Emily Windsnap and the Ship of Lost Souls

Emily Windsnap #6

by Liz Kessler, Sarah Gibb (Illustrator)

“What’s next for our favorite mergirl? . . . A fun fantasy with well-drawn characters and engaging suspense.” —  Booklist

A field trip to a mysterious island quickly turns into an adventure when Emily and Aaron discover a ghostly ship that no one else can see. Searching for answers only leads to more questions — until Emily and her friends uncover the story of a ship caught between land and sea, day and night . . . life and death. Only Emily, with her ability to transform from mermaid to human, can enter Atlantis to try to bring the ship’s passengers back before the portal is closed forever. Will she be able to resist the allure of Atlantis and return home before it’s too late?

Genres: Fantasy, Middle Grade, Mermaids, Adventure, Childrens, Young Adult, Fiction

288 pages, Paperback

First published August 4, 2015

About the author

Liz Kessler is the author of three novels about Philippa Fisher as well as the NEW YORK TIMES best-selling Emily Windsnap series. She lives in Manchester, England.

Reviews

[Sian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although the writing was a little childish for me now, I began reading this series when I was quite young and I once I've started a book series, I can't resist not finishing it!! Despite the writing style and a few cringy moments it was an exciting mermaid adventure story that had twists, turns and tension throughout. Kessler developed this mysterious concept expertly and overall I thought it was 'Swishy'!

[Laurel S · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this book, Emily goes on a filed trip to Fivebays Island, An island nearby, for a week at school to learn about animals, plants, and the mermaid world. Because now, everyone knows that mermaids exist. The Mer- school, Shiprock, is also going to the island. But, the person in charge, Lowenna Waters, has gone missing and her husband has been left in charge. While swimming, Emily see's a mysterious ship that no one else can see at all. And when she's looking around the ship she see's someone in one of the portholes And it's Lowenna.

I think that this is a really good book and that you you should read it. My favorite part was when Emily is in Atlantis, she gets transported into an ice rink. Basicly, it's a great book.

[Adeline · Rating 5 out of 5]

A field trip to a mysterious island... How creatively inspired! And with both the mermaid students and human students? Cleverly written! I'll try not to give any spoilers, but the discoveries and addition to the mythology are fantastic! Easy to love all the characters and the strong plot. Liz Kessler continues to delight us all, even this far into the series! Give a clap!

[Alice · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was literally so sweet. I think it's my favorite Emily Windsnap book so far! I'm really glad I decided to continue on with this series, because honestly it's so fun, even if it's way below my reading level.

[Taylor Manookian]

cries because he said I love you
MAKE MORE

[Sara Esa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading this book

[Allie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was such a good one! I went back and forth between 4.5 and 5 stars, but I finally decided on 5 because I genuinely can't think of a reason to lower the rating. This book definitely had some darker elements, but honestly, I loved it because of that! This is definitely a series that can grow with the reader.

Before I talk about the characters in this book, let me just backtrack to the last book because I completely forgot to mention Seth! Thankfully, he's in this book too, so I can talk about him in both! Seth is the newest to the collection of characters and I love him so much. I really like the characters that have been added in this series so far. And Aaron trying to admit that he has a best friend now (Seth) was just great, haha!

Now, the plot for this one was (of course) super predictable, but I honestly loved it! Ghost ships and super adorable baby mermaids and plot twists are definitely a good way to pull me into a book!

Overall, this book was definitely one of my favorites in the series!

[Colleen Peralta · Rating 3 out of 5]

Emily Windsnap and the Ship of Lost Souls is an ok book. This book is about a young teenage girl that is a half mermaid/human living in a world with her mermaid and human friends. Then they find a mysterious ship at sea while they were at a week-long trip to Fivebay Island. Although I liked the adventure and action of this book, the story was very unrealistic. I usually like to read books where I can relate to the character's traits. I also think that the plot of the story was a bit flat because even though the book consisted of adventure and action, there were many unnecessary parts of the book that I thought were irrelevant. But on a good note, this book was creative and I liked how the book had fantasy, and adventure.

[Leah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tis was a fun story. It's about mermaids, a missing ship, and Atlantis. I liked the parts in Atlantis better than the other parts, but I did like everything but the romance.

[Ariana · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love the ending! So romantic!

[Lorelai Howe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another good Emily book

[Gracie Dix · Rating 5 out of 5]

What magical creature would you like to be?
I'm thinking a unicorn, or maybe a dragon!
What about a mermaid?
Emily Windsnap can change from a human to a mermaid...leading to lots of fun magical adventures. I highly recommend this middle grade series!

