Emily Windsnap and the Monster from the Deep

2.5 - Pretty much the entire conflict after which this book is named could have been avoided if Emily wasn't trying so hard to be a people-pleaser and constantly consumed by her insecurities. She basically puts her entire community in danger because she just has to have her own Pandora's box moment. And then she's surprised her so-called best friend (whom she willfully dragged into the whole situation) is mad at her? That's pretty poor behavior even for a twelve year old. If the third book's plot is anything like this one, I may have to give this series an early burial despite having wanted to finish it when I was younger.

I bought the first three books in the series as a boxed set at Target. I love children's literature and these looked like they would be a fun read. To be fair, I am biased. I was looking to find a book that would appeal to both children and adults alike. This was not, I believe, the author's intention. The book was written for children and would most certainly be enjoyed by most children.

WARNING: PLOT AND ENDING SPOILERS:
The story is a sequel to [The Tail of Emily Windsnap]. In the first story, we learn about how Emily finds out about her being a mermaid and how she and her family are reunited and taken to an island in the Bermuda Triangle. This story picks up where the first left off. The main themes going through the book were about show more wanting to feel appreciated and loved (very appropriate and understandable for the genre) as well as trying to have a best friend that sticks by you (also a key theme to young children's lives right now). However, the story was too out there, even for me. It wasn't ridiculous because it's about mermaids and a mythical creature called the Kraken and how it lures people in to the Bermuda Triangle on the orders of King Neptune. That, I could believe. It's fiction, I suspended my disbelief. However, what I couldn't believe was that upon finding out that she set this horrible monster loose and the only way to save all of the mercreatures and the humans nearby was to tell everyone what friend of hers helped her to set it loose because she didn't want to damage the friendship. Seriously. I was fine with them exploring and setting it loose. I understood Emily's fear about not wanting to fess up, of trying to fix it on her own, and of trying to run away. These are all likely problem solutions a pre-teen would come up with. However, letting your family, as well as all living creatures around (including yourself and the friend you love so dearly) die because you don't want to make your friend mad at you... No. That was too ridiculous.

I'm guessing that younger readers may connect with that, but I would think instinct to survive would also make that part of the story implausible. As an adult, I didn't think the story had enough depth to it as a lot of other children's literature (in the same age group and reading level) does. show less

Same deal as the first. Really annoying, "I've done something bad my parents won't love me anymore" mentality. Very fast read though. Also a very standard, Bermuda Triangle story with a kraken thrown in for good measure.
But probably just fine for the target audience.

Emily Windsnap's dad is a merman! So they move to a place called Allpoints Island. Her best friend Shona is a mermaid and so is she. Some girls dare them to go into a dark cave. It turns out that its a scary monster that lives in the darkest depths of the ocean. Emily and Shona must figure out how to stop the crazy thing from destroying Allpoints Island.
I thought that Emily Windsnap and the Monster from the Deep was a great book. I love fantasy and adventure and if you are anything like me with what you like to read, you will love this book. It will keep you wondering all night if Emily and Shona will survive. If you read the first book, Mandy Rushton is in here too. Read this book if you want to know what happens to Allpoints Island.

Emily Windsnap and the Monsters from the Deep is not a book I would recommend. The reason why I started reading the book is because of a reading challenge I chose to do for school but I just couldn't continue reading it.
This book was predictable and didn't grab my attention one bit. This book is definitely for younger kids and I would not recommend this for teenagers! Even though I only got to page 60 I knew that this book wasn't going anywhere. Every time I picked up this book I got distracted every single time because there was nothing to keep me hooked in. It was confusing and just a very weird book that I didn't like one bit.

This book would be great for an 8-10 year old girl I think. Very cute sequel to the first book, The Tale of Emily Windsnap.

Fantasy