Midnight Pearls
Grade 6 Up-Pearl is rescued from the sea during a storm by a fisherman; he and his barren wife take the child in, lovingly raising her despite her silvery hair, translucent skin, and too-long legs. Pearl lives a lonely life with only a young prince, James, for a friend. Years later, when she is 17, her true identity is revealed. When their boat capsizes, Pearl makes her way to shore, but James must be saved by Faye, a mermaid who instantly falls in love with him. Looking on from the waves is Kale, Faye's merman brother, who realizes that Pearl is actually Adriana, his betrothed who was kidnapped years before. After the Sea Witch becomes involved, Faye becomes a mute human charged to get a marriage proposal from James or die, and Kale becomes a blind human charged to attain the love of his beloved or meet the same fate. Too much of this story is borrowed from other mermaid tales and lends to the predictable nature of Pearl's tale. The language is stilted and there are far too many instances of chills going up or down the spine of one character or another. For a mermaid story that is far better written, recommend Donna Jo Napoli's Sirena (Scholastic, 1998).Kimberly L. Paone, Elizabeth Public Library, NJCopyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.