The Mermaid's Mirror
Gr 9 Up–Lena has always been drawn to the sea and has spent her life on the Northern California coast watching her friends surf. As her 16th birthday approaches, she decides she is tired of sitting on the sand and vows to take lessons despite the fact that her father forbids it. The lure of the ocean becomes overwhelming as she starts sleepwalking and waking up at the shore. Then she spots what appears to be a woman's head above the water's surface. Had Lena seen a mermaid? What compelled her father to stop riding the waves and never again set foot in the ocean? Braving the deadly breakers at Magic Crescent Cove so she can see the mysterious figure again, she wipes out and nearly drowns, but the mermaid saves her and slips a small gold key in her hand. Now Lena must find out what it unlocks and try to solve the mystery of her past. What she discovers is an amazing underwater domain seen through a magical mirror. Madigan's exquisite writing results in realistic characters and a compelling plot set in vivid scenery, making this tale extremely palatable. By the time Lena's secret world is revealed, readers are fully committed to her story and, while the culmination may disappoint, this is one fantasy worth reading.–Tara Kehoe, Plainsboro Public Library, NJ. (c) Copyright 2010.  Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc.  No redistribution permitted.