- Title: Sea Sirens
- Author: Amy Chu and Janet K. Lee (Illustrator)
- Book Form: Physical
- Pages: 144
- Publisher: Viking Books for Young Readers
- Genre: MG, Graphic Novel, Fantasy
- Rating: ★★★★
Dive into this middle-grade graphic novel about a Vietnamese American surfer girl and her talking cat who plunge into a fantasy world of oceanic marvels . . . and mayhem!
Trot, a Vietnamese American surfer girl, and Cap’n Bill, her cranky one-eyed cat, catch too big a wave and wipe out, sucked down into a magical underwater kingdom where an ancient deep-sea battle rages. The beautiful Sea Siren mermaids are under attack from the Serpent King and his slithery minions–and Trot and her feline become dangerously entangled in this war of tails and fins.
This graphic novel was inspired by The Sea Fairies, L. Frank Baum’s “underwater Wizard of Oz.” It weaves Vietnamese mythology, fantastical ocean creatures, and a deep-sea setting.
– Goodreads
Thank you to Viking Books for Young Readers and Penguin Random House for a free copy of this graphic novel in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
I was SO surprised to get this finished copy from Viking today! I saw I had something coming from Penguin Random House so I was like, ‘Oh, it’s Memento.’ Even though I’m so excited for Memento, I was pleasantly surprised! And a finished copy! What?!
I was so excited I dove right in to this California surfer girl’s story. The first thing I noticed on the cover was she was holding a one-eyed cat! You never get the story of why he has one eye, however, there are more books coming!
Trot is a surfer girl who goes to the beach every day after school to surf while her grandpa fishes. Her grandpa has Alzheimer’s, which I think is really good to show in a book for younger kids. I know a lot of kids have to go through having a loved one with this disease – I did. So it’s really nice to have that representation like, hey- you aren’t alone. It’s a pretty common thing these days.
I loved when Trot and Cap’n Bill – the one eyed cat – make it to the Siren Kingdom. The story was so cute and fun. I couldn’t put it down!
I loved the diversity of the characters. I loved the underwater experience. It definitely read as a middle grade novel, but honestly, sometimes we just need something light-hearted and fun. I will definitely be on the lookout for the further adventures of Trot and Cap’n Bill!
Until next time..
Mithah Reads 