A Magical Mermaid Fantasy Adventure for children ages 8-12
An unhealthy coral reef and pollution in the ocean. An entire undersea town turned upside-down. Can Brynn Finley solve Fulgentâs latest mystery and get to the Jay Barracuda and the Killer Whales concert before Phaedra the sea witch turns her into a lowly sea slug?
When a beautiful and talented young mermaid named Priscilla Banks moves to Fulgent, everything starts going wrong for mermaid Brynn Finley. Her best friend ignores her, the sea witch is set free, and the seafolk of Fulgent are acting very strangely. As Brynn searches for clues, she learns a lot about friendship and settling differences, but time is running outâthe sea witch has another dastardly and disgusting scheme to rid the oceans of humans. Soon the entire town is chasing Brynn, and her only friend is her trusty pet sea turtle!
The Mermaid in Middle Grade series is a middle-school fantasy adventure series of coming of age books appropriate for children ages 8â12 and all who enjoy middle grade books.
Educational topics: Ocean and marine life, environmental conservation, mindfulness, envy and jealousy, friendship problems, bullying, middle school, and interpersonal skills.
A Magical Mermaid Fantasy Adventure for children ages 8-12
An unhealthy coral reef and pollution in the ocean. An entire undersea town turned upside-down. Can Brynn Finley solve Fulgentâs latest mystery and get to the Jay Barracuda and the Killer Whales concert before Phaedra the sea witch turns her into a lowly sea slug?
When a beautiful and talented young mermaid named Priscilla Banks moves to Fulgent, everything starts going wrong for mermaid Brynn Finley. Her best friend ignores her, the sea witch is set free, and the seafolk of Fulgent are acting very strangely. As Brynn searches for clues, she learns a lot about friendship and settling differences, but time is running outâthe sea witch has another dastardly and disgusting scheme to rid the oceans of humans. Soon the entire town is chasing Brynn, and her only friend is her trusty pet sea turtle!
The Mermaid in Middle Grade series is a middle-school fantasy adventure series of coming of age books appropriate for children ages 8â12 and all who enjoy middle grade books.
Educational topics: Ocean and marine life, environmental conservation, mindfulness, envy and jealousy, friendship problems, bullying, middle school, and interpersonal skills.
Mermaid Brynn Finley swam into her bedroom and went directly under her bed. If you knew Brynn, youâd be able to tell she was extra excited and enthusiastic on this particular Friday afternoon. When she emerged from beneath the bed, she held a large box. It was just an ordinary hat box, but if you knew Brynn, youâd know this was no ordinary hat box. It was decorated with pretty shells and bits of colorful coral and a pretty green bow. Brynnâs eyes were bright and happy as she opened the box.
Inside was her extensive and impressive collection of Mermies.
Mermies were poseable dolls that young mermaids (and even some merboys) all over the sea loved to play with. Brynnâs collection included Mermies of many varieties. Their hair was fixed in different styles and hues. They had various complexions and eye colors. There were mer-kids and mer-babies and handsome Mermie mermen. Brynn began carefully removing the Mermie dolls from the box.
There werenât just dolls in the box, of course. Inside the box were smaller boxes, compartments, and pouches, each filled to the brim with the Mermie accessories that Brynn had accumulated. In addition to the dozens of Mermie outfits, dresses, coats, hats, and hair-pretties, Brynn had toys for the mer-kids and ties for the mermen. Brynnâs Mermies had miniature books, dishes, furniture, and even a little pink shellphone. One of the Mermies was a doctor and had a lab coat and a medical kit. Another was an undersea architect, with blueprints and drawing desk. The Mermies had a sports car and a big shell-a-vision and even a cute little pet dolphin.
âThese Mermies have nicer stuff than most real merfolk,â mumbled Brynn.
Brynn was setting aside and arranging the Mermies she planned to play with that evening. First there was the one with purple hair and a teal tail, whom Brynn called Rain. Next was her favorite merman Mermie, a doll she called Ben. When Brynn played with Mermies, sheâd frequently conduct marriage ceremonies between Ben and Rain.
