There’s no better place to be than under the sea! With the forthcoming release of Disney’s new live-action The Little Mermaid, merpeople have garnered renewed attention recently, although they’ve been a staple in the fantastical worlds of myth and children’s literature for many years. In Liz Kessler’s long-running Emily Windsnap series, Natasha Bowen’s Skin of the Sea duology, Kyle Lukoff’s Mermaid Days books and many more, young readers have been discovering the magic of these underwater creatures. No need to go fishing—we’ve rounded up a number of notable 2023 books shell-ebrating mermaids.
Brick Dust and Bones by M.R. Fournet (Feiwel and Friends, July 18 $17.99; ISBN 978-1-250-87602-7. Ages 9 to 12). Monster hunter Marius Grey and his flesh-eating mermaid frenemy attempt to bring his mother back from the dead by tackling bigger and deadlier creatures.
The Little Mermaid: Against the Tide by J. Elle (Disney Press, Apr. 11 $18.99 ISBN 978-1-368-07722-4. Ages 12 and up). Ariel and her estranged sisters must work together to save one of their sisters when she is kidnapped ahead of a traditional celebration.
The Mermaids of Jamaica by Claudia Bellante, illus. by Herikita (Crocodile, Apr 4. $18.95; ISBN 978-1-62371-792-6. Ages 5 to 8). This new addition to the Against All Odds series highlights how the mermaid-like swimming of an Olympian inspires the residents of a small Jamaican town to learn how to swim.
Mermaid Day by Diana Murray, illus. by Luke Flowers (Sourcebooks Jabberwocky, July 4 $18.99; ISBN 978-1-72827-132-3). The mer-queen’s celebrations for Mermaid Day may be interrupted by a scary guest.
Mermaid and Pirate by Tracey Baptiste, illus. by Leisl Adams (Algonquin Young Readers, Apr. 4 $18.99; ISBN 978-1-64375-077-4. Ages 3 to 7). Despite being from vastly different worlds, a mermaid and pirate help each other when things get rough out at sea. See Baptiste’s essay for PW on the genesis of her picture book starring a Black mermaid.
The Mermaid Princesses by Maya Cameron-Gordon, illus. by Mirelle Ortega (HarperCollins, Mar. 28 $18.99; ISBN 978-0-06-320525-3. Ages 4 to 8). Mermaid sisters Anaya, Shante, and Kianna will discover which of the three of them has what it takes to become a legend of the sea.
My Cousin’s Mermaid by Anna Staniszewski, illus. by Ewa Poklewska-Koziełło (Barefoot Books, Sept 5 $9.99; ISBN 979-8-88-8590058. Ages 6 to 10). When a girl feels excluded from her family during a visit to Poland, she and another cousin bond over their love of mermaids and fairy tales.
A New Friend (Mermaid Days #3) by Kyle Lukoff, illus.by Kat Uno (Scholastic, Feb. 7 $4.99; ISBN 978-1-338-79497-7). In the third installment in the Mermaid Days series, mermaid Vera and octo-kid Beaker befriend a mantis shrimp that is much stronger than it seems.
Sing Me to Sleep by Gabi Burton (Bloomsbury, June 27 $19.99; ISBN 978-1-5476-1037-2). Seventeen-year-old siren and solider Saoirse Sorkova tries to keep her identity hidden while guarding Prince Hayes.
