell and it’s special. Everyone encourages Ellen. Jessica gets bored with it and tells them there’s a squid out the window. They look and she said fooled you.
Winston starts to make fun of her and says *he’s* the squid. Liz tells her she should stop because even tho she thinks its funny it’s not. They get to the park. Their guide is Travis McCabe. He introduces himself and notices Jessica’s shoed and asks if she has another pair, but she says she likes her shoes. They’re comfortable. He tells her she can take them off but its best she keep them on because the path is rough. Liz says that they can trade shoes later.
Jessica says thanks but no thanks. Eva asks can they collect shells. Travis says yes. They can take home as many empty shells as they want. Travis leads them to a protected area. Jessica lags behind. She complains to Liz that it’s hot and her feet hurt. Liz tells her to try to forget about them. They catch up to the others and reach the beach. Ellen finds a pink (scallop) shell like the one in Lila’s necklace.
Liz goes off to listen to Travis talk about nature facts and leaves Jessica alone. Jessica sits down on a rock and takes off her socks and shoes. She’s starting to get a blister. She knows they can’t swim but the rules didn’t say anything about dipping their feet in the water. Jessica looks down into the pool and sees a pair of brown eyes and long hair looking back at her. In a splash they vanish. She sees the shadow of a long, graceful, tail.
Jessica is convinced she’s seen a mermaid and now everyone will have to pay attention to her. When she tells the others they burst out laughing. Mrs. Otis tells her good one. It’s the best one yet and their attention turns back to searching for seaweed. Jessica asks Liz does she believe her. She says no-tho there’s no twinkle in her eye-. She’s been making up stuff all day. Jessica pleads with her and says she can show her, but Liz says no. They go back and forth but Liz reminds Jessica of the story “The Boy Who Cried Wolf” and says not this time and goes to join her friends.
Jessica decides to give it one more try. She runs up to Ellen (who excitedly tells her she found all the shells except the yellow cowrie). Jessica says if she helps her find the shell will she believe her about the mermaid. Ellen says there is no mermaid. She’s just making it up. Jessica swears she’s not.
Now it’s time for lunch on Seal Beach. They don’t see any seals but Liz says maybe they’ll come out after lunch. Lois and Julie ask Jessica to sit with them. She asks if they believe her about the mermaid. Julie makes the crazy sign and says uh no. Lois says she lied about the horse so no for her too. So, she sits with Liz and Amy and tells them she really did see a mermaid. Amy tells her to come up with something better.
The boys start to tease her. Jessica starts to cry. Lila beckons for her to come over and she tells her to cut it out. If she stops lying she’ll stop getting teased. If she stops, she’ll even let her wear her necklace for 5 minutes. Jessica says she isn’t making it up and walks away. She sees Ellen looking in the water for the last shell and wants to help her, but why get her clothes wet for someone who doesn’t believe her.
Liz wonders to Amy and Eva if Jessica is telling the truth. She says she doesn’t believe in mermaids but Jessica usually doesn’t keep a joke up this long. Eva and Amy agree that she might have seen *something*. Liz goes over to her. She gets Jessica to make their secret promise sign to show she’s not making it up. Jessica points out where she saw it in the tidal pool. Liz asks if she’s sure it wasn’t an animal. Jessica says with long wavy hair? Liz says it is a mystery. Liz says she believes she saw something and she’ll go with her to tell Mrs. Otis.
Mrs. Otis, the class, and Travis walk back to the tidal pool. Ellen yells out she found it but what she’s found is the yellow cowrie shell. Then they hear a splash and Winston yells he sees it. Then Liz sees it. It’s a baby sea lion. Charlie says it looks more like a sea monster. Liz says she can see why she’s thought it was a mermaid. The seaweed made it look like it had hair. Lila says uh no. Jessica starts to cry and says stop teasing her. She didn’t see it good. Mrs. Otis says an easy mistake to make and not to pay them any attention. Liz says particularly with the sun shinning on the water.