Then there was the beautiful Mermie with white hair, whom Brynn called Shine, and which Brynn felt more than just a little resembled her best friend in the entire world, Jade. If Brynn were being completely honest, she would admit that Shine was her most favorite of all her Mermies because the doll did look like a grown-up version of Jade.
If you knew Brynn, youâd know that the reason she was setting out her Mermies this way was because Jade was arriving soon for a sleepover. Itâd been only a month since Jadeâs mother had accused Brynn of stealing her necklace and forbade the two mermaids from seeing each other. While that had led Brynn to forming a new friendship with a smart merboy named Will and some other merstudents, she had missed Jade terribly. They had a lot of catching up to do, along with playing Mermies and drinking kelpshakes and calling each other âdahling!â
Brynn was so glad that all the terrible trouble with Jade and her mom was in the past now. It had been discovered that the sea witch, Phaedra, and her assistant, Ian Fletcher, were responsible for stealing the necklace. The mer-police had apprehended them, and Brynnâs name had been cleared at last.
Jadeâs mother, Mrs. Sands, felt awful for keeping the mermaids apart, so it wasnât surprising when she agreed to let Jade sleep over at Brynnâs house. Both Brynn and Jade had been looking forward to this particular Friday for days and days.
Brynn brushed Shineâs and Rainâs hair, and then positioned them more carefully on her bed. They had to be just so.
Tully, her pet sea turtle, swam over and sniffed at the dolls.
âDonât mess those up, Tully,â Brynn chastised. âJade will be here soon, and I want everything to be perfect. Weâre going to have the bestest best-friend sleepover that there ever was! Weâll play Mermies and listen to Jay Barracuda and the Killer Whales, and mom said we could have anchovy pizza andââ
Before Brynn could finish telling Tully everything she had planned for their sleepover, there was a knock at the door.
âFinally! Itâs Jade!â cried Brynn, and in the next instant, Tully was alone with the mob of Mermies and the trail of frantic bubbles Brynn left behind when she zoomed out of the room to answer the front door.
âHi, Jade!â she cried as she yanked the door open.
But to her surprise, Jade wasnât the only mermaid there. Along with Jade was another young mermaid.
This other mermaid had soft, pink-colored hair into which was pinned sparkling sea glass and shells. Also, her ears were piercedâsomething Brynnâs mother had said Brynn wasnât old enough to do. Brynn was certain sheâd never seen this mermaid before, but she also had to admit that the newcomer was very beautiful. The mermaidâs long and slender tail glinted in metallic shades of green, violet, and blue.
âBrynn,â said Jade, âmeet Priscilla Banks. Her family just moved to Fulgent. I invited her to join us for the sleepover.â
âOh, hi, Priscilla. Itâs nice to meet you,â said Brynn, and she tried to say it like she meant it, and under different circumstances, she probably would have. In fact, there was something familiar about Priscilla. Had they met before? It didnât matter. But Brynn had spent the entire week planning and waiting and looking forward to her Mermies sleepover with Jadeâjust Jade.
âItâs nice to meet you, too,â said Priscilla.
Was there something strained in Priscillaâs voice?
âSo,â said Jade, âwill it be all right if Priscilla joins us tonight?â
âUhm, well, I guess,â stammered Brynn, her mind racing. Did she know Priscilla already? But more importantly, what kind of mermaid just barged into a sleepover like this? âWeâll, uhm, weâll have to check with my mom, I suppose,â Brynn stammered, still trying to sound more pleased than she felt. Priscilla seemed nice, but whyâd she have to show up now? Why tonight? Why with Jade? Why couldnât the sleepover go as planned, with just Jade and the Mermies and the music and the anchovy pizza andâ
âUhh, hey, Brynn?â said Jade.
Brynn blinked back to the present moment. âHuh?â she grunted.
Jade chuckled and said, âAre youâya knowâgonna invite us in?â
âOh! Sure! Of course. Come on in!â Brynn laughed nervously. âSorry. Where are my manners? Ha ha. Gee. Yes, come in.â
Jade and Priscilla were both holding overnight bags and pillows. They swam into the living room and set down their things. Priscilla looked around the living room of Brynnâs house with one skeptical raised eyebrow.
