Emily Windsnap and the Castle in the Mist
(Libby/OverDrive eBook, Kindle)

In the third Emily Windsnap adventure, lightly illustrated like its predecessors, the half-mermaid heroine finds that her idyllic existence is beginning to tarnish. First, it seems her recently reunited parents may separate; then, Emily's discovery of Neptune's discarded wedding ring leaves her struggling under a curse that could erase one of her identities. Kessler expands the mer-people's backstory here, providing greater perspective on Neptune's wrathful nature. As with the preceding books, though, what will most delight readers are the details of undersea life, from course work in hair brushing to scale polish for decorating tails.--Mattson, Jennifer Copyright 2007 Booklist

Two new mermaid sequels will grace beaches and pool sides this season. Having finally come to terms with her half-mermaid, half-human identity, Emily Windsnap finds herself between a rock and a hard place when she accidentally tries on a diamond ring cursed by Neptune himself. Now she only has a few days to break the curse and try and unite the mermaid and human worlds in Emily Windsnap and the Castle in the Mist by Liz Kessler, the third installment in the series. (Candlewick, $15.99 208p ages 8-12 ISBN 978-0-7636-3330-1; May) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved

Gr 3-6-In Emily's third adventure as a semi-mer-part human, part mermaid-she stumbles upon a cursed ring lost for hundreds of years. But now the ring is missing, and King Neptune wants it back. As punishment, Neptune put a curse on Emily that will make her either all human or all mermaid at the next full moon. Flung to a nameless place in the middle of the ocean, Emily discovers a castle shrouded in mist and the dark, green-eyed boy who lives there. Together, with help from her best friend, Shona, the trio unravel the clues to break the spell. This volume (Candlewick, 2007) continues the whimsical tone of Liz Kessler's previous books in the series, but she sacrifices real depth of character and relies on stereotypes. Finty Williams's British accent perfectly captures Emily's voice and the occasional Briticisms. Young girls will gladly be swept away by this light-hearted fantasy. Purchase where the previous volumes and fairy stories are popular.-Richelle Roth, Boone County Public Library, KY (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Emily discovers a ring hidden centuries before by Neptune. In anger, Neptune lays a curse on Emily, which she must remove or be doomed to live as human or mermaid, not both. The story line of this adventure is tighter than the earlier books, but Emily is still irritatingly weak and passive, taking action only when prodded by her stronger friends. (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. All rights reserved.

Back for a third adventure, Emily Windsnap, half-human/half-mermaid, has settled into life with both parents on and around Allpoints Island, where she's found a new best friend, Shona, a mermaid "all girly and sparkly, with shiny long blond hair." But her parents' arguments worry her. Perhaps they are planning to split up. On a class trip she finds a diamond ring King Neptune wants, but it won't come off her hand. Neptune's angry response is to send her far away where she finds a castle inhabited by a dark-haired, green-eyed boy, a semi-mer like herself. Together, the three young people find the ring's missing counterpart, undoing a 500-year-old curse and making possible peace between humans and merfolk--including her own parents. The improbable plot is told in first person, quickly paced and supported by plenty of descriptive detail about the appearance of the characters and the colorful underwater life. This should be an easy sell to girls looking for a friendship story with more than a touch of make believe. (Fiction. 9-12) Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

In the third Emily Windsnap adventure, lightly illustrated like its predecessors, the half-mermaid heroine finds that her idyllic existence is beginning to tarnish. First, it seems her recently reunited parents may separate; then, Emily's discovery of Neptune's discarded wedding ring leaves her struggling under a curse that could erase one of her identities. Kessler expands the mer-people's backstory here, providing greater perspective on Neptune's wrathful nature. As with the preceding books, though, what will most delight readers are the details of undersea life, from course work in hair brushing to scale polish for decorating tails. Copyright 2007 Booklist Reviews.

Two new mermaid sequels will grace beaches and pool sides this season. Having finally come to terms with her half-mermaid, half-human identity, Emily Windsnap finds herself between a rock and a hard place when she accidentally tries on a diamond ring cursed by Neptune himself. Now she only has a few days to break the curse and try and unite the mermaid and human worlds in Emily Windsnap and the Castle in the Mist by Liz Kessler, the third installment in the series. (Candlewick, $15.99 208p ages 8-12 ISBN 978-0-7636-3330-1; May) Copyright 2007 Reed Business Information.

Gr 3–6— Half-human/half-mermaid Emily should be happy. She's living with her recently reunited parents (a human mother and merman father), she has a best friend, and she loves her new school. Still, this third book in the series finds her preoccupied with her parents' escalating bickering. After awakening King Neptune's fearsome monster in book two, Emily has vowed to stay out of trouble, but that is exactly what she finds in a magic ring from the ocean floor. When the king finds out that she has hidden it from him, he is furious and puts a curse on her: at the next full moon, she will become all human or all mermaid, whichever he chooses. So begins an adventure that takes the girl to a secret castle where she learns that she may not be as unique as she previously thought. Kessler combines the whimsy of life as a mermaid with the problems of an average middle-schooler. She keeps the story moving, with each chapter posing a new problem. Plenty of dialogue and Ledwidge's soft, dreamlike line drawings add textual and visual interest, making for a zippy story in an attractive package. Fans of mermaids and things that sparkle are the likely audience for this light fantasy.—Adrienne Furness, Webster Public Library, NY