Emily Windsnap and the Pirate Prince

I read this book without reading the first seven in the series and had no problem sinking into the characters and plot. So, it can be read as a stand alone.

Emily's family is finally taking a vacation together on a luxurious cruise ship...with her boyfriend, of course. It's everything she hoped it could be and more until pirates take over the ship. When the kidnap her boyfriend, she's determined to rescue him and makes a deal with the pirate's son. But what starts out as a rescue trip, quickly has Emily questioning her own life and what she really wants to do.

This is an easy to read story, which middle grade readers are sure to enjoy. The action, humor and tension are perfect to keep the pages turning without growing too over-powering or show more allowing the tale to become boring. It's a great mix. The dialogue and characters come across very naturally, and make it easy to see the characters as people you'd love to know yourself. Even the pirates aren't over the top, but still hold enough saltiness to make them a danger on the open seas.

There's a little bit of a mystery as Emily and her friends try to figure out a riddle, and a few unexpected twists and turns. I especially enjoyed the fact that while Emily is a mermaid, it slides in smoothly with the rest of the plot and does outshine the problem she faces. She's in a good place, accepts herself and has a heart of gold when it comes to others.

I won an ARC copy and enjoyed reading it very much. So, I'm leaving my honest thoughts. show less

My daughter and I started reading this series when she was around 6 or 7. I started out reading them aloud to her, and as she got older we'd read them separately. She's nearly 17, and we still enjoy these sweet mermaid stories. This particular installment was quite good, and though I'd recommend reading all of the books in the series, it could be read alone without missing too much. I'd highly recommend this series for the mermaid lover in your life.

Quick review disclaimer - I have not read the first 7 books in this series, nor did I realize that it was the 8th book in a series when I got it.

Emily Windsnap is a teenager who also happens to be part mermaid. She can walk around like a human but when she gets in the water she can transform into her tail. In this story she is headed on a cruise ship on her way back home from her last adventure (this is where I figured out I was missing some context). Their relaxing trip home is soon spoiled by pirates and Emily must save the day.

Even though I was not aware that this was the 8th book in a series, there was enough in the story to help me follow along well enough. Emily is an interesting main character and I was happy to follow her on show more an adventure with the pirates and her friends. I found the plot to be very fun, there were clues and riddles and really I love a good adventure anyway. The characters had to overcome issues with each other and become friends and really help one another and that was a very good message as well.

Overall this was a great book, I am not sure how it compares to the rest of the series, but it was fun by itself. If you are looking for a new series for a middle grade reader, this one should be one you look into. show less

Emily Windsnap is on a cruise ship with her boyfriend, Aaron and her mother when a very handsome and friendly stranger approaches their table. Noah is all sugary sweetness until it is discovered that he is a pirate and was just spying on the ship for his father, Jakob, who intended to steal from the passengers.

As the theft goes into motion, Emily learns that Noah has a brother Sam who she befriended on the ship, too. In the confusion of the chaos, Emily finds that Aaron has gone missing. She realizes that he was captured by the pirates. And so, she also gets herself ‘captured’ by Sam to find out what happened to Aaron.

Jakob has pitted the two pirate brothers against each other to find a mega treasure. The one who solves the clues show more and gets to the treasure will win. HA! Emily knows that Aaron was captured since he has valuable information. She intends to free Aaron.

Adventure on the seas, mermaids, and treachery accompany Emily on this mysterious route to free Aaron and stop the pirates. But along the way, we find that one pirate brother is ruthless while the other is compassionate. Fans of the other Emily Windsnap books will enjoy this latest adventure.

Thank you to LibraryThing Early Reviewers, Candlewick Press, and Liz Kessler for this ARC. show less

I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review of this book. Emily Windsnap's newest adventure has her facing off against pirates and her own sense of self. Lots of new character introductions and some growing up for Emily make for a fun story with a satisfying ending. Kessler steered clear of some of the major tropes for this age level and for that I am grateful.

This was my first Emily Windsnap book. In the beginning chapters, the relationships between characters were a bit hard to follow, but by the end, I found the book enjoyable to read and relatable for my middle school readers. This adventure encourages readers to consider motifs of identity, difference, relationships, and independence. I am happy to add it to my classroom library!

This is the eighth book in the Emily Windsnap series. Emily is a half-mermaid teen. Her mom is human and her dad is a merman. Emily changes from human form to mermaid when she enters the ocean water. In this installment in the series, Emily enters into another adventure when the cruise ship she is traveling on with her mom is captured by pirates. Emily befriends the pirate crew. Then she needs to decide whether to stay in her mermaid self, or go back to her human life. Readers who enjoy the series will find this a fun addition. Readers who are new to the series and characters will have an equally fun time getting acquainted with Emily and her unusual family.