Brynn noticed and asked Priscilla, âIs something wrong?â
âNo, no,â said Priscilla. âItâs just, your house is soââ
âSoâwhat?â said Brynn, folding her arms.
âSoâcozy,â said Priscilla.
âYou mean small?â asked Brynn, placing her hands on her hips.
âWell, yes, but thatâs not so bad, is it?â said Priscilla. âSmall can be good. I bet your housekeeper can finish up fast!â
âHousekeeper?â Brynn was feeling more than a little annoyed. Who was this mermaid?
Jade jumped in. âHey, Brynn, maybe we should find your mom and make sure itâs okay if Priscilla stays the night.â
Brynn shot Priscilla a sideways glance and said, âYeah, maybe youâre right, Jade. Hey, mom!â
âYes, dear?â Her mother was in her room on the other side of the cave, but in just a few seconds, she appeared in the living room.
Brynn had never thought of her familyâs home as being small. It always seemed like the perfect size. Besides, their coral cave was similar to many of the mer-homes in Fulgent. Brynn looked around, trying to imagine what itâd be like to see her home for the first time.
âBrynn?â her mother said.
Brynn blinked again back to the present. âMom,â she said, âJadeâs here for the sleepover, but she has this friend with her.â She turned to Priscilla and said, âIâm sorryâwhat was your name again?â
Jade elbowed Brynn and scoffed. âBrynn,â she whispered hoarsely, âher nameâs Priscilla.â
âRight,â said Brynn. âPriscilla, a mermaid I donât know and have never met before, is here and wants to sleep over, too, but I know thatâs probably a bad idea because she just moved here, so itâs not okay, right?â
âNonsense!â cried Brynnâs mom with a grin. âPriscilla is perfectly welcome to stay the night! Priscilla, I assume youâve checked with your parents?â
Priscilla nodded and shot a knowing glance at Brynn.
âThen thereâs no problem,â said Brynnâs mom.
âGreat,â Brynn muttered. âWhat a relief.â
Jade jumped in again. âFin-tastic! Letâs get our stuff and get this party started!â As the young mermaids picked up their overnight bags, Jade leaned over and whispered to Brynn: âWhatâs the matter with you?â
âWhere did you move from, Priscilla?â asked Brynnâs mom.
âI used to live in Atlantis,â Priscilla said with a sigh. âIt was the most beautiful place. But then my father decided we needed to move here. We hired a pod of whales to move our entire chateau to Fulgent.â
âBrynn, you have to see her home!â Jade squealed. âItâs huge! And itâs all made of white stone; itâs so pretty.â
âSoundsâreallyâswell,â said Brynn.
Priscilla shrugged. âItâs all right,â she said.
âHey,â said Brynn. âAre you wearing makeup?â
It was more of a statement than a question, because it was quite obvious that Priscilla was wearing makeup, and not just a little lip gloss and blush like Brynnâs mother sometimes let her wear, but glittery bright eyeshadow and mascara andâwas that highlighter? Brynn thought Priscilla looked just like one of the models in Young Mermaid magazine.
âOf course Iâm wearing makeup,â said Priscilla. âDo you like it?â
âSure,â said Brynn, she was thinking that Priscilla seemed a lot older than she and Jade. âSo you go to the high school, then?â
âI wish,â said Priscilla, who was examining her manicured fingernails.
âSheâs in sixth grade, silly,â Jade answered. âSame as us.â
âWhat? Did you get held back or something?â asked Brynn.
âBrynn!â Jade chastised.
Brynn shrugged frantically at Jade.
âNo,â responded Priscilla, sounding bored. âIâm twelve. Like you. You just think I look older because you donât know about make-up and fashion out here in this backwater burg. Back in Atlantis, all the sixth-grade mermaids wear makeup, and you canât tell us apart from the high-school mermaids.â
Brynn hadnât really thought much about wearing makeup other than for dance recitals or real dress-up occasions. And so she felt a little nervous around Priscilla, and she wasnât sure if it was because she was in awe, or intimidated, or just jealous.
But she wasnât going to let this change of circumstances ruin the fun evening she had planned.
âWell, anyway, letâs go to my room. Iâve got everything ready,â said Brynn.
The three mermaids swam to Brynnâs room.
