Librarian's Pick of the Week: Ingo

Title: Ingo
Author: Helen Dunmore
Genre:Fantasy, Romantic
Published:2005
Age: 12+

Synopsis: In a novel full of longing, mystery, and magic, Sapphire hears the call of the sea on the Cornwall coast where she lives with her family.

Review: Why does Dad get a dreamy look when he croons the old song about the magical sea world called Ingo? Then one misty morning Dad vanishes, and Sapphire and her brother, Conor, believe that the Mer people of Ingo have something to do with his disappearance. Legend has it that a young man with Mer sensibilities fell in love with a mermaid and abandoned his pregnant fiancee, paving the way for Mer traits to be passed down to others. If the legend explains Dad's disappearance, then the kids have some of the Mer traits themselves. Drawn almost irresistibly to the sea, they encounter Mer people and find themselves struggling to balance life on land with the secret delights and wonders offered in the water. Dunmore's narrative skims expertly across the pages as it chronicles the kids' thrilling adventures (the dolphin-riding scenes are grand) and deftly weaves in an ecological message about protecting the sea. Readers will eagerly await the next title in the planned trilogy from this talented British writer, who is as adept at writing books for children as she is at writing adult fiction and poetry. - Booklist

If you're intrigued, don't forget to check our library's catalog for this book!