(35) Mermaid Tales #1 : Trouble at Trident Academy by Debbie Dadey

Book Type: Novel
Author: Debbie Dadey
Pages: 112

Summary(amazon.com):
In this start to a new series starring Shelly the mermaid, a classroom conflict is no fun—even when school is 20,000 leagues under the sea.

It’s MerGirl Shelly Siren’s first day at a new school, and she is nervous from the tip of her head to the end of her sparkling mermaid tail. How will she ever fit in at the prestigious Trident Academy? Everyone there is so smart and so pretty and so rich. At least she and her best friend, Echo, are in the same class, but so is Pearl, a spoiled know-it-all who only wants to make trouble for Shelly; Rocky, a MerBoy who loves to tease everyone; and Kiki, a shy MerGirl who’s new to Trident City.

My Review:

I had heard in the mer-community that the Mermaid Tales books were very popular, so I wanted to check them out myself! In this first book, I loved the main character, Shelly. For young children, she is very relatable. She has lost her parents, lives with her grandfather, she's shy, nervous about school, but loves animals. I also liked that Dadey incorporated high school-like themes, such as bullying by the snooty popular girl, and starting a new school and how to adjust to new settings. 
The book also has black and white pictures to depict the events every couple of pages. What I really loved about this book is that it has real facts about the sea woven into the story, and even how to protect the world's oceans from future harm. The only complaint I do have is that the book was a bit girly and came across a little juvenile, especially if you are an older mer like myself. I would say the age range is about 8-13 years old. I'm really excited to see how the other books will turn out! I give this book (****) 4 stars.
-Sirenita The Selkie.