Embedded Files
Dalseno, Esther. Drown. 3 Little Birds Books, 2015.
Drown keeps all the darkest aspects of “The Little Mermaid” and creates a rich backstory for the merpeople in it. This selection will appeal to readers who want something emotional and dramatic, and those who are familiar with how the story ends will appreciate this tragic retelling. Suitable for fans of horror and speculative fiction, along with readers looking for an extended version of the classic story.
Fama, Elizabeth. Monstrous Beauty. Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2012.
Split into two timelines (19th century and present day Plymouth, Massachusetts), this retelling is fairy tale, mystery, and ghost story all in one. Syrenka, the mermaid, falls for Ezra in the 1800s while present day Hester wants to learn her family's oldest secrets. Fans of monsters will appreciate this novel's vicious mermaids and creepy ghosts.
Guy, Rosa. My Love, My Love: or The Peasant Girl. Coffee House Press, 2001.
This retelling of stays true to the structure and general plot of the original story: a young woman saves a young man, and then falls in love with him despite their inability to be together. In this Caribbean version, Desiree cannot be with Daniel because of their race and class differences - he comes from an upper class family, while she is a mere peasant girl, with dark hair and skin, and his family will not accept their affection. This title has been adapted into a successful musical that was recently revived on Broadway.
Napoli, Donna Jo. Sirena. Scholastic Signature, 1998.
Napoli combines mermaid romance with Greek mythology in this adaptation. Love from a human grants a mermaid immortality, and Sirena herself must decide what she values - a life without death, or a life without love. Other characters from Greek mythology show up, making this retelling apt for fans of gods and warriors along with mermaid lore.
Ockler, Sarah. Summer of Chasing Mermaids. Simon Pulse, 2015.
This modern adaptation focuses on a human love story, using mermaids primarily for symbolism. Elyse is a singer who loses her voice in a boating accident, and through a relationship with "playboy" Christian works to overcome her fear of the sea. Ockler’s writing is poetic, filled with images of oceans, islands, and what awaits us in the deep. This mermaid tale is more complex than what its teen-love cover portrays, with appeal for romantics and cerebral readers alike.
Pearce, Jackson. Fathomless. Little, Brown and Company, 2012.
A companion to four other novel length retellings by Pearce, Fathomless is set in modern times and focuses on Celia, a human with the ability to see people's’ pasts, Lo, a sea creature who needs the love of a mortal to regain her humanity, and Jude, the boy they both rescue and fall for.
Turgeon, Carolyn. Mermaid. Crown Publishing Group, 2011.
This romantic retelling includes the perspective of the (human) princess Margrethe who sees the (mermaid) princess Lenia rescue the prince they both later fall in love with. A few liberties are taken to expand on the original story and the ending isn’t quite as tragic, but many details remain. Narration alternates between the two princesses as the reader learns their motivations for falling in love.
Viguie, Debbie. Midnight Pearls. Simon Pulse, 2003.
This retelling is part of the Once Upon a Time series - companion novels that don't need to be read in any particular order - and shares a "fish out of water" story. Pearl grows up with a fisherman and his wife, and her friend James, who is the prince, but doesn't realize she belongs to another world. When the time comes for her to return, will she do what she must to save her people from enchantment?
"Villain" Retellings
"Villain" Retellings
These selections tell the story from the Sea Witch's perspective:
These selections tell the story from the Sea Witch's perspective:
Henning, Sarah. Sea Witch. Katherine Tegen Books, 2018.
An upcoming release, this "retelling" prequel details the Sea Witch's rise as villain, starting when she is a 12-year old human girl, and heartbroken from the loss of her best friend. Available June, 2018!
Rourke, Stacey. Rise of the Sea Witch. Anchor Group Publishing, 2017.
Another villain prequel, this one adapted from Disney's The Little Mermaid. Rourke tells the story of how Vanessa, sister of Triton and princess of Atlantica, becomes Ursula, the Sea Witch. In this one, Vanessa starts off as a mermaid, though she is soon consumed by her own ambitions.
Valentino, Serena. Poor Unfortunate Soul: A Tale of the Sea Witch. Disney Press, 2016.
Fans of the first two installments of Valentino’s Villains series and Disney’s movie adaptation will want to read this take on Ursula's backstory, which takes places closer to the timeline of Ariel's story and brings in previous characters and story lines from Fairest of All and Beast Within.
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