The Third Wish (Fairy Realm #3) by Emily Rodda

Book Type: Novel
Author: Emily Rodda
Pages: 128

Summary(goodreads.com):
Jessie's helped the magical people of the Realm to escape danger twice now -- she's a real hero to her friends there. But now her own world is in danger. Forest fires threaten her beloved home, Blue Moon. And only the magic of the realm can help her...


My Review:
A book immediately becomes interesting when a girl has the ability to travel to another world, especially when mermaids are involved!

I was happy that although this book is part of a series, you don't need to read the first two books to understand what's going on; everything is recapped. 

I was not a fan of Jessie. She can be bratty and whiny when she doesn't get her way, even in the fairy realm! However, the book has other good points. The pictures are amazingly gorgeous and Rodda's writing is beautifully descriptive, allowing the reader to travel along with Jessie. If I could change one thing, I would include more mermaid details. This was a cute and short book with a good plot.

I give this book (***) 3 stars. 

-Sirenita The Selkie 

Tara and Her Talking Kitten Meet A Mermaid by Diana Cooper

Book Type: Children's Book
Author: Diana Cooper
Pages: 80

Summary(goodreads.com):
When a flood overwhelms her village, Tara enlists the help of her old friends the fairies and the Unicorn to help save a boy from drowning. Learning from this event, Tara undertakes a special mission to clean up the oceans. By organizing her school and with the help of politicians, Tara successfully builds a campaign to raise public awareness about environmental concerns. The fourth adventure in a magical series, this imaginative story creates clear discussion points allowing parents and teachers to talk to children about actions and consequences while offering ideas on ways to interact with and protect the earth.

My Review:
I loved this book! It was really creative and original. This seems to be a series, but you don't have to read the other books, since some of the background info is explained. I really like how this book introduced children to elemental magic, such as auras and light, and even archangels. Ash-ting the cat is my favorite character. He is so fickle, and reminds me of my own cat! I also like that the author went into different ways that the oceans are ruined by humans, but explained it in a way that was easy for kids to understand. The only negatives I have are that the language is a bit simplified and juvenile, so adults might not enjoy reading this. Also, the story seems to end abruptly, and I wanted more of a clearer ending. I give this book (***) 3 stars.
-Sirenita The Selkie

Magickal Mermaids and Water Creatures : invoke the magick of the waters by D.J. Conway.

Book Type: Mermaid Info/ Magic and Spells
Author: D.J. Conway
Pages: 192

Summary(amazon.com):
Stories of the Mer-Folk, especially Mermaids, exist in nearly every culture around the world that sailed the oceans or large rivers. Human-like, except for their iridescent, scaly tails, Mermaids and Mermen have fascinated humans for thousands of years. Because the largest of these beings exist in the oceans, most people are not aware that smaller versions of the Mer-Folk live in inland rivers, streams, marshes, and large or small waterfalls. Like many other magickal beings, the Mermaids travel easily between this world and the astral planes, appearing only to those who truly seek to know them and learn their ancient powers. Magickal Mermaids and Water Creatures brings these fabled creatures out of the storybooks and into real life through the studies of D. J. Conway. Within the pages you will learn about: * The secret powers of Mermaids and Mermen. * Different water creatures and where you can find them. * How to entice water folk for friendship and health. * How to avoid dangerous water 
folk.

My Review:
Although I really enjoyed this book and thought it was interesting, I was disappointed because I didn't expect this book to be on Wicca-type of magic. Upon reading this book, the beginning was excellent, and opened up a world full of undersea creatures I didn't know existed, as well as tidbits about a mermaids life as well as the types of mermaids that live throughout the world. However, as I continued reading, I realized that this book was slowly loosing its mermaid quality, and went into how to practice water magic, which is not something I'm interested in, as well as spells, chants etc. Since I have never read a book on real magic, I found this to be interesting. However, I expected this book to be completely on mermaids. If you are interested in real magic, the author has written a bunch of books similar to this one on the subject. This book had a lot of substance to it, and was rich in information on magic, mermaids and underwater creatures. I give this book (****) 4 stars.
-Sirenita The Selkie