Enchanted Shell

The Secret Mermaid #1

by Sue Mongredien

When Molly Holmes moves with her family to Horseshoe Bay, her grandmother gives her an enchanted shell necklace that magically transforms her life. The power of the necklace transports Molly to the Undersea Kingdom, where she discovers that she is a secret mermaid and meets lots of new mermaid friends.

Genres: Childrens, Fantasy, Mermaids, Juvenile

81 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2009

Reviews

[Alyssa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Similar in style and story to other Usborne books (looking at you Fairy Pony), however both my daughter and me both liked it. She says it felt very short, and I agree, although I understand it needs to be a certain length.

[Talyr Lerwill]

A fun read a loud to my littles. 🧜‍♀️ I’ll have to look for more in the series so we can see how the story ends.

[Rose Rodriguez · Rating 4 out of 5]

wooooooooooowwy wow wow!

[Anais Roriguez · Rating 5 out of 5]

A little girl named Molly is the same as any little girl in the world, until her family has to move to Horseshoe Bay with her grandmother. But her gran gave her a necklace with a piece of conch shell hanging on it. And discovers that it has magical powers ONLY a night. Far out in the ocean live the Shell-Keeper mermaids. While the rest of world sleeps, Molly joins them for some magical mermaid adventures. I really recommend this book because I LOVE mermaids, they are my favorite things to read. This is a good book to read if you like fiction books. Instead of reading this review why don't we just dive right into the story and splish and splash all day!!!

[Katy Lovejoy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've always loved mermaids and although this is very below my reading level, in glad I read it.

[Leila Anani · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the first of 12 secret mermaid books. Molly and her parents move in with her grandmother to help look after her in her old age. The help cheer her up from having to leave all her old fiends Grandma gives molly a magical necklace with a broken piece of conch sell as a pendant. When Molly goes to sleep that night she is magically transformed into a mermaid in a vast undersea kingdom. She learns that her piece of shell is one of six that form a magical shell with great power. An evil mermaid queen wants it and has managed to get the other five pieces. Molly is the only one that stands between the wicked queen and undersea domination....

A sweet series that will appeal to fans of things like H20. What little girl hasn't dreamed of being a mermaid? As a kid I would have adored this series, but even as an adult, its not without charm.

[Kayla Ware · Rating 5 out of 5]

"I liked this book because it had a whole bunch of nice mermaids. I like mermaids the best! But I didn't like the mean mermaid. I hope she tries to be good. I want the nice mermaids to win. I think Molly feels happy now living at her Gran's house and I feel happy now because she's happy. The magic shell is my best favorite part. I want to read more mermaid books."

-Reviewed by Dani (5 years old) with guiding questions from Mom

[Kath · Rating 3 out of 5]

A classic quest book with mermaids, it ticks all the boxes for that, but is short and the story depends on you reading the subsequent books. Not very diverse and the evil mermaid happens to have a crooked nose. Also, why didn't her dad get to explore the sea with the shell magic when he was a boy? This is certainly not going to break any boundaries but it is still nice to read because it hits those traditional storytelling sweet spots.

[Jamie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was precious and really sparked the imagination. I read it to my daughter and you could tell she was “living the life of a secret mermaid”. She loved it so much that we “had to stop” reading the book right before the last chapter because she didn’t want it to end. Thank goodness there are 11 more books in this series!

[Alicia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I got this series for my 6 year old, who wanted a chapter book but needed something simple enough for her comprehension level. She is obsessed with mermaids right now so this book checked all the boxes. She loved it! Perfect for what she needs right now. It’s a cute story and simple for her to understand but still be challenged by. So happy to find this series!

[Lucia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book when I was about 8 years old, and I remember my mom gifting it to me as a surprise. I absolutely loved it, although I finished it in less than an hour on the same day, if I remember correctly. It was too short, but I absolutely loved it. I only think that my mom was sad, but also proud, that I finished it that quickly. Super sweet stories.

[Louise Jones · Rating 3 out of 5]

i read this because my niece who was 6 and must admit enjoyed it and was of the same ilk of other such books but i thought it had a bit more of a lesson behind it about nature and the dangers of modern life

[Selina Bloomfield · Rating 4 out of 5]

My four year old asked me to read this book to her. I was really surprised she actually sat and listened to each chapter since she usually gives up on listening to chapter books rather quickly. It was a cute book about mermaids and she enjoyed it.

[Sherri · Rating 4 out of 5]

My 6 year old daughter loved this book and is looking forward to reading the next book in the series. We really liked the pictures throughout as they broke up the chapters and made for easier reading.

[Alana · Rating 2 out of 5]

It's great for young readers, and it talks about underwater sea creatures and helps every day people learn about them. Although it's not really eye-catching and it's kinda boring in my opinion but it's still enjoyable.

[Carly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Usborne Books :)

[Kathleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this with my 5 year old. She loves mermaids so this sent her into Great dreams at night.

[Amanda Mateer · Rating 5 out of 5]

We blew through this. My 4 year old couldn’t get enough. Can’t wait to get the rest in the series!

[Emily Perrin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun, quick book! My preschooler loves listening to this one read aloud and I can anticipate her wanting to read the series on her own soon!

[Ashley Maneman · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can’t wait to read the second book in the series! Such a fun mermaid book!

[Rebecca Oplinger · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review from a 5 year old: I like this mermaid book! I think it is great for 5 and up. I think this planet should find more mermaid books.

[Ashley Halada · Rating 2 out of 5]

The girls were disappointed in the ending...

[Karen Bendzus · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great starter chapter book

[Anya · Rating 5 out of 5]

I JUST REMEMBERED ABOUT THIS SERIES AND NOW IM CRYING MOM IGNORE THAT IM AWAKE PLEASE GOOD BYE IM CRYING

[Teressa · Rating 3 out of 5]

First chapter book with my number 1 girl! So proud of her. She loved it! ❤️ Cute and perfect for 5-8 yr olds.

[Amanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very cute story with a lovely granddaughter - grandmother connection forming.

[Kajsa · Rating 4 out of 5]

så bra och nostalgisk #ilovemermaids

[Joy Gerbode · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute story of a girl who has to move ... and how she learns to love her new home.

[Whitney · Rating 3 out of 5]

The girls enjoyed it and couldn't wait to begin the next one.

[Jada Jackson · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was very very short, there was only six chapters🙄😮