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Bad Mermaids #1
Bad Mermaids Make Waves
A trio of smart and stylish mermaids are about to make a splash in this hilarious start to a new middle-grade series that’s The Little Mermaid meets My Big Fat Zombie Goldfish.
Mermaids Beattie, Mimi, and Zelda’s summer on land with temporary legs is going swimmingly—until they receive a strange message ordering them to return home at once. The beloved queen of the Hidden Lagoon has been fishnapped, and some seriously bad mermaids have taken over instead! Now, the girls are the only ones who can stop them.
If they’re going to save the day, they’ll need a clam car, some piranha-print nail polish, and possibly a talking seahorse named Steve. Can they do it?
Filled with magical mysteries, fabulous shell fashions, and three fin-tastic protagonists to root for, Bad Mermaids Make Waves is a hysterical new middle-grade adventure that will have readers begging for the sea-quel.
Mermaids Beattie, Mimi, and Zelda’s summer on land with temporary legs is going swimmingly—until they receive a strange message ordering them to return home at once. The beloved queen of the Hidden Lagoon has been fishnapped, and some seriously bad mermaids have taken over instead! Now, the girls are the only ones who can stop them.
If they’re going to save the day, they’ll need a clam car, some piranha-print nail polish, and possibly a talking seahorse named Steve. Can they do it?
Filled with magical mysteries, fabulous shell fashions, and three fin-tastic protagonists to root for, Bad Mermaids Make Waves is a hysterical new middle-grade adventure that will have readers begging for the sea-quel.
256 pages, Hardcover
First published June 1, 2017
39 people are currently reading
621 people want to read
About the author
Sibéal Pounder
38 books117 followersSibéal has written for publications including The Guardian, fashion trend forecaster WGSN, Vogue.com and The Financial Times, where she was the resident philanthropy columnist for the How To Spend It section for six years. She studied Modern History at St Andrews and Quentin Tarantino film at Yale.
Her bestselling debut Witch Wars has been translated into 10 languages so far and was shortlisted for the Sainsbury's Children's Book Award and the Waterstone's Children's Book Prize.
Her bestselling debut Witch Wars has been translated into 10 languages so far and was shortlisted for the Sainsbury's Children's Book Award and the Waterstone's Children's Book Prize.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 54 reviews
June 1, 2017
Author Sibeal Pounder is best known for her, “Witch Wars,” series, which my ten year old daughter loves and so she was keen to try this new book by her. There are 34 chapters, approx 250 pages and several black and white illustrations, which make this really appealing for children approximately 8 – 11 years.
Mermaids have lived on this planet for a long, long time and yet they have remained undiscovered, in the Hidden Lagoon. However, as young mermaids seem to spend countless time complaining that they want to have legs, the Queen of the Lagoon, has put into a summer initiative in place so young mermaids can experience a summer with legs. However, only two weeks into their experience on dry land, friends Beattie Shelton and twins Mimi and Zelda Swish, are recalled home. There are BAD MERMAIDS on the loose and their help is required immediately…
With fun articles from the Mermaids newspaper, “Clamzine,” we follow the adventures of the three friends as they return home and try to find out what is going on. This is a very modern, original story, which will appeal to all mermaid lovers. It is fun, with a well created world and, best of all, there will be a second book in the series.
Mermaids have lived on this planet for a long, long time and yet they have remained undiscovered, in the Hidden Lagoon. However, as young mermaids seem to spend countless time complaining that they want to have legs, the Queen of the Lagoon, has put into a summer initiative in place so young mermaids can experience a summer with legs. However, only two weeks into their experience on dry land, friends Beattie Shelton and twins Mimi and Zelda Swish, are recalled home. There are BAD MERMAIDS on the loose and their help is required immediately…
With fun articles from the Mermaids newspaper, “Clamzine,” we follow the adventures of the three friends as they return home and try to find out what is going on. This is a very modern, original story, which will appeal to all mermaid lovers. It is fun, with a well created world and, best of all, there will be a second book in the series.
July 8, 2017
I just realized I'd never actually reviewed this one - which is ridiculous, because I've read it twice now and loved it even more the second time!
I really enjoyed Sibéal Pounder's earlier books, but I *adored* this one (the first in a new series), which is just dazzlingly fun and funny, filled to the brim with witty, imaginative jokes and fantastic world-building details that never, ever slow down the pace of the fabulous and quick-moving adventure. The trio of girls at its heart is just wonderful, their dialogue made me laugh out loud multiple times, and the writing sparkles all the way through. I can't wait for Book 2 in the series!
I really enjoyed Sibéal Pounder's earlier books, but I *adored* this one (the first in a new series), which is just dazzlingly fun and funny, filled to the brim with witty, imaginative jokes and fantastic world-building details that never, ever slow down the pace of the fabulous and quick-moving adventure. The trio of girls at its heart is just wonderful, their dialogue made me laugh out loud multiple times, and the writing sparkles all the way through. I can't wait for Book 2 in the series!
August 12, 2022
4,25 sterren - Nederlandse hardcover
Vol magische mysteries, fabuleuze fashion en een pittig piranha-probleem, geeft Vinnige zeemeerminnen een totaal nieuwe draai aan de onderwaterwereld.
Zeemeerminnen Beattie, Mimi en Zelda genieten volop van hun zomer met benen. Maar dan krijgen ze een vreemd KRABAGRAM: ze moeten meteen naar huis komen. VINNIGE ZEEMEERMINNEN maken de zee onveilig en de meisjes zijn de enigen die hen kunnen stoppen!
Hulpmiddelen: een mosselmobiel en nagellak met een piranha print.
Zeemeerminnen Bettie, Mimi en Zelda zijn nog niet zo lang op vakantie op het land wanneer zij een krabtagram ontvangen. Het is mysterieus maar duidelijk is wel dat zij hun vakantie voortijdig af moeten breken want er zijn rare dingen aan de hand in de Lagune. Ze moeten naar huis om hulp te bieden.
