Book Type: Novel Author: Gillian Johnson Pages: 229 Summary(goodreads.com): Thora's no ordinary girl. She's got scales on her legs, purple feet, and a blowhole that squirts water from the top of her head. Thora's a half-mermaid. And as mermaid law commands, Thora must spend ten years at sea and ten years on land. In a houseboat called the Loki, Thora sails the seas with her mermaid mother, Halla, and guard ian, Mr. Walters. But following her tenth birthday, Thora heads to the seaside town of Grimli, where her father grew up. In Grimli, fat-cat tycoon Frooty de Mare will stop at nothing to expand his Tooty Frooty Enterprises. With the help of new friends and her pet peacock, Thora has her work cut out thwarting Frooty's evil plans -- not to mention doing a bit of exploring into her own Grimli roots. Gillian Johnson's fanciful tale captures the unflappable spirit of an exceptional young heroine who, despite being half-mermaid, somehow always manages to land on her feet. My Review: Witty, brilliant and cleverly funny, Thora was one of the funniest and strangest mermaid books I have ever read! The beginning of the book starts off with a prologue that explains the mermaid law, which explains how Thora is a child of land and sea, but in a poem, and it reminded me of "Poor Unfortunate Souls" sung by Ursula in The Little Mermaid. The book is also filled with child-like illustrations, and I love how Johnson made them look as if they were drawn by Thora herself. The characters in this book are so unique and original, but also clever and odd! Halla the mermaid is one of the main characters, and she is the most interesting and strangest mermaids ever! She is very caring, and loves Thora with all her heart. She also has hair that smells like pumpkin pie! Frooty De Mare, the villain of the book not only has such a funny name, he represents the awful things businessmen do, and he plans to build the Tooty Frooty hotel. I literally LOL'd at this.
Thora is a character that everyone will appreciate and adore, and reminds me of myself. She is curious, very wise for her age, witty, funny and intelligent as well. She is so open to cultures around her since she has traveled the world so much, and this makes her a positive role model. I felt bad for her at times, because she is very odd, and nobody wants to hang out with her. However, what I loved most of all about this book is that it proves that you can learn outside of the classroom ( check out The Merman by Dick King Smith if you like this idea too!) This book was so different from other mermaid books, and I really loved all of the characters and uniqueness of each element. I give this book (*****) 5 stars. PS: stay tuned! Thora has more adventures! -Sirenita The Selkie