Review: To Catch a Mermaid - Suzanne Selfors

Where I got it: ARC from publisher for review
Rating: 3 stars  

Cover Rating: 2 stars (Not a very well-done cover.)
Genre: Middle Grade

Publication Date: March 1, 2012

Publisher: Little, Brown and Company

Page Count: 246 p.

Buy it: Book Depository / Amazon
Add it: Goodreads

Boom Broom's mother was sucked up by a freak twister. Since then he's practically been on his own. His father stays in the attic, afraid the twister will come back and take them away. His sister, Mertyle, can't seem to make it past the front porch, and fakes sick every day. That leaves Boom with the cook that his father hired, a Viking named Halvor. After a particularly bad day Boom stumbles upon something extraordinary, something that will change his life forever.

This was an interesting story. A fun mermaid story is always a joy. This was one ugly merbaby though. I don't know if I would have kept it. It was pretty hideous and a bit creepy. Not that I would have eaten it, but maybe just thrown it back in the water. This story did not end the way I had expected. With all the magic swirling around, I thought I knew for certain how everything would turn out. I'm glad that it surprised me. Halvor was a fun character, I liked that he brought some strange Viking folklore with him. This was a fun story about family and love and magic. I couldn't stand their neighbors, the Mumps. They were just a terrible family and got everything they deserved. This story was strange but fun. Something younger kids will probably love.

First Line:
"Boom Broom awoke to find his little sister, Mertyle, looking for spots."

Favorite Line:
"Lives were so short-live in those dark days, and heartache so common, that the Vikings wrote the most beautiful love poems to ever come from the human heart."