De tekening van de verborgen Lagune aan het begin en einde van het boek is leuk gedaan. Het ziet er mooi uit en geeft meteen een idee van de omgeving. Wel had het van mij wat meer een kaart mogen zijn zodat je een nog beter idee van de verborgen Lagune had gekregen.
Met regelmaat vindt je een mooie zwart-wit illustratie, of berichten uit een krant of tijdschrift worden ook als zodanig weergegeven. Dit vond ik een leuk gegeven.
Pounder heeft een flinke fantasie en is compleet in de onderwaterwereld gedoken. De onderwatergrapjes vliegen je om de oren
Ik vond de namen ook heel goed bedacht!
Zo heb je onder andere Arabella Vanderzalm, Sjaan Scheepsruim enOdette Onderwater.
Steef, het pratende zeepaardje, is een hele goede toevoeging. Hij is aandoenlijk maar ook gewoon erg grappig. Hij slaapt in een kunstgebit die overal mee naartoe wordt genomen tijdens het avontuur. Wat Steef natuurlijk extra leuk maakt is dat hij Bettie, Mimi en Zelda bijstaat.
Ik persoonlijk vind deze onderdompeling in de onderwaterwereld wel gaaf gedaan. Als je het doet, doe het dan goed!
Humorvol kinderboek wat ik als volwassene ook graag heb gelezen.
Vol magische mysteries, fabuleuze fashion en een pittig piranha-probleem, geeft Vinnige zeemeerminnen een totaal nieuwe draai aan de onderwaterwereld.
Zeemeerminnen Beattie, Mimi en Zelda genieten volop van hun zomer met benen. Maar dan krijgen ze een vreemd KRABAGRAM: ze moeten meteen naar huis komen. VINNIGE ZEEMEERMINNEN maken de zee onveilig en de meisjes zijn de enigen die hen kunnen stoppen!
Hulpmiddelen: een mosselmobiel en nagellak met een piranha print.
Zeemeerminnen Bettie, Mimi en Zelda zijn nog niet zo lang op vakantie op het land wanneer zij een krabtagram ontvangen. Het is mysterieus maar duidelijk is wel dat zij hun vakantie voortijdig af moeten breken want er zijn rare dingen aan de hand in de Lagune. Ze moeten naar huis om hulp te bieden.
De tekening van de verborgen Lagune aan het begin en einde van het boek is leuk gedaan. Het ziet er mooi uit en geeft meteen een idee van de omgeving. Wel had het van mij wat meer een kaart mogen zijn zodat je een nog beter idee van de verborgen Lagune had gekregen.
Met regelmaat vindt je een mooie zwart-wit illustratie, of berichten uit een krant of tijdschrift worden ook als zodanig weergegeven. Dit vond ik een leuk gegeven.
Pounder heeft een flinke fantasie en is compleet in de onderwaterwereld gedoken. De onderwatergrapjes vliegen je om de oren
Ik vond de namen ook heel goed bedacht!
Zo heb je onder andere Arabella Vanderzalm, Sjaan Scheepsruim enOdette Onderwater.
Steef, het pratende zeepaardje, is een hele goede toevoeging. Hij is aandoenlijk maar ook gewoon erg grappig. Hij slaapt in een kunstgebit die overal mee naartoe wordt genomen tijdens het avontuur. Wat Steef natuurlijk extra leuk maakt is dat hij Bettie, Mimi en Zelda bijstaat.
Ik persoonlijk vind deze onderdompeling in de onderwaterwereld wel gaaf gedaan. Als je het doet, doe het dan goed!
Humorvol kinderboek wat ik als volwassene ook graag heb gelezen.
July 3, 2017
Deliciously bonkers and joyful underwater adventure - this will have readers cackling with laughter and turning its pages relentlessly. Brilliant and very very glamorous, just like Sibéal herself. 6+
*Please note: this review is meant as a recommendation only. Please do not use it in any marketing material, online or in print, without asking permission from me first. Thank you!*
*Please note: this review is meant as a recommendation only. Please do not use it in any marketing material, online or in print, without asking permission from me first. Thank you!*
October 14, 2023
(Luin tämän kirjan elokuussa, mutta unohdin tämän paasauksen hyväksi aikaa keskeneräisiin tiedostoihin :D Olen kuitenkin edelleen kaikesta samaa mieltä, joten ei varmaan ole väliä vaikka postaan tämän kaksi kuukautta myöhässä)
En tainnut olla ihan oikeassa mielentilassa kun luin tätä, ja vaikka olisin voinut lopettaa milloin vain todettuani että tämä ei pääse vinkkauslistalle, Tyrskymimmit turhauttaa minua olemassaolollaan sen verran että (meri)suolan määrä on purettava jotenkin. Joten sori kärttyisestä tekstistä, joka seuraa :D
Merenneidot Betti, Zelda ja Mimi ovat maanpinnalla kokeilemassa, millaista on elää pyrstön sijaan jalkojen kanssa, kun he saavat tietää, että merenneitojen kuningatar on kidnapattu. Kolmikko palaa merenneitojen valtakuntaan ja huomaa, että pahikset ovat ottaneet mestan valtaansa. Jostain syystä pahisten johtaja pakottaa kaikki merenneidot valmistamaan bikiniyläosia simpukankuorista, ja voi peeveli, unohdin jo, miten aloin vihata sanaa ”simpukka” kun luin tätä kirjaa……. Simpukoita on tässä kirjassa siis joka himputin paikassa, ja sitä sanaa toistetaan ihan loputtomiin.
