Alice Hoffman - Aquamarine

Pros: Lovely, shimmering prose with a strong whiff of nostalgia
Cons: Its brief length doesn't allow for much development of characters or plot

Best friends Hailey and Claire are twelve years old and lamenting the fact that their favorite summer hang-out, the near-deserted Capri Beach Club, is about to be closed forever. More than that, they’re both dreading the end of summer when Claire will...

Pros: Short story, quick read - keeps even reluctant readers reading.
Cons: No literary masterpiece - plot is contrived, but worth reading -for girls, probably not boys.

This is good reading, when "good reading" is defined as: they'll read it all, and they'll relate.

The two main characters deal with real problems (they're best friends about to be torn apart, as one is moving away at the end of the summer) and with a really common fantasy: that mermaids are real.

Well, of course they're not. But this book's matter-of-fact tone manages to present the subject in an almost believable way - and with humor. To the author's credit, that humor doesn't belittle the characters or the subject.

Alice Hoffman's previous books have all been for adults; I am not convinced with this title that YA is her calling, however, based on the fact that the book has now been made into a feature film, I think it's safe to say she's found some success. I haven't seen the film, but I do recommend
the book. For girls, that is. Frankly, I would be astonished if a boy would read this book - mermaids and "BFFs" are rarely subjects that cross genders.