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artisticbookworm's review against another edition
5.0
The characters were kind of relatable, the story was exciting and I just really loved the mermaids.
icygrl7's review against another edition
4.0
I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinions or the content of the review.
Secrets Beneath the Sea by Janet Gurtler is a cute tweeny mermaid read. I have never read this author before but I would pick up one of her other books. I enjoyed these stories of friendship. I liked that she touched on the things that matter to that age group. Each of the characters had stuff to overcome and had to face their fears in one way or another. I really enjoyed the friendship between Shyanna, Rachel, Cora and Owen.
Shyanna lost her father and her cave hasn't been the same sense then. There isn't any music in her home anymore and she is determined to do something about that. Her mother needs to sing again and she hatches a plan to make that happen. She will need to help of her best friend Cora and she must face her stage freight to do so. Will her plan work? Or will it be an epic fail? Along the way she faces obstacles including meeting the new girl, Rachel. She may get in her way and she isn't happy about that. Will she be able to get over herself and find that she has a new friend in her?
Rachel is new to Neptunia and is afraid that her life there will be a repeat of her life in another mermaid kingdom but she is excited to meet new people. She joins in a singing contest in her age bracket in hopes of making new friends. Then she meets Shyanna and Cora. Cora is really nice to her but Shyanna is reserved and doesn't seem to like her. She doesn't know why because she didn't do anything. Does she know her secret? Could that be the reason she is so standoffish? Then the two of them become fast friends when they both hold a secret together. Things seem to be going good for Rachel until Regina, the most popular girl in school, starts trouble for her. Can she overcome the obstacles she faces with the help of her new best friends? Or will she rely on the friendship of her old best friend Owen?
Cora has lived to be on the spirit squad like her mother was. She wants to make her happy and to get her to notice her. It seems like her mother only has time for her younger siblings anymore. She hardly has time to herself let alone to hang out with her best friends Shyanna and Rachel. When her and Shyanna make the spirit squad she is elated. That is until her other bestie Rahel doesn't make it too. She is determined to fix things. She must decide to stand up for what she believes in and stand by her friend, and possibly loose everything she has worked so hard for. Or she can keep her mouth shut and go with the flow and watch her bestie be miserable. Will she be able to live with the choice she makes? Or will she end up regretting it?
Owen is Rachel's best friend. He doesn't know a lot about her but he knows that he likes her and that is all that matters. He likes hanging out with her and he knows that they will be friends forever. He doesn't understand why he doesn't get to see her all the time like he does his other friends but he enjoys the times he does see her. Eventually he is given a choice to learn her secret and to be a part of it or loose her forever. Will he make the right choice? Or will he end up losing his best friend forever?
I enjoyed Secrets beneath the Sea. It would appeal to tween girls and mermaid lovers a like. I don't read a lot of books for this age range but I couldn't resist reading a mermaid story. It brought me back to the days my sisters and I would pretend to be mermaids while swimming in the lake. I think any young girl struggling with who she is and where she belongs would identify with Shyanna, Rachel, Cora, and Owen. I think the author deals with every day issues a tween would be dealing with and does a wonderful job of painting what friendship is all about. I would recommend Secrets Beneath the Sea to any tween that enjoys a good story about friendship and standing up for what you believe in. And to those tween girls that are obsessed with mermaids the way I was at that age.
Secrets Beneath the Sea by Janet Gurtler is a cute tweeny mermaid read. I have never read this author before but I would pick up one of her other books. I enjoyed these stories of friendship. I liked that she touched on the things that matter to that age group. Each of the characters had stuff to overcome and had to face their fears in one way or another. I really enjoyed the friendship between Shyanna, Rachel, Cora and Owen.
Shyanna lost her father and her cave hasn't been the same sense then. There isn't any music in her home anymore and she is determined to do something about that. Her mother needs to sing again and she hatches a plan to make that happen. She will need to help of her best friend Cora and she must face her stage freight to do so. Will her plan work? Or will it be an epic fail? Along the way she faces obstacles including meeting the new girl, Rachel. She may get in her way and she isn't happy about that. Will she be able to get over herself and find that she has a new friend in her?
Rachel is new to Neptunia and is afraid that her life there will be a repeat of her life in another mermaid kingdom but she is excited to meet new people. She joins in a singing contest in her age bracket in hopes of making new friends. Then she meets Shyanna and Cora. Cora is really nice to her but Shyanna is reserved and doesn't seem to like her. She doesn't know why because she didn't do anything. Does she know her secret? Could that be the reason she is so standoffish? Then the two of them become fast friends when they both hold a secret together. Things seem to be going good for Rachel until Regina, the most popular girl in school, starts trouble for her. Can she overcome the obstacles she faces with the help of her new best friends? Or will she rely on the friendship of her old best friend Owen?