Anyway, päähahmokolmikko joutuu selvittämään, kuka on kuningattaren kidnappauksen takana, minne kuningattaren linnan muu väki on vangittuna ja miksi pahiksilla on fiksaatio simpukkabikineihin. Pahiksilla on käytössään valtava parvi piraijoita, jotka pitävät merenneidot ruodussa – kaikille merenneidoille on yhtäkkiä ilmestynyt kynsiin piraijakuviot ja piraijat seuraavat merkittyjä merenneitoja kuin, öh, hait laivaa. Mutta Bettille, Zeldalle ja Mimille ei ole ilmestynyt tällaisia kuvioita koska he olivat niiden ilmaantumisen aikaan maan pinnalla, ja he saavatkin liikkua merenneitojen valtakunnassa melko vapaasti. Tämä piraijakuvio-kuvio on merkillinen ja heppoisesti selitetty – en tiedä minkä vuoksi moinen koukero on tarinassa mukana, eivätkö piraijat olisi voineet olla pahisten käskytettävinä ilman mitään erikoissysteemejä, emt. Kaikki huipentuu jonkinlaiseen pahisten juonimaan urheilutapahtumaan, jonka tarkoituksena on koota kaikki merenneidot samaan paikkaan pahisten juonen toteuttamiseksi, ja Betti, Mimi ja Zelda yrittävät parhaansa mukaan lyödä kapuloita rattaisiin.
Luulen että suomennos ei aivan tavoittanut kaikkia alkuperäiskielellä viljeltyjä sanaleikkejä, vitsejä sekä meriaiheisia viittauksia, mikä on harmi – tykkäsin kuitenkin siitä, että merenneitojen puheenparressa esiintyi sana ”turskanen”. Ennen ensimmäistä ”turskasta” olin kuitenkin jo ehtinyt ärsyyntyä siihen, että kaikki hahmot tässä kirjassa huutavat, karjuvat ja kiljuvat. Koko ajan. Nämä puhetta kuvaavat termit eivät kuitenkaan riitä, vaan kirjailija myös käyttää runsaasti Caps Lockia.
Kerronta tuntui läpi kirjan jotenkin teennäiseltä ja mukahauskalta. Pidän huumorista, päättömyyksistä ja sekoilusta – esim. Maailman Paras Puumaja -sarja on minusta mainio, samoin Koiramies-sarjakuvat – mutta tässä tarinassa kaikki tuntui väkinäiseltä ja vitsejä venytettiin ihan liikaa – ja pahinta oli, että vitsit eivät olleet alun alkaenkaan hauskoja Tämä on kuitenkin puhtaasti makuasia, ja voi tosiaan olla, että en vain ollut kovin vastaanottavainen tämän kirjan huumorille juuri tällä hetkellä.
Hahmoista sen verran, että vaikka pääkolmikon jäsenillä oli jokaisella selkeä rooli (Betti on aivot, Zelda on rämäpää jolla on pakottava tarve painella nappeja nähdäkseen mitä ne tekevät, Mimi haahuilee omissa maailmoissaan ja lörpöttelee salaiset suunnitelmat julki kaikille jotka kuuntelevat), niin en juuri kiintynyt tai tykästynyt heihin. Juoni eteni tuhatta ja sataa, ja samaan aikaan kirjailijalla oli niin kiire esitellä merenalaisen maailmansa kummallisuuksia ja kommervenkkejä, että pääkolmikko jäi pinnalliseksi standup-trioksi. Okei, kolmikon mukana on myös puhuva merihevonen Seppo, joka on… kolmikon mukana. Seppo hokee ”sori nyt vaan” ja siinä oikeastaan kaikki hänen osaltaan.
Kirjan lopussa on vielä resepti, joka sai minut ihan tarpeettoman kiukkuiseksi :’D Reseptin avulla voi tehdä merenneitojen suosikkijuomaa, ”vaahtopirtelöä”. Reseptissä neuvotaan keittämään kattilassa litra maitoa, maustamaan se sokerilla ja vanilliinisokerilla ja sen jälkeen kaatamaan maito kattilasta neljään mukiin ja laittamaan päälle kinuskikastiketta sekä nonparelleja (oransseja). Maitoa ei neuvota vaahdottamaan tai vispaamaan mitenkään. Se vain keitetään, makeutetaan ja kaadetaan mukiin. Päälle ei tule edes kermavaahtoa, vaan maidon sekaan tursotetaan ohjeen mukaan kinuskikastiketta ja lopuksi perään heitetään nonparelleja.
Kuvittelen kyseisen annoksen mielessäni.
Mistä suunnasta katsottuna tämä on muka pirtelöä???
En tainnut olla ihan oikeassa mielentilassa kun luin tätä, ja vaikka olisin voinut lopettaa milloin vain todettuani että tämä ei pääse vinkkauslistalle, Tyrskymimmit turhauttaa minua olemassaolollaan sen verran että (meri)suolan määrä on purettava jotenkin. Joten sori kärttyisestä tekstistä, joka seuraa :D
Merenneidot Betti, Zelda ja Mimi ovat maanpinnalla kokeilemassa, millaista on elää pyrstön sijaan jalkojen kanssa, kun he saavat tietää, että merenneitojen kuningatar on kidnapattu. Kolmikko palaa merenneitojen valtakuntaan ja huomaa, että pahikset ovat ottaneet mestan valtaansa. Jostain syystä pahisten johtaja pakottaa kaikki merenneidot valmistamaan bikiniyläosia simpukankuorista, ja voi peeveli, unohdin jo, miten aloin vihata sanaa ”simpukka” kun luin tätä kirjaa……. Simpukoita on tässä kirjassa siis joka himputin paikassa, ja sitä sanaa toistetaan ihan loputtomiin.
