Water Tales: Aquamarine and Indigo

Water Tales #1-2

by Alice Hoffman

If you haven't encountered Alice Hoffman's watery fairy tales of modern magic, dive in! Aquamarine The tide brings in something unexpected that will change best friends Claire and Haley's last summer together. Indigo Martha and her friends discover that running to follow a dream is the only way they'll find the true meaning of 'home'.

Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult, Fiction, Mermaids, Magical Realism, Childrens, Middle Grade

208 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2003

About the author

Alice Hoffman is the author of more than thirty works of fiction, including The World That We Knew; The Marriage of Opposites; The Red Garden; The Museum of Extraordinary Things; The Dovekeepers; Here on Earth, an Oprah’s Book Club selection; and the Practical Magic series, including Practical
Magic; Magic Lessons; The Rules of Magic, a selection of Reese’s Book Club; and The Book of Magic. She lives near Boston.

Reviews

[Karina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Review to come— not for my age but found it cute. Quick and boring overall. Mermaids are fun to imagine.

[Tracy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I hadn't planned to read this book in one day but these two stories are so enchanting I just couldn't stop until I was out of pages to read. I really love mermaid books and these two stories did not disappoint. Although these books are geared toward a younger audience, I think you will still enjoy them as an adult.

[Dayna Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

Aquamarine: Nothing like the movie! This is the story of two friends, one of whom is about to move away. As the deadline for the move approaches the girls return to their favorite place, a deserted and neglected beach club that is about to be demolished. In the old pool after a huge storm they discover a mermaid. The girls attempt to befriend the stranded mermaid and return her to the sea before she is discovered. A cute story. Indigo: Thirteen-year-old Martha has two very strange best friends. Trout and Eel are brothers who love being near water and have webbed toes and fingers. All three long to get away from their very dry and waterless town. The threesome decide to run away, but their escape attempt is cut short by a fierce storm. Is the storm a blessing or a curse? Will their questions about themselves finally be answered? A very short, but compelling book.

[Amy McCourt · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is actually two novels published in the same volume. I just can't get enough of Alice Hoffman. This book has another two novels written for teens/young adult.

Aquamarine is a far better story than the movie (even though I thoroughly enjoyed the movie.) It focuses more on the girls desire to not grow apart and have things change, than on the mermaid.

Indigo is short but still feels complete at the end. I like the way Hoffman's books don't usually have a traditional "happy ending" but a realistic one that the reader feels satisfied with.

[Jennifer Heise · Rating 4 out of 5]

Alice Hoffman, writing in the YA genre her magical realism-- two stories about water and relationships. Much more literary than the usual run of YA-fantasy, and yet lyrical. If you loved Yolen on mermaids, and you loved Hoffman before, or you were entranced by literary fantasy, this could be a good read for you. There's a touch of Bradbury here, and the treatment is serious and self-conscious enough to make me wonder if it was really YA (the typeface was what convinced me). Short reads with the positive feedback of Practical Magic.

[Trixie · Rating 5 out of 5]

'People find strength they never knew they had at certain times." <3

[Valerie Wicks · Rating 5 out of 5]

Classic Alice Hoffman; magical.

[Maddy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought the first story would be a 3 or 3 1/2 but the second one was really good and I would rate it a 4. Over all it was a pretty good book.

[Sharon Huether · Rating 3 out of 5]

Water Tales: Aquamarine and Indigo.. By Alice Hoffman..A comming of age tale of two friends, soon to be separated by a move to the East coast. There was hope of new friends to come. Two unusual brothers that loved the ocean and needed to be near it. They got their wish. The author has a nice style of writing almost poetic.

[AquaMoon · Rating 4 out of 5]

In the mood to re-read. Why? Because I can :)

[Jaimie · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a perfect little pair of stories to read during what is turning out to be an increasingly nostalgic and smokin’ hot end of summer! I was so enamoured that I devoured both in less than a day, not only because the format of the book was easy to read, but because I wanted to know how the stories turned out and couldn’t put them down!

“Aquamarine” tells the story of the very last days of summer for BFFs Hailey and Claire, as they are caught up in their last summer together before one of them moves to Florida and their summer haunt (the Capri Beach Club) shuts down for good. After a major storm rips through the town the girls discover a mermaid (named Aquamarine) trapped in the Capri’s swimming pool, and while vowing to save her have one last adventure together. Aquamarine may be the titular character of the story and the catalyst of the story’s conflict, but for me the major themes are centred around that summertime feeling, endless friendship, and the memories we make and endlessly look back on. Having that peak nostalgia epitomized in my summertime lakeside haunts (Sorrento Centre and Cottonwoods RV Resort), it was impossible not to fall in love with this story.

The second story (“Indigo”) tells a different type of water story, centring more closely on the denizens of the watery depths and their interactions with humanity. The story is told from the point of view of Martha, a young girl who is best friends with two brothers who are deemed to be a bit weird in their landlocked and superdry hometown of Oak Grove - Trevor and Eli, aptly nicknamed Trout and Eel after some “fishy” characteristics. Martha, of course, doesn’t care one jot about how weird the boys seem, they’re her best friends and she can’t wait to escape the dreary life of Oak Grove to explore the wider world. We know from the outset that the brothers are not quite human, but Hoffman keeps us guessing until the final scenes to reveal that they are half-mermaid, and were rescued by their adoptive parents after a boating accident which killed their mother. How the story concludes doesn’t really matter so much as the feeling of magic and discovery throughout, and that Hoffman’s themes about acceptance and finding strengths in quirks send a strong message.