Cora has lived to be on the spirit squad like her mother was. She wants to make her happy and to get her to notice her. It seems like her mother only has time for her younger siblings anymore. She hardly has time to herself let alone to hang out with her best friends Shyanna and Rachel. When her and Shyanna make the spirit squad she is elated. That is until her other bestie Rahel doesn't make it too. She is determined to fix things. She must decide to stand up for what she believes in and stand by her friend, and possibly loose everything she has worked so hard for. Or she can keep her mouth shut and go with the flow and watch her bestie be miserable. Will she be able to live with the choice she makes? Or will she end up regretting it?
Owen is Rachel's best friend. He doesn't know a lot about her but he knows that he likes her and that is all that matters. He likes hanging out with her and he knows that they will be friends forever. He doesn't understand why he doesn't get to see her all the time like he does his other friends but he enjoys the times he does see her. Eventually he is given a choice to learn her secret and to be a part of it or loose her forever. Will he make the right choice? Or will he end up losing his best friend forever?
I enjoyed Secrets beneath the Sea. It would appeal to tween girls and mermaid lovers a like. I don't read a lot of books for this age range but I couldn't resist reading a mermaid story. It brought me back to the days my sisters and I would pretend to be mermaids while swimming in the lake. I think any young girl struggling with who she is and where she belongs would identify with Shyanna, Rachel, Cora, and Owen. I think the author deals with every day issues a tween would be dealing with and does a wonderful job of painting what friendship is all about. I would recommend Secrets Beneath the Sea to any tween that enjoys a good story about friendship and standing up for what you believe in. And to those tween girls that are obsessed with mermaids the way I was at that age.
corncobwebs's review against another edition
This book is chock-full of sparkly, cheerful, and upbeat stories. It's divided into thirds, with a different teenage mermaid narrating each part. The narrating mermaids are all best friends, so they all factor into each others' stories. Shyanna's story is first, and she tells about her experience in the kingdom's talent show -- with a particular focus on her stage fright & feelings of inadequacy, and how her friends helped her succeed. Rachel's story is next, and the reader learns how she's half-human -- and how she's been ostracized because of this quality. Her friends help her realize that it's okay to be different, and help her devise a plan so that she feels more comfortable in her own skin. Cora's story is last, and details how she wants to be on the kingdom's Spirit Squad. She makes the team, but then has to make the tough decision of whether or not to stay when she discovers that Rachel's been excluded because of her half-human background.
All stories conclude with the right choices being made and lots of happy-smiley feelings. It's a world where everything is sparkly and shiny, and everything works out in the end (well, except for how Shyanna's dad disappeared, and Rachel's mom got eaten by sharks -- but we don't dwell on these unsavory points). I feel like I'm going to sneeze glitter after reading this story, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. I think pre-teen girls will love it -- it's not emotionally challenging, so it's just light, fun reading. The drawings and descriptions of mermaid life are super-appealing, although I had to stop myself from considering the feasibility of mermaids having cell phones and swing sets -- it's a story about MERMAIDS, for Pete's sake; it doesn't have to be scientifically accurate.
All in all, I'm not sure if this book was worth my time, personally -- I love mermaids, but I think I gravitate more towards the macabre Andersen version of mermaid lore. But that's really just personal taste, and I think lots of girls would enjoy the series.
All stories conclude with the right choices being made and lots of happy-smiley feelings. It's a world where everything is sparkly and shiny, and everything works out in the end (well, except for how Shyanna's dad disappeared, and Rachel's mom got eaten by sharks -- but we don't dwell on these unsavory points). I feel like I'm going to sneeze glitter after reading this story, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. I think pre-teen girls will love it -- it's not emotionally challenging, so it's just light, fun reading. The drawings and descriptions of mermaid life are super-appealing, although I had to stop myself from considering the feasibility of mermaids having cell phones and swing sets -- it's a story about MERMAIDS, for Pete's sake; it doesn't have to be scientifically accurate.
All in all, I'm not sure if this book was worth my time, personally -- I love mermaids, but I think I gravitate more towards the macabre Andersen version of mermaid lore. But that's really just personal taste, and I think lots of girls would enjoy the series.
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