Anyway, päähahmokolmikko joutuu selvittämään, kuka on kuningattaren kidnappauksen takana, minne kuningattaren linnan muu väki on vangittuna ja miksi pahiksilla on fiksaatio simpukkabikineihin. Pahiksilla on käytössään valtava parvi piraijoita, jotka pitävät merenneidot ruodussa – kaikille merenneidoille on yhtäkkiä ilmestynyt kynsiin piraijakuviot ja piraijat seuraavat merkittyjä merenneitoja kuin, öh, hait laivaa. Mutta Bettille, Zeldalle ja Mimille ei ole ilmestynyt tällaisia kuvioita koska he olivat niiden ilmaantumisen aikaan maan pinnalla, ja he saavatkin liikkua merenneitojen valtakunnassa melko vapaasti. Tämä piraijakuvio-kuvio on merkillinen ja heppoisesti selitetty – en tiedä minkä vuoksi moinen koukero on tarinassa mukana, eivätkö piraijat olisi voineet olla pahisten käskytettävinä ilman mitään erikoissysteemejä, emt. Kaikki huipentuu jonkinlaiseen pahisten juonimaan urheilutapahtumaan, jonka tarkoituksena on koota kaikki merenneidot samaan paikkaan pahisten juonen toteuttamiseksi, ja Betti, Mimi ja Zelda yrittävät parhaansa mukaan lyödä kapuloita rattaisiin.
Luulen että suomennos ei aivan tavoittanut kaikkia alkuperäiskielellä viljeltyjä sanaleikkejä, vitsejä sekä meriaiheisia viittauksia, mikä on harmi – tykkäsin kuitenkin siitä, että merenneitojen puheenparressa esiintyi sana ”turskanen”. Ennen ensimmäistä ”turskasta” olin kuitenkin jo ehtinyt ärsyyntyä siihen, että kaikki hahmot tässä kirjassa huutavat, karjuvat ja kiljuvat. Koko ajan. Nämä puhetta kuvaavat termit eivät kuitenkaan riitä, vaan kirjailija myös käyttää runsaasti Caps Lockia.
Kerronta tuntui läpi kirjan jotenkin teennäiseltä ja mukahauskalta. Pidän huumorista, päättömyyksistä ja sekoilusta – esim. Maailman Paras Puumaja -sarja on minusta mainio, samoin Koiramies-sarjakuvat – mutta tässä tarinassa kaikki tuntui väkinäiseltä ja vitsejä venytettiin ihan liikaa – ja pahinta oli, että vitsit eivät olleet alun alkaenkaan hauskoja Tämä on kuitenkin puhtaasti makuasia, ja voi tosiaan olla, että en vain ollut kovin vastaanottavainen tämän kirjan huumorille juuri tällä hetkellä.
Hahmoista sen verran, että vaikka pääkolmikon jäsenillä oli jokaisella selkeä rooli (Betti on aivot, Zelda on rämäpää jolla on pakottava tarve painella nappeja nähdäkseen mitä ne tekevät, Mimi haahuilee omissa maailmoissaan ja lörpöttelee salaiset suunnitelmat julki kaikille jotka kuuntelevat), niin en juuri kiintynyt tai tykästynyt heihin. Juoni eteni tuhatta ja sataa, ja samaan aikaan kirjailijalla oli niin kiire esitellä merenalaisen maailmansa kummallisuuksia ja kommervenkkejä, että pääkolmikko jäi pinnalliseksi standup-trioksi. Okei, kolmikon mukana on myös puhuva merihevonen Seppo, joka on… kolmikon mukana. Seppo hokee ”sori nyt vaan” ja siinä oikeastaan kaikki hänen osaltaan.
Kirjan lopussa on vielä resepti, joka sai minut ihan tarpeettoman kiukkuiseksi :’D Reseptin avulla voi tehdä merenneitojen suosikkijuomaa, ”vaahtopirtelöä”. Reseptissä neuvotaan keittämään kattilassa litra maitoa, maustamaan se sokerilla ja vanilliinisokerilla ja sen jälkeen kaatamaan maito kattilasta neljään mukiin ja laittamaan päälle kinuskikastiketta sekä nonparelleja (oransseja). Maitoa ei neuvota vaahdottamaan tai vispaamaan mitenkään. Se vain keitetään, makeutetaan ja kaadetaan mukiin. Päälle ei tule edes kermavaahtoa, vaan maidon sekaan tursotetaan ohjeen mukaan kinuskikastiketta ja lopuksi perään heitetään nonparelleja.
Kuvittelen kyseisen annoksen mielessäni.
Mistä suunnasta katsottuna tämä on muka pirtelöä???
June 6, 2017
I started this one on Friday, then decided to save it for Saturday when I had to travel a bit. It was just too much fun, and I could see me fly through the book in an heartbeat.
This was AMAZING. It was hilarious (I almost rolled off my seat on the tram a few times on Saturday while reading). After a while I gave up on putting pieces of paper on favourite quotes because I had too many. :P I can't wait for the next Bad Mermaids book!
I adored Witch Wars (the previous series by this author), so I was hoping that Bad Mermaids would also be fantastic. And it was! It felt like Witch Wars, but now with Mermaids (Good and Bad).
We have 3 characters. Beattie (middle girl on the cover who is pretty awesome and does some pretty epic things), Zelda (the one with the awesome hair on the left, no Zelda, stop touching buttons you shouldn't touch), Mimi (the cutest of them all on the right (and a bit of a ditz)). I loved them all from the start. At times I confused the twins a bit and had to read back. :P Still not sure how I did that as they all had pretty different voices.
The mystery is a delight, the queen has been fishnapped, the palace is empty, and there is a new ruler in town, and a whole army of piranhas who just love a mermaid snack.
Our group of 3 mermaids are off to figure out what has happened. They are the only ones who can move freely (which I quite loved and which made sense since they weren't around when x happened), and thus they are the destined ones to help out. I loved how they traced back what the queen's daily schedule was, and also to meet with the SHOALs.
I have to say I quite quickly knew who was the culprit though. It was just too glaringly obvious going by that article. I was amazed that none of the girls had an idea.
I loved that the author made so many different mermaids, it is all depending on what city/town they were born in. If you were born in Lobstertown you had a lobster-tail, if you were born in Hammerhead Heights you had a sharkish tail. Everyone had a different tail and it was just fabulous.
Plus it was fun to read about the various towns and what set them apart from each other. How there were prejudices for each town.
I had a laugh at the fact there is a giant shark swimming around with a restaurant in him/her!!!