[Marisol · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book that my 8 year old daughter choosed for me because she knows I like mermaids. Plus, she wants to read it when she is a little bit older.
I liked it! It starts a little bit slow but I like the mistery mixed with a sweet teenager love story.

[Samantha · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm not a fan of this series. However, I'm pretty sure I'll end up reading all the books because I read them to my daughter and she absolutely loves them. I will say though that this has been the best book in the series so far.

[Anna Melomed]

I love this one

[Lazy Panda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it. Dfferent from the other Emily Winsnap books but nevertheless, very enthralling.

[Syd · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really good & thrilling @ times.

Recommended ages 12 & up

[Zoe · Rating 3 out of 5]

This story had a different turn to it. Wasn’t great but it was good by the end. Not a normal adventure for Emily but all her adventures aren’t normal.

[Laura Larson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Whew! Emily is growing up and it shows in the difficulty of the tasks and depth on the decisions she has to make. I love to see this series growing and evolving, while still staying young and age appropriate for the intended audience. This book is a little more spooky, a little more serious, and one of the plot twists made me gasp and cringe. Honestly... for a middle school aged reader it probably wouldn't be such a big deal. My momma heart dropped though. You'll know what I mean when you get there, trust me. Another strong tale. My one complaint is that these books have been SO wonderful at having very positive and deep lessons. Maybe I missed it, but this one doesn't seem to have the same point.

[kutingtin · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Life is full of unexpected adventures, embrace them with an open heart.”

“Sometimes the bravest thing you can do is to let go and trust in the unknown.”

“The power of friendship can overcome even the darkest of times.”

“In the depths of doubt, remember that your truest self will always guide you.”


-Been reading Emily’s adventures for years now and I’m down to 2 books left! Aside from the lessons on friendship, family and self love, this series also shows us the importance of conserving our environment like the time Emily discovers a shipwreck hidden in the deep waters and she learns the harmful actions humans can have on our ecosystem making her protect her world even more 🌊🐬🩵


-Read quite a few of my middle grade books because of the themed reading on Nostalgia from our book club and they were all a great warm up to start my reading year. 🎉 Surprised how I’m still interested and fascinated by this series now that I’m 38 :,) oh well, might as well enjoy what you like while it still works! Alrytie, till the next adventure! Swill out and stay swishy! 🌊🧜🏻‍♀️

[Kate Matson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Summary:
A field trip to a mysterious island quickly turns into an adventure when Emily Windsnap and Aaron discover a secret lookout point from which they spot a ghostly ship that no one else seems to be able to see. The ship appears and disappears only at certain times of day—growing fainter each time. Searching for answers only leads to more questions until Emily and her friends confront the island’s keeper, uncovering the incredible story of a ship caught between land and sea, day and night . . . life and death. Only Emily, with her ability to transform from mermaid to human, can enter Atlantis to try to bring the ship’s passengers back before the portal is closed forever. Emily knows that if she fails, not only will the passengers never see their loved ones again, but Emily won’t be able to return either. Will she be able to resist the allure of Atlantis and return home before it’s too late?
Plot:
Once again, Liz Kessler provides her readers with a surprising and gripping novel. This book held my attention the entire time, and I was never bored. Although, I felt confused at times about Atlanta and how everyone got there and why. That's the main reason I gave it 4 stars, I felt it didn't explain as well as I'd liked it to.
Writing:
I've always loved Liz Kessler's writing style, and always will. It drags me in and holds on to me until I'm finished with the story. She's one of my favorite authors.
Characters:
Now that I think about it, there wasn't much character development in this book, and I was a bit disappointed in that area. I think it's because all of the Emily Windsnap books happens over the time span of 1 year. You can't have as much development with that short of a time period. That really didn't bother that much, though. In the previous book, there was lots of development, and it sort of covered all of the development in this book.
Overall:
This was a satisfying ending to a wonderful series. I continue to hope that she magically writes another book about Emily Windsnap that is as good as these have been. I easily read this book in one sitting, and I was right to do so. It was a quick and easy read.
Recommendations:
5th+, mainly girls. Of course, a book about mermaids would normally be more appealing to girls. It is a clean and funny read, perfect for pre-middle-schoolers.

[Lily · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really love the series of Emily Windsnap. So when I heard there was a new one I asked my mom to get it for me. I thought it was one of the best in the series. My favorite part of the book was when Emily was willing to save a lot of people even though she knew that she might die. My least favorite part of the book is when Emily doesn't know if she likes Aaron or if she loves Aaron. I don't like this part because Emily and Aaron are obvioulsy perfect for each other. Overall I really liked this book. It takes you on an adventure just like all the other books in the series.

