Under the Mermaid Angel

by Martha Moore

Book Overview

Thirteen-year-old Jesse leads a pretty boring life in just about the most boring place in the universe -- otherwise known as Ida, Texas. She cannot forget the death of her baby brother seven years... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0385321600
• ISBN13: 9780385321600
• Release Date: September 1995
• Publisher: Delacorte Press
• Length: 168 Pages
• Weight: 2.15 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 5.7" x 8.6"
• Age Range: 12 years and up
• Grade Range: Grade 7 and higher

Customer Reviews

Under that mermaid angel at the dance

I read this book when I was twelve. It is still my favorite book. And when I read it, I finished it in 2 days! I couldn't put the book down. It is not tons of adventure on every page but it is soo interesting. I felt connected to Jesse. Well, Jesse feels kinda in a rut in a very boring town (Ida). But when roxanne moves in she changes Jesses life. They become best friends even though the big age difference. I think the climax of the book was when Roxanne wanted to touch Frankenstiens hand at the church and she didn't. I thought it was so sad that she sat next to him but never said or did anything. And he never knew. And that she came all the way to Ida and sat next to him and never told him. Very sad. At the end of the book. I wished that it would go on. I wish Martha Moore would make a sequel. Because I want to know if Frankenstien ever found out about his mother.

A wonderful book!

This is a great book. It shows wonderful examples of joy, pain, love, friendship, and sorrow. Roxanne comes into Jesse's life and they become best friends. Roxanne is kind of the outcast of Ida. With her bubbly personality, giant coat, wild red hair, and Liberty Bell tattoo, people look at her as a definate outcast. Roxanne teaches jesse the magic of life and they bond. This is a wonderful book for all ages. a must!!!

'Under the Mermaid Angel' spins universal themes

In a style accessible to children, yet captivating to adults, Mrs. Martha Moore tells her story through the eyes of pragmatic Jessi. Jessi learned while very young that if she never expected anything more than reality, life couldn't hurt her. As a people, we've done a poor job of keeping our hope alive. Parents tell their children to reach for the stars, then tell them to do something practical, something that will assure them security rather than give them a shot at happiness. Jessi's "got the world at her feet"--she's unbeaten, but her clear-eyed view leaves little room for hope. Jessi's world is filled with people who challenge the system, but none so blatantly as her best friend, 30 year old Roxanne. Roxanne has simply refused to grow up, and in doing so, she's kept her hope alive. It is Roxanne, in all her failings, who teaches Jessi to catch stardust and who, ironically, helps her to grow up. 'Under the Mermaid Angel' is shows us the way to begin again, no matter how horribly we've failed in the past. Read this book, and you'll never look at the sky the same way again. It's absolving.

Fabulous story and one of my favorites, I will read it often

I enjoyed the book so much I read it twice after owning it for one week. The author, Martha Moore, uses excellent technique in writing her stories, I have also read her other book. The literary devices she uses are exceptional and they really put you right in the story so you can picture everything as you read. She held my attention throughout the story and I would recommend this book to anyone who has an interest in great stories. You did an excellent job Mrs. Moore.