THE MERMAID'S DREAM-DAY CEREMONY

A mermaid must complete an important task before her 12th birthday in Müller’s middle-grade novel.

Swannie lives an idyllic life with her parents in the seaside village of Nammig. Months ago (as depicted in the author’s 2022 novel The Mermaid of Amarvin Island), she learned that she is actually a mermaid, and she had to save the nearby mystical Amarvin Island from an evil serpent. (Swannie’s mother Sarika is also a mermaid; her father Thomas is a fisherman and does not know much about mermaids.) Shortly before her 12th birthday, Swannie learns that mermaids have “Dream-Days,” anniversaries of the first dream a mermaid hasof her unborn child. After receiving a sign, the mermaid must complete the Dream-Day Ceremony, which consists of completing some “Task” to make the world a better place. Carnuckelby, a man made of pebbles, starts her on her Dream-Day journey, which takes her into the skies, under the sea, and back to Amarvin Island to solve a mystery instigated by mechanical stinging insects. Along the way, she enlists the help of her friends from school: Feliciana, who assisted with her last adventure, along with Tall Pete, Tobias, and Stephen. The group acquires another member in Lark, a new girl at school. Throughout her journey, Swannie encounters tasks that she simply cannot complete alone. Though she is initially reluctant to turn to her extensive support network for assistance, not wanting to put them in harm’s way, the ultimate lesson she must learn is to ask for help when she needs it. This lesson is explicitly spelled out for the reader, though the author manages to do so without seeming didactic: “for all great deeds, tasks, duties, and missions, can only be accomplished with the help of others—of working together, unified in single purpose and spirit.” The story includes enough fun and adventure to make its clear moral feel earned, not preachy. The text leaves the children’s races ambiguous, though Lapointe’s black-and-white illustrations depict them with diverse skin tones.

An engaging children’s adventure with an important lesson.