Description
Eleven-year-old Grace Minnaugh is not a fan of big change. And so, she’s miserable during her first weeks in the seaside town of La Toya, sulking like a spoiled brat while her family embrace the California lifestyle with gusto. But Grace’s entire life is destined to change in miraculous ways because she can’t resist the seductive beauty of the sea. One fateful morning, while taking a predawn swim, Grace is caught in a thunderstorm. Without the ocean skills to survive, she’s sucked below the surface, convinced she will drown. Instead, a new life begins. Gills rip open from behind her ears and her legs fuse together to form a fishtail. Grace Minnaugh is a mermaid, and a gorgeous one at that.
On land, Grace is still the same walking, talking social misfit she’s always been. But when fully submerged in the salty sea, she’s an underwater marvel. Not sure what to make of this fantastic conundrum, Grace decides not to tell a soul about her flip-floppy, double life. Things get more complicated when Grace befriends Alfie DeCosta, a kid who’s obsessed with finding an elusive shipwreck off the coast of La Toya. Grace knows exactly where the shipwreck is. But she can’t tell Alfie about it, or can she?
Plunge in to The Tantalizing Tale of Grace Minnaugh, a marvelous ride for landlubbers and mer-folk alike.
But be forewarned; whether you’ve got a fishtail or feet, you will get wet!
Praise for The Tantalizing Tale of Grace Minnaugh
“Family secrets, mysterious algae allergies, shipwrecks, and fishy transformations – put this magical middle grade in the fins of any child who’s ever dreamed of becoming a mermaid. Full of humor and heart, Grace Minnaugh is a pure delight!”
– Tara Gilboy, author of Rewritten and Unwritten
“Magical, exciting, and an absolute delight to read, The Tantalizing Tale of Grace Minnaugh is full of humor and heart. Grace is a true force of nature; a girl who knows herself but who also discovers a few surprises beneath the surface.”
– Melissa Sarno, author of Just Under the Clouds and A Swirl of Ocean
“As sparkling, vivid, and twisty as a mermaid’s tail. Grace Minnaugh is a charming and relatable heroine, and Alice Kaltman’s storytelling carries you away wave by beautiful wave. This Minnaugh is a real catch!”
– Betsy Cornwell, author of Tides and The Forest Queen
Roopa –
The Tantalizing Tale of Grace Minnaugh hooked me from the first page thereon I became completely invested in Grace’s journey, her discovery of her mer-hood, and her marvelous escapades as a mer-girl. It was Grace’s relatability as a seemingly fragile yet innately strong, and compassionate 11-year old that made me fall in love with her.
Written in sparkling prose, Alice Kaltman has woven a taut plot deftly incorporating elements of historical fiction and fantasy that left me on the edge of the seat till the very end.
However, what drew me into the very heart of this crossover YA fantasy was how effortlessly Alice managed to tie in real-world themes of bonding, self-esteem, and identity with the fantastical. In today’s social media-fueled landscape, where ‘fitting in’ is everything, The Tantalizing Tale of Grace Minnaugh makes an astute point.
Here, I quote Mrs. Shelby ( one of my favorite characters in the book): “But the important thing is for you to accept yourself, Grace and don’t feel ashamed of being a wonderful, special and powerful mer-girl…let people stare if they want…as long as inside, you know, everything about you is right as a rain…”
Nothing could ring truer than her words. As a reader, my only complaint is that I am ready and waiting to dive into Grace Minnaugh’s next adventure.
– Roopa Menon, Author of The Adventures of Chandu and the Super Set of Parents
Margo Sorenson –
This wonderful middle grade novel, written with wit, grace, and amazing world-building, using magical descriptions of an undersea world, had me hooked from the first sentence: “Who in their right mind names a dog Kitty?”
Our plucky heroine, herself named Grace, plunges into middle school life in a new school and a new town. With parents who are vividly drawn as a wonky university professor dad and a distracted artist mom, Grace must navigate a mystery that she’s sure her parents are keeping from her, and that only she can solve.
The mystery deepens as Grace discovers she turns into a mermaid when in salt water. Readers will be delighted and totally convinced at her metamorphosis, as Kaltman has brilliantly laid out the process. Even the most skeptical doubters will be amused and captivated by the transformations and the ensuing entanglements and obstacles that Grace must conquer as she seeks to help her new friends as well as solve the family mystery she suspects is what is making her parents act so strangely.
Kaltman’s middle grade voice is so profoundly real it is difficult to imagine that she is actually an adult, writing as an eleven-year-old. She uses it deftly to illuminate the reader about not only the angst-filled dynamics of middle school life, but also the scientific method, sea creatures of all types, and the incredible beauty of life under the sea. Humor abounds in many descriptions: “looks like an exploded brain,” being but one of many chuckle-inducing phrases.
The plot builds and tightens, and without disclosing a spoiler, the reader will rejoice with Grace and her parents in a subtly well-prepared for conclusion—with a splash! Readers who love the ocean, who face middle school life with dread, and who have fun letting their imaginations take them to new realms will thoroughly enjoy this delightful excursion, plunging into a vivid, magical world.