Series: A Trot & Capn Bill Adventure #1
Published by Viking Books for Young Readers on June 11, 2019
Genres: Middle Grade, Graphic Novel, Fantasy, Retellings
Pages: 144
Format: Hardcover
Source: Publisher
Trot, a Vietnamese American surfer girl, and Cap'n Bill, her cranky one-eyed cat, catch too big a wave and wipe out, sucked down into a magical underwater kingdom where an ancient deep-sea battle rages. The beautiful Sea Siren mermaids are under attack from the Serpent King and his slithery minions--and Trot and her feline become dangerously entangled in this war of tails and fins.
This graphic novel was inspired by The Sea Fairies, L. Frank Baum's "underwater Wizard of Oz." It weaves Vietnamese mythology, fantastical ocean creatures, and a deep-sea setting.
I received this book for free from the Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Inspired by L. Frank Baum’s novel The Sea Fairies, Sea Sirens is a fun magical adventure tale about a girl and her cat who discover an underwater kingdom after getting swept away at sea.
This graphic novel drew my attention because it features a Vietnamese-American girl, an animal companion, a surfer-protagonist, and magical elements. To top it off, the California beach setting and underwater adventures are perfect for a summer read.
Trot lives in a close-knit home. While there is no mention of a father, Trot’s mother relies on her to keep an eye on the grandfather, who demonstrates frequent lapses in memory. Trot’s reluctance to sacrifice her surfing hobby to stay with her grandfather sets the stage for events to come. In particular, this volume features the grandfather-granddaughter relationship and how each cares for the other in their own way: despite her initial attitude, Trot worries over her grandfather’s dementia, and her grandfather looks after her during moments of clarity.
The plot is straightforward with few twists and turns, and the protagonists get out of bad situations with little to no consequences. I would have preferred more complexity to the characters and their situation, but Sea Sirens does complete the story it sets out to tell while providing some action and adventure. The ending opens the possibility for more adventures to come.
Additional Thoughts
The beautiful full-color illustrations by Janet K. Lee added to my enjoyment of this graphic novel. Furthermore, elements of Vietnamese culture are interwoven into the story. While it’s not necessary to understand the plot, I do wish more Vietnamese words were translated since I, and many readers besides, cannot read Vietnamese.
Content
Some violence
Dementia
Chat With Me
📚 Have you read The Sea Fairies by L. Frank Baum?
📚 With whom would you read Sea Sirens?
Kristen @ Metaphors and Moonlight says
This sounds so cute! And the granddaughter-grandfather relationship sounds sweet. That’s too bad the characters didn’t have a little more depth though.
Crystal says
It is a cute read. I love when family features prominently in a novel. It would have been nice to see a little more depth, though overall it was an enjoyable read.
Dani @ Perspective of a Writer says
oooh I added this on Goodreads, thanks! Middle Grade graphic novels can be so hard to rate. I have a couple of young middle grade friends who particularly love this genre and am always on the lookout for them. Unfortunately it is a middle grade thing to make solutions super easy, I agree that I wish writers would trust readers to understand a touch more complexity. And teach a little more about consequences. Still I’m going to check it out! I love Asian rep. Especially Vietnamese since I’ve never read that before! (I don’t think?!)
Crystal says
I agree. I’ve read some children’s books that portray greater depth of characters and plot, and I love them. I believe it’s important for children to know that life isn’t easy and things won’t always go the way we want them to. Books have the power to teach them in a safe place, through other peoples’ lives, that humans are resilient and can persevere through challenges. And that even if things don’t turn out the way we want them to, we’ll be okay.
I do love the asian rep here. I also can’t remember the last time I read a book featuring Vietnamese culture, if ever 🙂
Sophia Rose says
Yes, those illustrations are beautifully done and I love that it has some quirky elements brought together for a fun and sun story with some deeper meaning.
Crystal says
I love that there’s deeper meaning in this middle-grade graphic novel. While I enjoy fun books for young readers, it’s always wonderful when they expand young readers’ worldviews.
Melissa (Books and Things) says
Oh this is one of those books I love on audio so I can hear the correct pronunciations of words. This sounds like a cute book. Brilly review!
Crystal says
It would be fantastic to have the audio on hand when reading this! It is a cute read 🙂
Melliane says
It’s a really pretty cover there!
Crystal says
I agree. The cover is pretty. I was so happy to get this one in the mail!