Лучшие книги Хелен Боудруа

Jade’s fourteenth birthday means more than just an extra candle: a soak in a warm Epsom-salted tub of water exposes a mermaid’s tale—attached to her! She also discovers that her mother wasn’t drowned after all but is a mermaid who is being held hostage by rogue merfolk intent on discovering the secret of changing into human form. Can Jade get the right kind of help to bring her mom back home? What begins as a coming-of-age story becomes a mildly suspenseful chase-and-rescue mission. There are subplots involving classic adolescent moments like Jade’s first serious crush, a semi-serious third-wheel threat to a long-standing best friendship, and a single dad coping with his daughter’s first period. The first-person narrative brings Jade’s experiences up close and personal for readers who know what it’s like to have secrets and feel like a fish out of water. A quick read, at times a little flat, with touches of humor; give this to girls not quite ready for snogging.

The only thing that terrifies Jade more than the ocean is dancing at the Fall Formal. Because Jade has two left feet—er, flippers. Who knew being a high school freshman is even more awkward than being a plus-size aqua-phobic mer-girl? At least her only drama is of the human variety... Or not. The Mermish Council has just declared that all land-dwelling mers but return to the ocean. Pronto. But there's no way Jade is going to let her mom, or Luke, her...boyfriend? mer-guy-friend?, disappear into the deep, dark ocean. Again. After all, a girl's got to have a date to her first dance. If Jade can stop mer-mageddon, finding a plus-size dress that doesn't look like a shower curtain should be a piece of cake.

Sun, surf and tropical breezes are no ‘day at the beach’ because being a teenage mermaid never takes a vacation. With all the mers in Jade’s life now safe, happy and legit (with passports to prove it) and the underwater mer-world off the coast of Port Toulouse on the road to democracy, it’s time to relax and plan for the future. Jade can’t think of a better way to celebrate than with a tropical wedding in the Bahamas with Mom and Dad to finally make their family ‘official’. Soon, Jade is enjoying the tropical sunshine, all-you-can-eat buffet, and island day trips. But when Jade gets lost in the island’s famous waterfront Straw Market, something doesn’t feel quite right. A body splashes into the water as a cruise ship enters the harbor and a teen boy selling conches from his boat behind the market knows more than he’s willing to admit. With no body, no leads, and no other witnesses, though, the local police don’t seem too concerned. Maybe Jade’s imagination has been acting up on her, just like Cori said, considering everything she’s been through in the past few months. But with Mom and Dad off on a honeymoon excursion it wouldn’t hurt to check things out, would it? Little do Jade and Cori realize, they are about to uncover more secrets about the splashing body, dangerous cruise ship cargo, and more questions than answers lurking in the nearby Caribbean waters.

Jade begins her summer confused. Yes, there's that whole "will this be a leg-day or a tail-day" kind of confusion, but Jade's got even bigger problems: it's been three weeks since Mom returned to the ocean with no news of her whereabouts. Plus, it's been twenty-one days since Jade first kissed her mer-boy Luke and now-nothing. Will Mom find the enchanted tidal pool that will allow her to become human? And why is Luke acting so weird? The SEAquel to Helene Boudreau's critically acclaimed Real Mermaids Don't Wear Toe Rings is as energetic and fresh as a salty sea breeze.