The tail of Emily Windsnap

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Title:

The tail of Emily Windsnap

Author:

Kessler, Liz, author.

Gibb, Sarah, illustrator.

Series:

Emily Windsnap ;

Series Number:

Summary:

For as long as she can remember, twelve-year-old Emily Windsnap has lived on a boat. And, oddly enough, for just as long, her mother has anxiously kept Emily away from the water. But when Mom finally agrees to let her take swimming lessons, Emily makes a startling discovery -- about her own identity, the mysterious father she's never met, and the thrilling possibilities and perils shimmering deep below the water's surface. In a lovely twentieth-anniversary edition of the spellbinding fantasy about family secrets, loyal friendship, and the convention-defying power of love, [...] author Liz Kessler lures us into a glorious undersea world where mermaids study shipwrecks at school and Neptune rules with an iron trident. This deluxe unjacketed hardcover features a ribbon bookmark, decorative stained edges, an author's note, facts about mermaids, and a personality quiz to reveal what kind of sea creature the reader might be.

Edition:

Deluxe anniversary edition.

Physical Description:

208 pages : illustrations ; 20 cm.

Genre:

Fantasy fiction.

Personal Subject:

Neptune (Roman deity)-Juvenile fiction.

Subject Term:

Windsnap, Emily (Fictitious character) -- Juvenile fiction.

Mermaids -- Juvenile fiction.

Swimming -- Juvenile fiction.

Houseboats -- Juvenile fiction.

Author(s):

Gibb, Sarah,

Publisher:

Candlewick Press,

Publication Date:

2023

2003

ISBN:

9781536230482

Publication Information:

North Mankato, Minnesota : Candlewick Press, 2023.

Call Number:

M KESSLER

Holds: Copies:

Available:*

Item Barcode	Collection	Call Number	Status	Item Holds
33607003673574	Middle Fiction	KESSLER	Searching... Unknown	Searching... Unavailable

Bound With These Titles

On Order

Summary

The enchanting first tale in the New York Times best-selling series is now available in a beautiful twentieth-anniversary edition poised to captivate a new generation.

For as long as she can remember, twelve-year-old Emily Windsnap has lived on a boat. And, oddly enough, for just as long, her mother has anxiously kept Emily away from the water. But when Mom finally agrees to let her take swimming lessons, Emily makes a startling discovery--about her own identity, the mysterious father she's never met, and the thrilling possibilities and perils shimmering deep below the water's surface. In a lovely twentieth-anniversary edition of the spellbinding fantasy about family secrets, loyal friendship, and the convention-defying power of love, New York Times best-selling author Liz Kessler lures us into a glorious undersea world where mermaids study shipwrecks at school and Neptune rules with an iron trident. This deluxe unjacketed hardcover features a ribbon bookmark, decorative stained edges, an author's note, facts about mermaids, and a personality quiz to reveal what kind of sea creature the reader might be.

Author Notes

Liz Kessler lives in England, and has worked as a teacher, journalist, and editorial consultant. She says she first knew she wanted to become a writer at the age of nine, when she had a poem published in a local newspaper. The Tail of Emily Windsnap , her first children's book, grew out of a poem she wrote about a mermaid.

Reviews (2)

School Library Journal Review

Gr 3-6-Twelve-year-old Emily discovers her true self and uncovers family secrets in Liz Kessler's imaginative fantasy novel (Candlewick, 2004), which begins with Emily offering to share a secret with listeners. Emily discovered she was half-mermaid when she decided to conquer her fear of swimming and found that her legs transformed into a mermaid's tail when underwater. Exploring the waters around the houseboat on which she and her mother live, Emily finds an entire mermaid world underneath the surface. The wonders of this world are described in detail, from the colors of the mermaid tails to the glowing magic of the coral reef. Guided to the land of the merfolk by her new friend, Shona, Emily learns about the history of these people and their relationship with humans, especially the so-called "illegal marriages" between the two. When Emily realizes that her merman father, who supposedly abandoned their family when Emily was a baby, was imprisoned for having a relationship with her mother, Emily sets out to free her father and reunite their family. Narrator Finty Williams reads the story with a British accent and steady pacing, and provides an excellent interpretation of the characters. Slight variations in intonation give each character a unique identity. This audiobook will appeal to young girls who enjoy a good fantasy adventure.-Casey Rondini, Hartford Public Library, CT (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Publisher's Weekly Review

The heroine discovers she is half-mermaid in her seventh-grade swim class. "Pre-teen girls will likely bite at this novel's tempting bait," in PW's words. Ages 8-12. (Apr.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved

Excerpts

As I swam around the rocks at the end of the bay, the water became clearer and softer. It was like switching from grainy black-and-white film into color. The fat gray fish were replaced by stripy yellow-and-blue ones with floppy silver tails, long thin green ones with spiky antennae and angry mouths, orange ones with spotted black fins---all darting purposefully around me. Every now and then, I swam across a shallow sandy stretch. Wispy little sticklike creatures as thin as paper wriggled along beneath me, almost see-through against the sand. Then the water would suddenly get colder and deeper as I went over a rocky part. I swished myself across these carefully. They were covered in prickly black sea urchins, and I wouldn't be thrilled to get one of those stuck on my tail. Soon the water got warmer again as I came to another shallow part. I was getting tired. I came up for fresh air and realized I was miles from home; farther away than I'd ever been on my own. I tried to flick myself along, but my tail flapped lazily and started to ache. Eventually, I made it to a big, smooth rock with a low shelf. I pulled myself out of the water, my tail resting on some pebbles in the sea. A minute later, it went numb. I wiggled my toes and shivered as I watched my legs come back. That part was still really creepy! Sitting back against a larger rock, I caught my breath. Then I heard something. Like singing, but without words. The wet rocks shimmered in the moonlight, but there was no one around. Had I imagined it? The water lapped against the pebbles, making them jangle as it sucked its breath away from the shore. There it was again---the singing. Where was it coming from? I clambered up a jagged rock and looked down the other side. That's when I saw her. I rubbed my eyes. Surely it couldn't be . . . but it was! It was a mermaid! A real one! The kind you read about in kids' stories. Long blond hair all the way down her back, which she was brushing while she sang. She was perched on the edge of a rock, shuffling a bit as though she were trying to get comfortable. Her tail was longer and thinner than mine. Silvery green and shimmering in the moonlight, it flapped against the rock as she sang. She kept singing the same song. When she got to the end, she started again. A couple of times, she was in the middle of a really high part when she stopped and hit her tail with the brush. "Come on, Shona," she said sharply. "Get it right!" I stared for ages, opening and closing my mouth like a fish. I wanted to talk to her. But what exactly do you say to a singing mermaid perched on a rock in the middle of the night? Funnily enough, I've never had that come up before. In the end, I coughed gently and she looked up immediately. "Oh!" she said. She gaped open-mouthed at my legs for a second. And then, with a twist and a splash, she was gone. Excerpted from The Tail of Emily Windsnap by Liz Kessler All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.