âWhoa,â said Priscilla as they entered Brynnâs room. âHow are all three of us supposed to fit in here? Is there a guest bedroom somewhere? And itâs so darkâhow do you see in here?â
As with the rest of her house, Brynn had never thought about the size of her room before, or about it being dark. This had always been her bedroom, and it had seemed perfectly fine up until that moment. Priscillaâs comment about the size and lighting of Brynnâs bedroom made her cheeks feel hot. Half of her wanted to defend her home and the other half just wanted to hide.
While Brynn contemplated the state of her bedroom and how to respond, Priscilla spotted the Mermies that Brynn had lovingly arranged on her bed.
âOh, cool, Mermies!â said Priscilla with a funny laugh.
Brynn smiled. Maybe Priscilla wasnât so bad after all. It could be fun to have a new friend to come over and play with Mermies.
âI used to play with Mermies all the time!â Priscilla picked up Shine, the doll with the white hair. âSo, youâve got a little sister? And you both live in this little bedroom?â
âI donât have a little sister,â said Brynn.
âOh. Then these are your little brotherâs?â said Priscilla, holding up the doll and shrugging one shoulder.
âI donât have any brothers or sisters,â said Brynn. âThese are mine. All of âem.â
Priscillaâs tail fin waved through the water, and she smirked. âTheyâre yours? Wow. I thought only little mermaids played with Mermies. No one in sixth grade at my old school played with Mermies.â
Brynn huffed and asked, âWhat do they do for fun?â
Priscilla shrugged. âGo to the mall, hang out, talk on the phone, whatever. But we certainly donât play with little dolls.â
Brynn was speechless, and if you know Brynn, that didnât happen very often. She shot a glance at Jade, which Jade correctly interpreted as, âWhat in the sea is going on here?â
Jade erupted with a hasty, nervous laugh. âUm, yeah, Brynn. Mermies were cool when we were little mer-kiddies, but we donât play with them anymore, do we?â
Brynnâs mouth dropped open and she blinked many times in rapid succession. âWhat are you talking about, Jade? We played Mermies all day just a week ago. Priscilla is holding Shine, your favorite Mermie!â
âOh, Brynn, Brynn, Brynn,â said Jade with more nervous laughter. âYouâareâsuchâaâkidder!â
Brynn held up her hands. âHold on, Jade,â she said. âYouâre saying you donât like Mermies?â
âNotâanyâmore!â said Jade, and she scowled at Brynn, which Brynn correctly interpreted as âJust go along with what Iâm saying because youâre embarrassing me in front of Priscilla!â
Brynn huffed but decided to play along. Jade was her best friend, after all. Brynn forced a loud laugh and said, âRight, right. We used to play with these dumb dolls all the time, but not anymore, of course.â
âThen why are they all laid out?â asked Priscilla.
âHmm?â puzzled Brynn. âOh! Yes. Well, I was going to throw them out, see, since I havenât played with them in so long.â
âYeah,â answered Jade. âMight free up some room in here.â
Brynn harrumphed.
âYou know,â continued Priscilla with a smug smile, âif youâre in the middle of cleaning out your room, we could always move this sleepover to my place. Itâs much larger and brighter, and itâd probably be a lot more fun.â
âMaybe another time,â said Brynn. âMy momâs getting us anchovy pizza, and Iâve got a movie for us to watch.â
âWhat movie?â Priscilla asked.
ââWhile You Were Swimmingâ,â answered Brynn.
âOh, Iâve already seen that,â said Priscilla. âVery boring. Not worth watching. But if you come to my house, we can play with the new Orpheus Shell my dad bought.â
âOh, wow!â said Jade. âYou have an Orpheus Shell? Iâve only seen those on shell-a-vision.â
âTheyâre super fun,â said Priscilla.
âWhatâs an Orpheus Shell?â Brynn asked.
âItâs a pod made from a giant shell. You sit inside and it plays music and has a light display and gives you a massage and thereâs aromatherapy. Itâs very posh,â said Priscilla. âOnly two people can be in it at once, but we can take turns.â
âThat sounds fin-tastic!â said Jade. âIt must have cost a million sand dollars.â
Priscilla shrugged again.
