Do the write thing: Real Mermaids Don't Wear Toe Rings by Hél`ene Boudreau

Real Mermaids Don't Wear Toe Rings by Hél`ene Boudreau

Freak of nature takes on a whole new meaning...

If she hadn't been so clueless, she might have seen it coming. But really, who expects to get into a relaxing bathtub after a stressful day of shopping for tankinis and come out with scales and a tail?

Most. Embarrassing. Moment. Ever.

Jade soon discovers she inherited her mermaid tendencies from her mom. But if Mom was a mermaid, how did she drown?
Jade is determined to find out. So how does a plus-size, aqua-phobic mer-girl go about doing that exactly? And how will Jade ever be able to explain her secret to her best friend, Cori, and to her crush, Luke?

This summer is about to get a lot more interesting...

I read Helene’s first MG novel, Acadian Star, when I interviewed her for All Things Girl. So I knew I can expect another good book, but Real Mermaids really surprised me. It’s got a different tone than Acadian Star and Jade is a very different character from Meg Gallant. In fact, Jade is a terrific character, one that will have you rooting for her from the first page till the very last.

Jade has lost her mom so it hasn’t been easy for her for the past year, but she has a great friend in Cori and her dad is doing his best to replace her mom. But when Jade discovers that she’s a mermaid, things become complicated. And all sorts of crises ensue.

The characters are all wonderful. Jade especially is such a charming mix of teenage awkwardness, cleverness and her (mermaid) appeal that you want to meet her in person by the end of the novel. Cori and Luke are less complex but still intriguing enough to make them believable and likable characters. The scenes between Jade and Luke are laugh-out-loud funny and cute. The problems of a teenage girl without a mother are real and despite (or because of) them being presented through comedy they evoke sympathy in the readers and offer a glimpse at how hard it is when one loses a parent at such an early age.

The town of Port Toulouse seems such a nice, quaint little town from the descriptions that you’d want to actually visit it. The mermaid world, however, isn’t described any less wonderfully. All the history and details make it perfectly plausible. The same goes for Jade’s first few encounters with the mer-people and her reactions to them.

I know it’s pointless to say this after the four paragraphs above, but this review could be condensed in a simple sentence: this is an absolutely amazing book that you must read.

As if that is not enough, there’s a delicious recipe included at the end of the book. I tried it out and I must say I’m hooked.