Mermaid Tales - a fun friendship story & gift idea

Our 2nd and 3rd graders are loving Debbie Dadey's new series, Mermaid Tales. If you are looking for a friendship story for a girls who's read all the Rainbow Magic books, this might be a nice choice for you.And since this is the holidays, I always try to find gifts that might make a nice pairing with books - here's a fun, sparkling ball to include for your mermaid loving 8 year old.

Mermaid Tales:
1. Trouble at Trident Academy
2. Battle of the Best Friends
3. Whale of a Tale
by Debbie Dadey
Alladin / Simon & Schuster, 2012
ages 6 - 10
Amazon, your library, Google books

Best friends Shelly, Echo and Kiki are all third-graders at Trident Academy. They share fun times and help each other through struggles that many kids will relate to: anticipating the first day of a new school, dealing with a difficult classmate who thinks she's the best at everything, being the only one not invited to a special party. In Battle of the Best Friends, Echo is invited to another girl's birthday party but Shelly isn't. The friends must figure out how to deal with this difficult situation.

These books provide a comfortable, enjoyable reading experience to our kids who are moving into chapter books. It is a bit more difficult than the ever-popular Ivy & Bean, but easier than Clementine. As the Kirkus Review writes, "While Echo and Shelly are not particularly distinctive, and Pearl and the archetypal token boy, Rocky, are cartoony, the characters' interactions are funny and believable." This friendship-driven story will find many fans. Here's a sample to preview from Google Books:

If you're looking to pair this with a fun gift, look for a mermaid themed toy. You might try the Play Visions Mermaid Ball. My kids have loved these types of hi-bouncing balls. With these mermaid decorations inside, it reminds me of a snow-globe, but actually is something kids can play with!

For other holiday gift ideas, check out these ideas for giving books. For some more favorite chapter books, see my recommendations for favorite series for 2nd and 3rd graders.

The review copies came from our home library (tested and loved by our 8 year old). If you make a purchase using the Amazon links on this site, a small portion goes to Great Kid Books (at no cost to you!). Thank you for your support.

Review ©2012 Mary Ann Scheuer, Great Kid Books