The Mermaid's Mirror by L K Madigan

Title: The Mermaid's Mirror

Author: L. K. Madigan

Genre: Young Adult

Rating: * * * ½

Publishers Date: Oct 4, 2010

Hardback: 320 pages

Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Books

ISBN: 0547194919

FTC Disclosure: NetGalley

There's something drawing Lena to the water.
It's making Lena sleepwalk to the beach.
It's compelling her to surf even if it means putting herself in grave danger
and going against her father's wishes.
A woman emerges from the waves--a woman with a silvery tail.
She has a message.
She has a key
When Lena finds a brown leather sea chest and uses the key to unlock it, she has no choice but to look into the watery depths of her secret past through the mysterious mermaid's mirror . . .
Lena's life will never be the same.

This book started out pretty much the same way a lot of  YA books do. Her parents don’t understand her and she feels like a fish out of water, literally. Then she discovers that she’s different from everyone else (big surprise) and sets out to discover what her heritage is really about. Though the first part of the book was a bit slow, once the Merpeople took over; the story became more of a fantasy read. Madigan did a credible job of building this world under the sea and I think it will greatly appeal to middle schoolers. I see mermaids taking over the YA paranormal world of vamps and weres. The use of the mirror added a different slant to the story but it could have been used more to help us understand this new world and the history behind it.
Lena was pretty much the typical teenager, whiny and constantly lying and hiding things from her parents. She does tend to face things head on and with a lot of courage, though. I saw that there was to be a sequel which I hope will flesh out parts of the story that were rather lacking. This light summer read will bring memories of sand and salt water with every flip of the page for the reader, both young and old alike.