âWell, I donât think my mom will want me to sleep over there. She was already planning on us doing stuff here,â said Brynn.
âLetâs ask her,â said Jade, and before Brynn could respond, Jade was already swimming down the hallway.
âWait!â yelled Brynn. But by the time Brynn and Priscilla followed after Jade, she had already found Brynnâs mom, Dana, in the kitchen.
âBrynn wants to know if she and I can sleep over at Priscillaâs house,â Jade said.
Brynn glared and grumbled. This sleepover was not going as sheâd planned.
âWell,â said Dana thoughtfully. âIâm all in favor of making new friends, but I havenât met Priscillaâs parents yet, and it seems a little late in the day to be making such big plan changes.â
Brynn smiled. For once, her parentsâ silly rules were working for her, instead of against.
âLetâs just stick with the plan for tonight, girls,â said Dana.
âGuess weâll just have to stay here,â said Brynn with fake disappointment.
Priscilla raised an eyebrow and said, âJade, you could still sleep-over at my house.â
âWhoa, whoa, whoa,â Brynn objected. âHold your seahorses there. Jade is here to have a sleepover with me. Weâve been planning this all week!â Brynn felt her heart pounding, and her tail felt shaky. Sheâd met this Priscilla only minutes before, and suddenly everything was floating sideways. She glared at Priscilla who has examining her nails again without an apparent care in the world.
âMrs. Finley, could Brynn at least do a late-over?â asked Jade. âShe could just hang out with us at Priscillaâs house until it was time for bed and then you could pick her up?â
Dana Finley considered this with a tilt of her head. âI suppose that would work. Okay then, you mermaids have fun! Iâll pick up Brynn this evening. Whatâs your address?â
âMrs. Finley, have you seen the white and gold castle not far from the elementary school?â Jade said.
âOooh,â said Dana. What was it that Brynn heard in her motherâs voice? Surprise? Or was she impressed?
âSure, I know where that is,â said Dana. âI couldnât miss it.â
âThatâs what everyone says,â said Priscilla.
Brynn was so surprised at this weird turn of events, she didnât know quite what to say. She was glad to be able to hang out with Jade, but she was so angry at Priscilla for barging in and changing all the plans, but she also knew that Jade liked Priscilla, so she wanted to be nice to Priscilla, too, but she felt something else. Could it be jealousy? Brynn shook her head. Why should she feel jealous? Brynn and Jade had been best friends since they were mer-babies. Just because Priscilla was beautiful and rich and new that didnât mean it would change anything between her and Jade.
Or would it?
Middle school can be a hard time for anyone, but it is especially challenging when friendships change and evolve. Brynn Finley began middle school with Jade, her best friend since they were tiny mer-babies. However, a new mermaid named Priscilla has moved to their town of Fulgent and her presence threatens the relationship Brynn and Jade share. Filled with jealousy over Priscillaâs seemingly perfect life and Jadeâs affection for Priscilla, Brynn struggles to adapt to this new development. Amidst all this, Phaedra the sea witch has been caught attempting to destroy the humans who wreak so much havoc on their undersea home. When Phaedra is unexpectedly freed and the entire town turns on both the humans and their sworn merfolk oath to protect all life, it is up to Brynn to put aside her emotions for the good of her community.
Fans of the first two books in the A Mermaid in Middle Grade series will enjoy this third installment. Middle school is a tough time for Brynn, but the lessons she learns from the adults in her life help her process her experiences and resonate with human readers, as well. Short chapters and a predictable narrative formula support newly independent readers as they become more comfortable absorbing longer stories. Magic makes frequent appearances in these books, as mer-folk are born with the capability to create magic, but it is primarily used for good. Imbued with a message of environmental and humanitarian activism, this story encourages readers to think for themselves even when the entire world seems to be traveling a different path. As climate change and human behavior adversely affect the worldâs oceans, it is through stories like this that young readers can become inspired to make a difference in their own communities. Friendship, family love, and community connection are important themes in the A Mermaid in Middle Grade stories. Interested readers can find extension activities linked at the end of each of these books to expand their understanding of each story and its messages. Middle school readers with an affinity toward magic, mermaids, and the ocean will love connecting with Brynn and her friends as they grow up.