Whatever After #3: Sink or Swim
In the previous titles in the Whatever After series, 10-year-old Abby and her 7-year-old brother, Jonah, inadvertently mess up the fairy tales Snow White and Cinderella. This time, after traveling through the mirror in their basement, they land smack dab in The Little Mermaid—and this time, they want to mess the story up. Why? Well, if you will recall, it doesn’t have a happy ending. When the Little Mermaid (aka Lana) saves Prince Mortimer of the Kingdom of Mustard from drowning, she falls in love with him. Despite Abby and Jonah’s warnings, Lana makes a trade with the Sea Witch: land legs for her voice. But it turns out Prince Mortimer is kind of a jerk—he thinks princesses are only good for looking pretty and dancing well—and Lana finally comes to her senses. However, if she doesn’t marry the prince, she is doomed to die. Once again, Mlynowski’s reimagined fairy tale is oodles of fun, from the fact that everything in the Kingdom of Mustard is yellow to the awesome underwater breathing potion made from mermaid spit. Fresh, hip, and totally entertaining. Grades 4-6. --Ann Kelley