Just like Witch Wars I hated the mascot character (as I would call them that), this time it is a talking seahorse named Steve. My Gosh, he was just so annoying and I was constantly wondering if sea horse would make a good dish. Or if duct tape would work under water. He kept thinking he was so awesome and so fantastic, but sorry Steve, you are nothing but a nuisance. Go away, back to where you came from.
The ending to the book was fabulous, though I loved the last pages even more as it really set the stage for the next book! Which I need now in my life!
Like with the Witch Wars series, this book also has news articles, stuff about certain mermaids, advertisements and much much more.
Oh oh, and them crashing into that stall reminded me of that one scene from Witch Wars!! Plus this world also seems to have pipes connecting stuff.
The book is also filled with illustrations, and I just adore the style (cute). It fits perfectly, and everything is pretty much as I would imagine it would look.
I would highly recommend this fun book to everyone!
Review first posted at https://twirlingbookprincess.com/
This was AMAZING. It was hilarious (I almost rolled off my seat on the tram a few times on Saturday while reading). After a while I gave up on putting pieces of paper on favourite quotes because I had too many. :P I can't wait for the next Bad Mermaids book!
I adored Witch Wars (the previous series by this author), so I was hoping that Bad Mermaids would also be fantastic. And it was! It felt like Witch Wars, but now with Mermaids (Good and Bad).
We have 3 characters. Beattie (middle girl on the cover who is pretty awesome and does some pretty epic things), Zelda (the one with the awesome hair on the left, no Zelda, stop touching buttons you shouldn't touch), Mimi (the cutest of them all on the right (and a bit of a ditz)). I loved them all from the start. At times I confused the twins a bit and had to read back. :P Still not sure how I did that as they all had pretty different voices.
The mystery is a delight, the queen has been fishnapped, the palace is empty, and there is a new ruler in town, and a whole army of piranhas who just love a mermaid snack.
Our group of 3 mermaids are off to figure out what has happened. They are the only ones who can move freely (which I quite loved and which made sense since they weren't around when x happened), and thus they are the destined ones to help out. I loved how they traced back what the queen's daily schedule was, and also to meet with the SHOALs.
I have to say I quite quickly knew who was the culprit though. It was just too glaringly obvious going by that article. I was amazed that none of the girls had an idea.
I loved that the author made so many different mermaids, it is all depending on what city/town they were born in. If you were born in Lobstertown you had a lobster-tail, if you were born in Hammerhead Heights you had a sharkish tail. Everyone had a different tail and it was just fabulous.
Plus it was fun to read about the various towns and what set them apart from each other. How there were prejudices for each town.
I had a laugh at the fact there is a giant shark swimming around with a restaurant in him/her!!!
Just like Witch Wars I hated the mascot character (as I would call them that), this time it is a talking seahorse named Steve. My Gosh, he was just so annoying and I was constantly wondering if sea horse would make a good dish. Or if duct tape would work under water. He kept thinking he was so awesome and so fantastic, but sorry Steve, you are nothing but a nuisance. Go away, back to where you came from.
The ending to the book was fabulous, though I loved the last pages even more as it really set the stage for the next book! Which I need now in my life!
Like with the Witch Wars series, this book also has news articles, stuff about certain mermaids, advertisements and much much more.
Oh oh, and them crashing into that stall reminded me of that one scene from Witch Wars!! Plus this world also seems to have pipes connecting stuff.
The book is also filled with illustrations, and I just adore the style (cute). It fits perfectly, and everything is pretty much as I would imagine it would look.
I would highly recommend this fun book to everyone!
Review first posted at https://twirlingbookprincess.com/
August 1, 2020
Honestly just delightful. Contains mermaids.
(And the world-building is really good! There's a lot going on, the pacing is really good and we get to explore so much of it. Definitely left me wanting to know more, especially about the crocodile mermaids!)
(And the world-building is really good! There's a lot going on, the pacing is really good and we get to explore so much of it. Definitely left me wanting to know more, especially about the crocodile mermaids!)
August 8, 2018
So much fin. I mean fun.
November 3, 2020
We could not get into this one and we normally love reading about mermaids. But this is boring and weird. It’s also super annoying with the one mermaid who always called things by the wrong names. It doesn’t make sense and it’s stupid.
May 24, 2020
2.5-3 stjärnor.
Bitvis hade jag lite svårt att veta vem som var vem av våra huvudpersoner men det hade nog löst sig om jag läst boken under kortare tid. En söt bok med fina illustrationer.
Bitvis hade jag lite svårt att veta vem som var vem av våra huvudpersoner men det hade nog löst sig om jag läst boken under kortare tid. En söt bok med fina illustrationer.
August 26, 2023
Ehkä kuitenkin 4 ja puoli.
July 14, 2019
Zeemeerminnen Bettie, Mimi en Zelda zijn nog niet zo lang op vakantie op het land wanneer zij een krabtagram ontvangen. Het is mysterieus maar duidelijk is wel dat zij hun vakantie voortijdig af moeten breken want er zijn rare dingen aan de hand in de Lagune. Ze moeten naar huis om hulp te bieden.
De tekening van de verborgen Lagune aan het begin en einde van het boek is leuk gedaan. Het ziet er mooi uit en geeft meteen een idee van de omgeving. Wel had het van mij wat meer een kaart mogen zijn zodat je een nog beter idee van de verborgen Lagune had gekregen.
Het boek heeft een mooie vormgeving. Met regelmaat een mooie zwart-wit illustratie en berichten uit een krant of tijdschrift worden ook als zodanig weergegeven. Dit breekt de gewone tekst waardoor het voor kinderen misschien net weer wat aantrekkelijker is.
Pounder heeft een flinke fantasie en is compleet in de onderwaterwereld gedoken. De onderwatergrapjes vliegen je om de oren (er is iemand gevisnapt, zij deed toevallig aan visness en ook kennen ze onder water vinfu…) Ook de achternamen zijn creatief bedacht. Zo heb je onder andere Arabella Vanderzalm, Sjaan Scheepsruim, Odette Onderwater en Muriël Pekelharing. Complimenten aan Pounder voor de originaliteit!
