top of page

Barbie: A Mermaid's Tale Junior Novelization by Shannon Penney*


Book Type: Children's Literature Author: Shannon Penney Pages: 96 Summary(amazon.com): Barbie is back in a brand new underwater adventure! In the newest Barbie movie, Barbie plays Merliah, a popular surfing sensation . But everything changes when her hair starts turning pink and she can suddenly breathe underwater. Then she meets a dolphin named Zuma who reveals that Merliah is actually a mermaid princess. Merliah's mother, Queen Calissa, has been imprisoned by her evil sister Eris and the mermaid kingdom of Oceana is in trouble. Merliah will need the help of her above water friends and her new underwater friends to save Oceana! But first she'll have to learn what makes her different might be her greatest strength! My Review: Barbie is a girl everyone can relate to, and I truly believe there is a Barbie movie out there for every girl! What I loved about this book was that even though it is meant for kids learning to read chapter books, it didn't come off as super juvenile. It was actually written very well! I also loved that the book was perfectly based off the movie, and the author even kept some of the original quotes, and every last detail from the movie was incorporated. The pictures were also beautiful and matched the vibrancy of the movie. Something that kind of annoyed me was the enlarged text, which older mergirls might find annoying.

What also annoyed me was the fact that Merliah's friend Fallon is supposed to be African American, however, her skin is noticeably lighter. Just keep the characters the way they are! Ugh!

I really do recommend reading this if you loved the movie. I give this book (****) 4 stars. -Sirenita The Selkie

bottom of page