Aquamarine

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Summary: Aqumarine; very encouraging, and sad.
Review: Aquamarine is a very odd book, yet beautiful in a way. But I read this book last summer. And I read it in one in a half days. So I just think that moving away, making new friends, and mermaid maddness go in the same thing here. You will like this book from the moment you start reading it. (I did.) So let me tell you about it: Aquamarine is a mermaid and two girls try to help her find her way back home. 'Cause you see, one day the two girls were going to the town swimming pool and they see that a mermaid is in the pool! So they ask if they can help but she says go away I don't need your help! Every day they come back until one day when they found out that the pool is going to be drained and no longer going to be there!

They are going to try to find the way to the sea, and put Aquamarine where her family is; and find a way to help one girl stop from moving... YOU WILL LOVE IT!!!! You know that Aquamarine is not the brightest fish in the sea, so beware of her being mean. And you will learn something from this book a lesson everyone should learn right away...

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Summary: My Comment
Review: Aquamarine was a fun, enjoyable and easy book to read. I was fond of Claire's and Hailey's friendship. It was intresting how the two of them connected and yet were so different. It was sad that Corpi (the beach park)was going to be torn down. With that Claire and Hailey were the only customers. The way Aquamarine was found was very unique. And it is a good thing she made it to the ocean. The ending has not much of a twist but wants you to read more, even though the book has ended.

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Summary: Aquamarine
Review: Aquamarine

The book Aquamarine was a great book. I would give it five stars. It was about two girls and they go to the pool in the summer. One day they saw a mermaid in the water and they try to talk to her. Then the mermaid falls in love with the lifeguard from the pool. Later the two girls try to get the mermaid and the lifeguard together. The part that I like in the story is when the two girls get the mermaid and the lifeguard together. I would recommend this book to a friend you have to read it.

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Summary: Simple, short, and bleak
Review: Basically, what the first editorial review is is the entire book, save the fact that Raymond works at the snack bar, not the gift shop. While some might agree that this is a great children's book, I fail to see the reason; Aquamarine is stubborn and has quite an unrealistic attitude, although she is the only character with any detail. It's easy to get Hailey and Claire mixed up, you have absolutely no idea what they look like, and it seems a bit ironic that two extreamly different people (Haily is brave and adventerous, Claire is afraid of the ocean but has a sharp mind, although this is hardly ever demonstrated) can be such close friends. If Hailey loved to swim and Claire is scared stiff of it, wouldn't they spend less time together? Raymond is merely charecterized as "handsome", and his personality, in general, is rather girly. He is going off to collage and treats thease two 12- year- old girls like they're best friends, he jumps in the water to save a little kid, and falls in love with Aquamarine after only one date. This isn't bad, but that last one is, like most of the story, undetailed and for the most part tacky. This isn't really surprising, as it is a story mainly about girls, and I suppose it was meant to "enchant" younger readers. It had a fair plot, but the charaterazations were poor, and it's the kind of thing you read out of boredom. Because of its large text(about 30 words to a page)and lack of descriptions, you zip right through it, and it is more of a story than what could actually be considered a novel (besides the fact that it only skims 100 pages and the pages are double- spaced, with unnecessary pictures at the start of each chapter). Throw it around orally a few times and a decent storyteller could make it just as, if not more, interesting. If you were let down by Alice Hoffman, well, this certainly isn't her best, and she's more mature of a writer. "Green Angel" is so much better. Perhaps more complicated, but much deeper and descriptive.

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Summary: Magically enchanting.
Review: Excellent book for young teens. The author put some real poignant things in this writing that I don't think the younger reader will absorb, but maybe when they go back and read it again it will strike chords.

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Summary: Aquamarine
Review: Have you ever had a friend that was moving away in one week? Hailey and Claire are heartbroken because Claire is moving away.