Steef, het pratende zeepaardje, is een hele goede toevoeging. Hij is aandoenlijk maar ook gewoon erg grappig. Hij slaapt in een kunstgebit die overal mee naartoe wordt genomen tijdens het avontuur. Wat Steef natuurlijk extra leuk maakt is dat hij Bettie, Mimi en Zelda bijstaat.
Ik persoonlijk vind deze onderdompeling in de onderwaterwereld wel gaaf gedaan. Als je het doet, doe het dan goed. Het kan wel zijn dat het boek minder kinderen aanspreekt omdat het verhaal zo volledig is opgehangen aan deze wereld. Aan de andere kant gaat het boek wel echt over een avontuur, de stoere zeemeerminnen en zit er veel humor in. Sommige (woord)grapjes zullen misschien nog wat te moeilijk zijn voor de jonge lezers. Gelukkig zit er zoveel humor in, op verschillende niveaus, dat iedere lezer genoeg te lachen heeft.
De tekening van de verborgen Lagune aan het begin en einde van het boek is leuk gedaan. Het ziet er mooi uit en geeft meteen een idee van de omgeving. Wel had het van mij wat meer een kaart mogen zijn zodat je een nog beter idee van de verborgen Lagune had gekregen.
Het boek heeft een mooie vormgeving. Met regelmaat een mooie zwart-wit illustratie en berichten uit een krant of tijdschrift worden ook als zodanig weergegeven. Dit breekt de gewone tekst waardoor het voor kinderen misschien net weer wat aantrekkelijker is.
Pounder heeft een flinke fantasie en is compleet in de onderwaterwereld gedoken. De onderwatergrapjes vliegen je om de oren (er is iemand gevisnapt, zij deed toevallig aan visness en ook kennen ze onder water vinfu…) Ook de achternamen zijn creatief bedacht. Zo heb je onder andere Arabella Vanderzalm, Sjaan Scheepsruim, Odette Onderwater en Muriël Pekelharing. Complimenten aan Pounder voor de originaliteit!
Steef, het pratende zeepaardje, is een hele goede toevoeging. Hij is aandoenlijk maar ook gewoon erg grappig. Hij slaapt in een kunstgebit die overal mee naartoe wordt genomen tijdens het avontuur. Wat Steef natuurlijk extra leuk maakt is dat hij Bettie, Mimi en Zelda bijstaat.
Ik persoonlijk vind deze onderdompeling in de onderwaterwereld wel gaaf gedaan. Als je het doet, doe het dan goed. Het kan wel zijn dat het boek minder kinderen aanspreekt omdat het verhaal zo volledig is opgehangen aan deze wereld. Aan de andere kant gaat het boek wel echt over een avontuur, de stoere zeemeerminnen en zit er veel humor in. Sommige (woord)grapjes zullen misschien nog wat te moeilijk zijn voor de jonge lezers. Gelukkig zit er zoveel humor in, op verschillende niveaus, dat iedere lezer genoeg te lachen heeft.
April 21, 2018
Every once in a while, you need a palate cleanser. Something that is mindless and fun, to break up the other books. And this fit the bill, to be sure.
Three teenage mermaids have been spending time on land, with legs and feet, when they get an emergency letter from the mermaid queen that she needs their help, and in fact they're the only ones who can help, and they have to cut their time on land short. When they return to Hidden Lagoon, they find that the queen is missing, piranhas are keeping tabs on everyone, and a bunch of new rules are in place for seemingly no reason. But of course there is a reason. Someone's trying to usurp the queen, and since Beattie, Mimi, and Zelda were on land, they weren't tagged by the piranhas, and they can travel through the various mermaid lands without being monitored and caught. So it's up to them to figure out what's going on and save their queen!
This was light and fluffy, a perfect book for kids who love those fairy princess books but have grown out of them. It's chunkier with more content, good vocabulary, a variety of characters that cover a gamut of types, not just pretty princess-y mermaids, and a mystery that isn't completely obvious. Is this serious future summer reading material? Definitely not. But kids deserve some beach reads too to intermix with those assigned classics, and this one will certainly be fun.
Three teenage mermaids have been spending time on land, with legs and feet, when they get an emergency letter from the mermaid queen that she needs their help, and in fact they're the only ones who can help, and they have to cut their time on land short. When they return to Hidden Lagoon, they find that the queen is missing, piranhas are keeping tabs on everyone, and a bunch of new rules are in place for seemingly no reason. But of course there is a reason. Someone's trying to usurp the queen, and since Beattie, Mimi, and Zelda were on land, they weren't tagged by the piranhas, and they can travel through the various mermaid lands without being monitored and caught. So it's up to them to figure out what's going on and save their queen!
This was light and fluffy, a perfect book for kids who love those fairy princess books but have grown out of them. It's chunkier with more content, good vocabulary, a variety of characters that cover a gamut of types, not just pretty princess-y mermaids, and a mystery that isn't completely obvious. Is this serious future summer reading material? Definitely not. But kids deserve some beach reads too to intermix with those assigned classics, and this one will certainly be fun.
June 26, 2018
A fun adventure through a hidden, underwater world with three mermaids who were spending their summer on land (to avoid all the mermaids moaning about wanting to go about the surface), but have been called upon to save their leader after she is captured in exchange for a magical set of shells which make everyone do as you say. It is zany, funny and endearing (Steve the Seahorse raised a few chuckles!) but at times disjointed and incoherent, when things happen for no apparent reason.
I can see this being popular with fans of the Witch Wars series or those who are fans of mermaids. I Will give the next book a go, but have to say that I prefer Witch Wars so far! A lot of what made the Witch Wars series so funny is here too, but I didn't fall in love with Beattie, Zelda and Mimi the way I did with Tiga, Peggy and Fluffanora.
Pick it up if you want something with girl power, adventure through underwater realms with ridiculous characteristics and are looking for something to engage your 7+ reader (the illustrations really add to the magic).
