Mermaid School, by Lucy Courtenay | Book Review

The Children’s Book Review

Mermaid School

Written by Lucy Courtenay

Illustrated by Sheena Dempsey

Age Range:  6-9

Hardcover Book: 128 pages

ISBN: 9781-4197-4518-8

Publisher: Amulet Books (February 18, 2020)

What to expect: Mermaids and school adventures

The first day at a new school is always hard —even if you’re a fin-tastic mermaid!

Marnie Blue is starting at Lady Sealia Foam’s Mermaid School, and she is one-hundred-percent dreading it. Will the kids be kind? Will they figure out her aunt (who is super cool and lives with her and her mom) is the Christabel Blue, infamous student, famous singer and local radio icon? As the only family with the last name Blue, Marnie is betting they’ll figure it out. And on her first day, everything goes wrong, just as she’d feared. Someone snuck a sea snake in her bag and she was blamed for disrupting their first assembly. A popular mermaid named Orla already hates her, and the teachers seem to dread working with her. After all, the sea snake incident seems to prove that Marnie is taking after her naughty aunt.

But Marnie makes some friends, too, and finds lots to like at Mermaid School. Soon, she’s caught up in the waves of student drama, unfair detentions, and Orla’s super-talented sister. Did Marnie’s Aunt Christabel really lie about playing Orla’s sister’s demo tape? And when Orla goes missing, will Marnie gather her courage and ride the dangerous Seahorse to the edge of the water, where humans might be lurking? 

A whimsical tail full of witty puns that readers will surely love, this mermaid book is perfect for ocean-obsessed kids. There’s relatable school drama, grumpy pet fish, and a spine-tingling adventure. What more could a kid ask for? Readers will especially enjoy Marnie’s transformation from scared, unassuming student to courageous explorer. We can’t wait for the next book in the series—highly recommended!

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About the Author

Lucy Courtenay has worked on a number of series for young readers, as well as books for young adults. When not writing, she enjoys singing, reading, and traveling. She lives in Farnham, England, with her husband, her two sons, and a cat named Crumbles. Sheena Dempsey is a children’s book illustrator and author from Cork, Ireland, who was shortlisted for the Sainsbury’s Book Award. She lives in London with her partner, Mick, and her retired racing greyhound, Sandy.

Mermaid School, written by Lucy Courtenay, was reviewed by Denise Mealy. Discover more books like Mermaid Schoo by following along with our reviews and articles tagged with Adventure, Chapter Book Series, Mermaids, and School Life.