Their last summer together is spent at their beach club. One stormy day, a very stubborn, annoying, mean mermaid named Aquamarine splashed into the pool at the the beach club. Their main goal is to get Aquamarine out of the pool that is about to be drained. Aquamarine talks to them in a very rude way, but she loosens up and becomes thankful at the end.

This story shows that you can still be friends, even from long distances.

This book gets five stars. There are places to laugh, places to cry and many places to wonder what is next. This book is one of the best books ever.

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Summary: Aquamarine
Review: I am a fifth grade student at Waldron Mercy Academy (A.N.C.-L.). This book was a real page-turner. It had a mix of suspense, happiness, and sea creatures. On a hot day at the Capri Beach Club, Hailey and Claire are spending time together. The girls are sad because Claire is moving to Florida at the end of the month. Soon, the Capri will be knocked down. The day after a storm Hailey and Claire visit the pool. They are not allowed in, (Claire is scared of swimming) but they go anyway! In the pool, they find a rude sixteen year old mermaid. She is lost and in love. Claire sews her a beautiful dress (Claire likes sewing), and Hailey sets up a date for her. After the date she starts drying out and dying. Will Hailey and Claire get her to the ocean before she dies? Read the rest of the book to find out. This book was so good that my mommy called me for dinner at 5:00p.m. and I didn't go down until 5:30p.m. This book really deserves a five star rating.

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Summary: Aquamarine:Alice Hoffmans first failure
Review: I can't believe everybody liked this book! The characters were vapid and airheaded and the plot was pointless. A few innocent moments and sweet ideas give this book two stars instead of one, but mostly the characters were boy-crazy and unrealistic, and the writing with droning and simple language. I do not reccomend this book. It is so dumb how the plot was to get Aquamarine, the stuck up mermaid, on a date with Raymond the "cute" guy behind the snack bar at the Capri Beach Club. If you want to waste your time, read this book. If you want an adventurous, nonsteryotypical novel, read The Wind Singer.

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Summary: A Nice "Tail"
Review: I think this book was really a good book, but it's for people who aren't as strong readers, or younger readers. I received it as a gift for my birthday. On a scale from 1-10 I'd give it an 8. I had my little brother (age 8) read it for his book report (he'll read anything he can get his hands on) and he rated it a 9. This is what he wrote for his plot:

It all started when Hailey found out that Claire was moving. They only had a few more weeks to spend at the Capri Beach Club because that was being torn down also. One day there was a horrid storm and the pool got all yucky and mucky. Hailey jumped into the pool and saw a mermaid. They came up with a plan to talk to the mermaid. Claire found out that the mermaid had swam away to be independent and "stuff." The mermaid was rude, but eventually they became friends. They found out the mermaid's name was Aquamarine. Aquamarine fell in love with Raymond and wanted to go out with him. She wouldn't leave until she did. Hailey read in a book that if mermaids spend more than three days out of salt water they would shrivel up and turn into a pile of green dust. So Hailey and Claire have to try and convince Aquamarine to go back to the ocean. They end up putting Aquamarine in a wheelchair and having her and Raymond go out on a date. When the date is over she is pale and she is starting to turn into dust. They rush her to the ocean where Raymond sees her and finds out the truth-that she is a mermaid. He still loves her though. Claire moves to Florida and one day sees Raymond and Aquamarine swimming in the ocean together. While that is going on, Claire is watching the Capri Beach Club being torn down and replaced by a hotel. They learn to make new friends and face their fears and grow.

It leaves out a few things but it is pretty accurate. It's a good late night read. Enjoy!

Rating:
Summary: Enchanting
Review: I was lucky enough to get an ARC of this book a month ago. As an adult (mostly), I read it in about an hour, and was thoroughly delighted by it. I am a fan of all Ms. Hoffman's work to date, and plan to share this with many younger than I. It's a timeless story of friendship and change, growing up... and apart (in the physical sense). The central relationship between Hailey and Claire is reminiscent of many strong female bonds in Hoffman's work, such as the sisters in "Practical Magic." In all, well worth the time and money.