I can see this being popular with fans of the Witch Wars series or those who are fans of mermaids. I Will give the next book a go, but have to say that I prefer Witch Wars so far! A lot of what made the Witch Wars series so funny is here too, but I didn't fall in love with Beattie, Zelda and Mimi the way I did with Tiga, Peggy and Fluffanora.
Pick it up if you want something with girl power, adventure through underwater realms with ridiculous characteristics and are looking for something to engage your 7+ reader (the illustrations really add to the magic).
October 12, 2018
Bad Mermaids Make Waves is one of those books that adults may find painful to read aloud to their children. I can see on Bloomsbury.com that it is marketed as a middle school series, but it seemed like it would interest kids who are a little younger. The story’s premise is that a young mermaid named Beattie, along with twins Zelda and Mimi, are vacationing in the human world—discovering what it’s like to have legs. On their way back, the mermaid leader, Arabella, sends them a note to say that she has been “fishnapped!” The trio then have to interview different mermaid suspects, as well as dodge the evil piranhas who are trying to control the underwater community.
Some elements of the book were clever, such as the “No legs past this sign!” warning by the entrance to the mermaid world. Several other parts felt like a recycling of Disney’s The Little Mermaid movie. The highlight of the book was the adorable shrimp Steve. While the beginning was a little confusing, and felt only halfhearted, the book ended up having an interesting twist and funny illustrations.
Some elements of the book were clever, such as the “No legs past this sign!” warning by the entrance to the mermaid world. Several other parts felt like a recycling of Disney’s The Little Mermaid movie. The highlight of the book was the adorable shrimp Steve. While the beginning was a little confusing, and felt only halfhearted, the book ended up having an interesting twist and funny illustrations.
October 11, 2021
Kelpsky, kelpsky, is for all...*
This book was SO funny and SO interesting.
Beattie, Mimi and Zelda have to stop the bad mermaids from trying to take over their home. Which won't be easy. Especially with a talking seahorse.
I absolutely loved Bad Mermaids, although I didn't understand it at first (and ended up reading the book again). But in the end I understood everything and all the jokes.
It's hilarious. That's what I can say about it without giving away any spoilers.
I'd say maybe 9 and over would like to read it, because I found the story sort of hard to catch up on, until around a year later I picked it up again and read it, and understood it all.
It was sort of annoying - well, very annoying - because they don't (SPOILER ALERT) save Arabella Cod. So that is why there is a Book 2, which I would like to read in the future.
To sum it up, Bad Mermaids was an AMAZING book!
*Read the book and you will understand what Kelpsky is. Not sure if I am spelling it correctly, though.
This book was SO funny and SO interesting.
Beattie, Mimi and Zelda have to stop the bad mermaids from trying to take over their home. Which won't be easy. Especially with a talking seahorse.
I absolutely loved Bad Mermaids, although I didn't understand it at first (and ended up reading the book again). But in the end I understood everything and all the jokes.
It's hilarious. That's what I can say about it without giving away any spoilers.
I'd say maybe 9 and over would like to read it, because I found the story sort of hard to catch up on, until around a year later I picked it up again and read it, and understood it all.
It was sort of annoying - well, very annoying - because they don't (SPOILER ALERT) save Arabella Cod. So that is why there is a Book 2, which I would like to read in the future.
To sum it up, Bad Mermaids was an AMAZING book!
*Read the book and you will understand what Kelpsky is. Not sure if I am spelling it correctly, though.
May 18, 2018
Dear Girls, It is me, Arabella Cod, Queen of the Lagoon. Today makes your final day of life with legs …”
I love mermaids, all mermaids, good and bad but especially fun and heroic! Meet Beattie, Mimi and Zelda, they are the coolest, sassiest, bravest mermaids in Hidden Lagoon! After spending some time on land (legs, feet, toes and all) they are summoned back to the water to help the mermaid queen who is in trouble! Realizing that they may have the upper hand in finding the queen who has been “fishnapped” and keeping their kingdom safe, these three along with their silly sidekick, a seahorse named Steve, embark on a magical adventure of hilarious and heroic proportions that is sure to please.
Funny, audacious and very exciting, “Bad Mermaids Make Waves” is the perfect beach read for those readers who love headstrong heroines, risk-taking mermaids and underwater mysteries!
I love mermaids, all mermaids, good and bad but especially fun and heroic! Meet Beattie, Mimi and Zelda, they are the coolest, sassiest, bravest mermaids in Hidden Lagoon! After spending some time on land (legs, feet, toes and all) they are summoned back to the water to help the mermaid queen who is in trouble! Realizing that they may have the upper hand in finding the queen who has been “fishnapped” and keeping their kingdom safe, these three along with their silly sidekick, a seahorse named Steve, embark on a magical adventure of hilarious and heroic proportions that is sure to please.
Funny, audacious and very exciting, “Bad Mermaids Make Waves” is the perfect beach read for those readers who love headstrong heroines, risk-taking mermaids and underwater mysteries!
June 3, 2018
*I received an eARC of this book from the publisher through NetGalley*
A note: I started reading the eARC but it wasn't easy to read on my Kindle because of the illustrations, so I waited until I could get a print copy from the library to finish and review.
A fun, slightly goofy read about three mermaid friends who must solve a mystery and save their kingdom. Not really my cup of tea, but I will definitely be getting this for my library. I have many students asking for mermaid books, and illustrated novels are extremely popular right now. This fits the bill for both, and it's also funny, so I think it will circulate well.
A note: I started reading the eARC but it wasn't easy to read on my Kindle because of the illustrations, so I waited until I could get a print copy from the library to finish and review.
A fun, slightly goofy read about three mermaid friends who must solve a mystery and save their kingdom. Not really my cup of tea, but I will definitely be getting this for my library. I have many students asking for mermaid books, and illustrated novels are extremely popular right now. This fits the bill for both, and it's also funny, so I think it will circulate well.
