REAL MERMAIDS DON'T NEED HIGH HEELS

The adventures of a part-time mermaid continue with more comedy and easy but suspenseful action.

Jade has triumphantly escaped her hated middle school and entered glorious high school, where she hopes finally to have a normal teenage life. She already has a boyfriend of sorts, Luke, although she’s too shy to ask him to the upcoming girls’-choice dance. She’s excited to be in high school and determined to do better academically than she did in middle school. However, it turns out that Jade isn’t the only part-time merperson in her town of Port Toulouse. A new girl, Serena, a refugee from the “freshies”—merpeople imprisoned in the nearby lake—will be attending school, and Jade’s assigned to team up with her and protect her. Actually, Port Toulouse seems to be riddled with secret merpeople, and danger looms for them all at the hands of the scheming Mermish Council. Boudreau keeps tone and action light as foam, solving conundrums with happy coincidences. An underwater hockey game adds spice, as do some friendship difficulties, also easily solved. Mermish “speech,” which humans can’t hear, is printed in italics. Best of all, it’s great to have a plus-sized heroine—with a boyfriend!

Frothy fun.