[Rachel Dumas · Rating 3 out of 5]

Emily Windsnap and the Ship of Lost Souls is about a half-human, half-mermaid named, Emily. On a school field trip, she discovers a mysterious, ghostly, ship.
I thought that this was a really good book that had adventure, and mermaids in it. I would recommend this book to people who like an easy read with adventure, and a little bit of magic.

[Makenzie Muñoz · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is the 6th installment in the Emily Windsnap series. I have grown up reading about Emily Windsnap's adventures as she discovered she was half-human, half-mer. Just like all of her adventures, this one had high stakes that Emily and her friends would have to use their smarts to make it out safely. I always have a fun time reading this series!

[Bailey Marissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was interesting, because it's slightly more innocent than the other books, but also less innocent because there are some actual consequences that I didn't expect.

Recommended 10+ for mild romance and scary situations.

[Valerie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love Emily Windsnap! I mean who doesn't want to be half mermaid?!!?

[Crystal]

I love this book

[Jessica Stephens]

I chose this book for the intermediate pick! Although being about the similar mythical creatures as the lower-level JF pick, the difference in content, reading level, and plot is obvious. I chose it because it fits the fantasy theme, all while hitting those major points for an intermediate novel. A little over view of the story, the main characters Emily and Aaron discover a ghostly ship that appears and disappears at certain parts during the day. Trying to figure out as much as they can about this mysterious ship, Emily asks the island keeper what he knows and she realizes that only her with her ability to be a mermaid can solve the problem at hand and save the day! This novel is a lot longer than the Lower-level JF and the vocabulary is more advanced for the older kiddos. Content is also appropriate.
3 Discussion Questions:
1. (Before getting too far in the story) Why do you think the ship keeps appearing and reappearing, and why can only Emily see it?
2. Who do you think is on the ship and how did they get there?
3. Do you think Emily will save the passengers without also getting stuck their with them? What are your predictions?

[Leilani Osmundson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Next in my reading/rereading-my-entire-personal-library project is the Emily Windsnap series, and I have to say that getting through these books has been a bit of a chore. I'm just not enjoying them as much as I did when I was a kid (and now I'm wondering if I even enjoyed them that much in the first place, as I can't remember getting past the first couple). They don't hold up as well as other childhood favorites. The world-building lacks detail, the characters are fairly one-dimensional (or we just don't get enough time to connect with them, as in the case of Emily's parents), the plots are seemingly both haphazardly thrown together yet entirely predictable – it just feels like though there's a lot of potential for this series, it falls flat in the end. I also don't like how the setting changes every book.

I do like the creativity and the books do seem to improve as I get farther into the series (this sixth one was probably the most creative and well-written), but overall, other childhood favorites hold up better.

I'd love to read about a half-human, half-mermaid world through books that are longer, a little darker, and written for young adults rather than kids/preteens.

[Darby Bender]

When I started to fall in love with reading, I would go to the library and try find something that would catch my eye. Still on my search, I went to a garage sale and found the first book to this soon to be 7 book series. I have now finished the sixth book of this non-fiction series called "Emily Windsnap and the Ship of Lost Souls" written by Liz Kessler. This book is about the adventures of a girl who is half human and half mermaid named Emily Windsnap. The story begins when Emily finds out that there is an eighth-grade field trip on the geography of an island called “Five Bays Island.” She isn’t all that interested until she finds out that the class will also be studying oceanography. She asks her boyfriend, Aaron, who is also a half human and half mermaid and he agrees to go on the trip because he loves to swim. When she gets to the islands, she discovers that her two best friends, Mandy (a human) and Shona (a mermaid) are joining her on the field trip. Emily and Aaron go exploring where they are not supposed to go to and find out that their tour guide is keeping secrets from them. Together the four friends come together to explore the secrets of the island and discover something only semi-mermaids can see!
It took a little while for the story to really draw me in at the beginning. But after a slow start I was captured by the magic in this book. The author used magnificent words to describe the littlest details and it was an intense story line. It had an “Everything’s at stake feel” to it. The Author always uses extremely descriptive words which I have always praised her for having that aspect in all her books. She inspires me to do the same in all my writing, including this paper! Her story line and description makes me feel like I just fell into the story and I am experiencing everything the character feels. That’s how close I got to the characters. My one negative comment is that I expect everything that happens before the story line unfolds. I don’t know a whole ton about writing to know if that a terrible thing or if it is normal in any story, it’s just not my favorite. It spoils the surprise of what’s going to happen next!
I recommend this book to girls who are 9-13 years old. Also, girls who love fiction. They might like this book because it has mythical creatures, and concepts that have been fictionalized and put into this story. It might be harder to read for girls who are younger, but who doesn’t love a challenge?