January 22, 2024
Some great ideas - loved the No Legs Beyond This Point idea that the rest of the book is written in Mermaid. This could have been an issue but chapter 5 is written so you become accustomed to reading Mermaid so there’s no problem reading the rest of the book! Phew.
Characters are ok, one mermaid keeps using the wrong words for things which isn’t funny, just irritating. But Steve the seahorse was great. Marketed as a book for middle grade (8-12) but I think 7/8 is probably more of the target audience.
Characters are ok, one mermaid keeps using the wrong words for things which isn’t funny, just irritating. But Steve the seahorse was great. Marketed as a book for middle grade (8-12) but I think 7/8 is probably more of the target audience.
July 21, 2018
This month the 7-10 yr old book club read Bad Mermaids and we enjoyed the adventure, the newspaper articles interspersed with the text and the humour, although a few admitted to not liking mermaids!
The group agreed that we would classify it as fantasy/adventure and thought it was a good pitch for good readers from 6-10. The scores of 5 are from those who cannot like mermaids :)
We rated it:
5 / 9 / 10 / 5 / 9 / 7.5
The group agreed that we would classify it as fantasy/adventure and thought it was a good pitch for good readers from 6-10. The scores of 5 are from those who cannot like mermaids :)
We rated it:
5 / 9 / 10 / 5 / 9 / 7.5
August 6, 2019
Grappig kinderboek over zeemeerminnen, al werd ik in het begin van het verhaal bijna duizelig van de grote hoeveelheid details (over wat de meerminnen voor kleding dragen, waar ze wonen, wat ze eten en noem maar op, ALLES). Het plot wordt er ook wat door ondergesneeuwd. De tweede helft van het boek is een stuk beter en vlotter en het wordt zowaar nog spannend ook. Drie sterren dus. Moest wel grinniken om de leuke taalvondsten, zo is Levi's Leevi's en de H&M de Haring&Maanvis.
March 21, 2019
I have had this one on the shelf a while, I couldn't resist it when I first saw it. It's taken me a while to get around to it, but I finally picked it up. I loved the characters, Zelda, Beattie and Mimi, and loved the imagination that went into the world they live in beneath the sea. Unfortunately, I did find the story a little slow and was disappointed with the adventure :/
September 22, 2019
I liked this book but it was kind of hard to read out loud because it was just all over the place. Also I don’t know if it’s just because it was a kindle edition but there were some very strange things happening to the actual text. We will read the sequel though and I hope some of those hiccups are ironed out!
September 23, 2019
Grappig, gevat (variant op het tussenjaar van Amish: een zeemeermin heeft enkele weken benen) en origineel! Geestige woordspelingen (goed vertaald door Willem Jan Kok) rondom zeemeerminnen en de onderwaterwereld met fijne diversiteit en rebelse vinnen die de boel redden met haaien.
Eerder 9/10-plus dan 8-plus gezien het niveau van grappen en woordspelingen.
Eerder 9/10-plus dan 8-plus gezien het niveau van grappen en woordspelingen.
November 22, 2017
it was a pretty interesting and creative storyline I found the concept of mermaids that are detectives fascinating but I did not care for the ending because even though the heroines caught the villain they did not rescue the mermaid queen
June 9, 2018
What happens when you're a mermaid, spending a summer on land with your temporary legs and feet, and you have to go back under the sea early because someone fishnapped the Mermaid Queen? That's what besties Beattie, and twin sisters Zelda and Mimi have to do in this first middle grade mermaid adventure by Witch Wars author Sibéal Pounder. The mermaids arrive back under the sea to discover everyone acting... strange. A new queen who hides her face and calls herself The Swan is making everyone go back to wearing shell tops, and piranhas patrols are keeping things in check. The threesome steal a clamshell car and investigate who could be behind this fishy plot!
Mermaid stories are HUGE here. Heck, they've been huge at every library I've been at, from picture books, through YA. You've got three best friends who work really well together, a mystery to solve, and humorous villains and mean mermaids (all genders are referred to as mermaids), a café set inside an actual whale, plus black and white illustrations throughout. There are loads of in-jokes poking fun at mermaid tropes, like the clamshell tops and hair-combing, and the characters' speech is full of fishy references like the exclamation, "Oh cod!"
This is an automatic add to my shelves. Give this to your Mermaid Tales and Mermaid S.O.S. fans who are ready for higher leveled books, and your Emily Windsnap fans.
Mermaid stories are HUGE here. Heck, they've been huge at every library I've been at, from picture books, through YA. You've got three best friends who work really well together, a mystery to solve, and humorous villains and mean mermaids (all genders are referred to as mermaids), a café set inside an actual whale, plus black and white illustrations throughout. There are loads of in-jokes poking fun at mermaid tropes, like the clamshell tops and hair-combing, and the characters' speech is full of fishy references like the exclamation, "Oh cod!"
This is an automatic add to my shelves. Give this to your Mermaid Tales and Mermaid S.O.S. fans who are ready for higher leveled books, and your Emily Windsnap fans.
August 31, 2019
Bad Mermaids Make Waves really entertained me throughout the whole process of reading for me. I loved how humourous this book was and how the underwater adventure began and ended. Truly enjoyed this book!
November 27, 2020
Such a cute fluffy, quick book. The audiobook was really fun. This book is on the younger side of middlegrade. The seahorse was soooooo annoying but oh well. I highly recommend this, but it will probably not stay in my mind for long.
January 11, 2022
I thought the book was very interesting and detailed. The 3 mermaids were called the Bad Mermaids because they stole things and did things there were not allowed. I loved this book and I would recommend this to a friend.
By Belle
By Belle
January 15, 2022
Leuk boek voor kinderen/tieners. De zeemeerminnen zijn stoer en avontuurlijk. De term zeemeermin wordt genderneutraal gebruikt. De hoofdfiguren zijn meiden, maar er komen ook mannelijke figuren in voor. Ik ben benieuwd naar de rest van de serie. Jammer dat enkel de eerste vertaald is.
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