Travis checks the sea lion over and says it seems fine. It’s a girl and it’s an orphan. Her parents might have gotten killed by a shark, or trapped in a net, or got sick. Travis says she’s lucky. If Jessica saw her or when the tide came back in she might have been killed too. Liz asks what will happen to her and Travis says they have a special program for rescuing orphan animals. They take care of them and try to teach them the same thing their moms would in the wild. Then when their old enough they let them go free again into the wild.
Liz and Travis say Jessica is a hero. Travis lets Jessica name the seal and she names her mermaid. Then Travis lets Jessica hold her and everyone wants to pet her. Travis then starts to tell them about the habits of sea lions. Mrs. Otis tells Jessica that even tho it worked out well, Mermaid could have died. They’d have come sooner if Jessica hadn’t told all those stories. Jessica says she’ll never do it again and Mrs. Otis promises that next time she’ll believe her. They go back to join the others and Caroline lends Jessica an extra pair of sneakers her mom made her bring. Lila is mad because Ellen’s necklace looks like hers.
Rating: 5 It sounded like a fun trip. I might have would have liked to go to this beach as a kid on a field trip. And I was happy that Jessica saved the baby sea lion’s life. It also had a good message about how you shouldn’t keep saying things that aren’t true. Some adults don’t *ever* learn this lesson!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 22, 2024
Jessica makes a lot of jokes and when she's real for once nobody believes her! She claims to have seen a mermaid during one of their field visits but because of the jokes she kept making on the way to the destination, nobody believed her. But she convinces Elizabeth to believe her and check out the place where she saw the mermaid and th story ends with Jessica being a hero!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 29, 2019
This is the last SVK book my library has, and I’m actually a little sad about it. I still can’t believe I went through my entire Sweet Valley-obsessed life without ever reading any of the books in this series, and now that I know how cute they are I would really love to read more.
January 2, 2013
Shelley and I were talking about Sweet Valley and BSC books the other week and she mentioned never being able to find this one growing up, so I went hunting and managed to find it to give to her as a daggy surprise :P and of course I had to read it too! Very cute story. Jessica's jealous that Lila is getting ALL the attention, because she has a new necklace that she's showing off, so she starts making stuff up to make everyone listen to her... and eventually everyone gets tired of her "haha, made you look"s and "fooled you!"s and Elizabeth lectures her about the boy who cried wolf :P Jess is also a bit grouchy because she wore her new shoes on their beach excursion and they're really not made for hiking around and her feet are hurting. So she's lagging behind... when she sees a mermaid in a rock pool! And of course no one will believe her. BUT THIS TIME IT'S TRUE OMG.
December 5, 2021
This one was great! So the class is going on a field trip, and everyone is excited. Jess keeps psyching people out by ‘making them look’, (annoying everyone) and has dressed all fancy (refer to front cover) for a trip to a beach and Lila is showing off her she’ll necklace from Hawaii, which Ellen is determined to replicate. Jess has a miserable time in her fancy clothes, and everyone is annoyed at her. She’s hanging alone when she spots a mermaid in a tidal pool! She tells everyone and of course no one believes her. She sulks and finally Liz says she believes Jess saw something. So they convince Mrs Otis and their guide to go back, with the whole class teasing her. Then Ellen yells out ‘I found it!’ And Mrs Otis asks ‘the mermaid?’ In shock 😂 Of course Ellen meant the last shell she needed to make an identical necklace to Lila’s. Anyway finally they spot the Mermaid - it’s a baby orphan sea lion with seaweed for hair 😂 Everyone teases Jess until their guide tells them without Jessica the sea lion would have died. And she gets to name it - of course it’s ‘Mermaid’ 🥰 Oh and Caroline bought a spare pair of sneakers which Jess borrows 😂
My rating - 5/10 - This is as high as my SVK ratings get! I was actually baffled as to what Jess could have seen!
My rating - 5/10 - This is as high as my SVK ratings get! I was actually baffled as to what Jess could have seen!
June 22, 2013
I remember the cover just not the story.
July 26, 2012
The last of the Sweet Valley Kids books that I read.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews