Sink or swim

In the previous titles in the Whatever After series, 10-year-old Abby and her 7-year-old brother, Jonah, inadvertently mess up the fairy tales Snow White and Cinderella. This time, after traveling through the mirror in their basement, they land smack dab in The Little Mermaid and this time, they want to mess the story up. Why? Well, if you will recall, it doesn't have a happy ending. When the Little Mermaid (aka Lana) saves Prince Mortimer of the Kingdom of Mustard from drowning, she falls in love with him. Despite Abby and Jonah's warnings, Lana makes a trade with the Sea Witch: land legs for her voice. But it turns out Prince Mortimer is kind of a jerk he thinks princesses are only good for looking pretty and dancing well and Lana finally comes to her senses. However, if she doesn't marry the prince, she is doomed to die. Once again, Mlynowski's reimagined fairy tale is oodles of fun, from the fact that everything in the Kingdom of Mustard is yellow to the awesome underwater breathing potion made from mermaid spit. Fresh, hip, and totally entertaining.--Kelley, Ann Copyright 2010 Booklist

Abby and her brother Jonah (Fairest of All) again travel through their magic mirror to interfere in classic fairy tales. In Shoe, they risk Cinderella's impending marriage but help her discover her entrepreneurial side; in Sink, they try to prevent the original unhappy ending of "The Little Mermaid." These light, age-appropriate send-ups feature a feminist perspective and plenty of laughs. [Review covers these Whatever After titles: If the Shoe Fits and Sink or Swim.] (c) Copyright 2013. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

From WHATEVER AFTER #3: SINK OR SWIMI definitely see a beach. An empty beach. No tourists, no sandcastles, no bright-colored beach towels. Just pure white sand sparkling in the mid-day sun. Ocean as far as the eye can see. In the distance there's a blob moving toward us. I squint toward the water. I see a head! A guy's head. Behind the guy's head another head keeps bobbing in and out of the water. A girl's head! At least I think it's a girl's head. I can see long hair. Hard to tell when it's soaking wet. They're getting closer . . . and closer . . . and . . . yup, it's a girl! And then behind her is something green. A towel? A floatie? It's shiny, and triangle-shaped and kind of reminds me of the paper fan I had as a kid. Oh! It's a tail!The girl has a tail!Which can only mean one thing. Excerpted from Sink or Swim by Sarah Mlynowski All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.