[Mihaela Jazvec · Rating 5 out of 5]

Alice Hoffman - Morske priče @algoritam
Obožavam ovu autoricu i njene romane. Uvijek se razveselim kada 'naletim' na neki koji još ne krasi policu, a ove ljepotice: 'Čarolije za svakodnevnu upotrebu', 'Druga priroda', 'Kralj rijeke', 'Plavi dnevnik' i 'Pavila magije' već dugo se vremena na policama druže.
Uskoro će im se pridružiti i ova📚
Prvi dio, Aquamarina mi se toliko svidio da ću ga sigurno još kojiput pročitati. Dvije najbolje prijateljice, Claire i Hailey, znaju se cijeli život. Već dvanaest godina žive vrata do vrata, no to će se sada promijeniti. Claire se seli na Floridu s bakom i djedom, i ovo je jedino zajedničko ljeto koje im je preostalo. Kako li će ga provesti? Hoće li se zabaviti? Dan za danom im je bio isti, sve do velike oluje koja im je otkrila...
Drugi dio, Indigo, također progovara o prijateljstvu trinaestogodišnje djevojčice Marthe s dvojicom neobičnih i pomalo ekscentričnih dječaja, Troutom i Eelijem, koji žive u malenom mjestašcu zvanom Hrastov Lug. To je toliko sušno mjesto da ih i kiša jednostavno voli zaobići. Riječicu su presušili i podigli branu nakon što je poplava neviđenih razmjera poharala mjestašce. Što je to toliko neobično? Pa, sve... Martha želi upoznati svijet, nedavno je izgubila majku, dječacima naprosto fali voda i plivanje, a moć je oceana toliko privlačna da će...
Dvije baš divne priče i svaka preporuka ako ćete ih uzeti u ruke, pogotovo za osnovce prilagođena i one koji još vjeruju u bajke!
🪸🐚🪼🌞🧜🏼‍♀️🧞‍♂️

#osvrt #preporuka #ocean #sirena #more #čitanje #školarci #books #odrastanje #bookworm #bookstagram

[Gina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Both stories have three things in common: 1) Teens, 2) Best friends, and 3) Mermaids. These two tales had interesting moments, but were so short they lacked the depth I was hoping for, so took away one star. Make no mistake... these are good short stories, but they could have been greater, if only each delved a little further past their surfaces. I do love Alice Hoffman, and will continue to read her books.

[Paulina · Rating 3 out of 5]

2 stories in one book.

Both stories were enjoyable. They're easy and fast to read. At times it felt kind of like a short story. Since the story was going by so fast, with not so many details, only those necessary to understand the plot.

If you need to find a fantasy book you can finish fast but is still good, this is it.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice, short stories regarding mythical creatures. The Aquamarine story has only the most basic facts in line with the adaptation with Emma Roberts, JoJo,and Sara Paxton, but still serves as a sweet story of friends dealing with being separated by a big move.

[Jeanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

A sweet dreamy pair of short stories.
Mermaids, mermen, water, and youth, and longing, Alice Hoffman tells these stories like simple, present day fairy tales.
However, I would not call this a pair of novels, even as YA, because it is a very brief manuscript.

[Carol · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book "Water Tales" is actually two short stories, related to each other, by the wonderful author Alice Hoffman. I was surprised to find that there are still books by Ms Hoffman that I hadn't yet read. Thoroughly enjoyed these stories even though they were written for a younger audience.

[Patty꧁꧂ Wilby · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good couple of stories, fun to see the one that inspired the early 2000s movie by the same title. The stories could use some fleshing out but they were good short reads that would be welcome in the summer.

[Cathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I just so enjoy Alice Hoffman’s books. These two short stories - Aquamarine and Indigo - are her normal. Imaginative, fanciful fare. Both quite short - no time to really understand the characters as in her longer books. But charming.

[Deanna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute stories.

[Christie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I might have liked this book better if I had known when I bought it that it was a children's book. The stories were a pleasant distraction, though, and I'm sure my little girl will love it.

[Lucy · Rating 4 out of 5]

2 short novellas, wistfully written, about the magic & draw of the sea.

[Tracy Birrell · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love everything Alice Hoffman writes and this was no exception. A quick,magical read....I may be 63 but I have never stopped believing in Mermaids.

[Katherine · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you're into mermaids, you should read this.

[Cobygirl517 · Rating 3 out of 5]

A pair of sweet stories, though rather juvenile for adults. Pre-teens would probably be the target audience.

[Myra Blake · Rating 4 out of 5]

Two great short reads in one book. What could be better? I always enjoy reading Aice Hoffman's books.

[Talya Matz · Rating 5 out of 5]

mermaids!!!!! alice hoffman!!!

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

Both cute tails of webbed lives. Perfect short stories.

[Marikate Costello · Rating 3 out of 5]

Both of these stories are well written! I just feel like the endings of each were very abrupt. Other than that, they’re both worth the read.

[Mair · Rating 4 out of 5]

Aquamarine - 3
Indigo - 5
Overall - 4

So nostalgic. Still have the copy my cousin Katie gave me in 2003. Love Alice Hoffman's whimsical, magical world-building.