Spotlight + Giveaway: Real Mermaids Don't Sell Seashells by Hélène Boudreau

Hey everyone! To celebrate the release of the final book in Hélène Boudreau's Real Mermaids series - Real Mermaids Don't Sell Seashells - I have a book spotlight to share with you and a giveaway for a copy of the last book! Read on and don't forget to enter the giveaway!

Real Mermaids Don't Sell Seashells (Real Mermaids #4)

Author: Hélène Boudreau

Genre: MG/YA Fantasy

Release Date: February 4, 2014

Publisher: Sourcebooks Jabberwocky

Description:

Teenage girls have to deal with a lot of tough firsts. First zit. First crush. First... mermaid’s tail?

In the fourth installment of Hélène Boudreau’s breezy, fun and “unputdownable” Real Mermaids series, our favorite mer-girl Jade can’t think of a better way to celebrate peace in the underwater mer-world than with a tropical vacation in the Bahamas with her family and BFF.

Soon, Jade is enjoying the tropical sunshine, all-you-can-eat buffet, and island day trips. But when Jade gets lost in the island’s famous waterfront Straw Market, something doesn’t feel quite right. A body splashes into the water as a cruise ship enters the harbor and a teen boy selling conches from his boat behind the market knows more than he’s willing to admit.

With no body, no leads, and no other witnesses, though, the local police don’t seem too concerned. Maybe Jade’s imagination has been acting up on her, just like Cori said, considering everything she’s been through in the past few months.

But with Mom and Dad off on a honeymoon excursion it wouldn’t hurt to check things out, would it? Little do Jade and Cori realize, they are about to uncover more secrets about the splashing body, dangerous cruise ship cargo, and more questions than answers lurking in the nearby Caribbean waters.   

Praise for the series:

“Absolutely fresh and sweet, a quirky coming of age story complete with first periods and bumbling dads...an unputdownable adventure, part Judy Blume, part Hans Christian Anderson, and 100% delightful, this fun, fresh tale (tail?) will have girls begging for a sequel...” – The YA-5

“[T]he author keeps suspense high and her prose moving while tapping straight into young teens’ angst about friends, enemies and boys.” –Kirkus  

Hélène Boudreau never spotted a real mermaid while growing up on an island surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean, but she believes mermaids are just as plausible as giant squids, flying fish, or electric eels. She now writes fiction and nonfiction for kids from her land-locked home in Ontario, Canada. Real Mermaids Don’t Wear Toe Rings was a 2011 SCBWI Crystal Kit Member Choice award finalist.

heleneboudreau.com. 

Giveaway: The awesome people at Sourcebooks are offering (1) copy of Real Mermaids Don't Sell Seashells to a lucky winner! Open to US/CAN only!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

Real Mermaids Love the Holidays Blog Tour: Guest Post

Real Mermaids Festive Treats

Hi everyone! Jade here from Real Mermaids. 


One of my favorite things about the upcoming holidays is the great treats we get to make and share. I love food so much, in fact, that I included a recipe for some of my favourite snacks in each of the Real Mermaids books.


My friend Cori and I thought we’d experiment a bit and ‘holiday-ize’ each recipe for you!


In my upcoming book, Real Mermaids Don’t Need High Heels (out Feb 1st, 2013), my cutie friend Luke came up with a genius campfire treat he called Peanut Butter Cup S’mores. Here’s a cookie version my friend Rachel shared with me, which I think would be PERFECT around a crackling fireplace (indoors!). 

Peanut Butter S’more Bites

Beat together:

- 1 cup butter

- 1 cup peanut butter

- 1/2 cup sugar

- 1/2 cup brown sugar

- 1 tsp vanilla

- 1 egg

Then add:

- 1 1/3 cup flour

- 1 tsp baking soda

- 1/4 tsp salt 

Drop into mini muffin tins and bake for 8 minutes at 350F. Remove from oven, place 3 mini marshmallows on top and return to oven for 1 minute. Cool. Drizzle with melted chocolate and try not to lick your fingers...



Happy treats and have a great holiday, everyone!


Love,


Jade 

About the Series:

Real Mermaids Don't Wear Toe Rings (Real Mermaids #1)

Author: Helene Boudreau

Genre: YA Fantasy

Release Date: December 10, 2010

Description:

First zit. First crush. First…mermaid’s tail?

If she hadn’t been so clueless, she might have seen it coming. But really, who expects to get into a relaxing bathtub after a stressful day of shopping for tankinis and come out with scales and a tail?

Most. Embarassing. Moment. Ever.

Jade soon discovers she inherited her mermaid tendencies from her mom. But this revelation raises a serious question: if Mom was a mermaid, how did she drown?

Jade is determined to find out. But how does a plus-sized, aqua-phobic, mer-girl go about doing that, exactly? And how will Jade ever be able to explain her secret to her best friend Cori, and her crush, Luke?

This summer is about to get a lot more interesting…    

Real Mermaids Don't Hold Their Breath (Real Mermaids #2)

Release Date: May 1, 2012

Description:

Jade begins her summer confused. Yes, there's that whole "will this be a leg-day or a tail-day" kind of confusion, but Jade's got even bigger problems: it's been three weeks since Mom returned to the ocean with no news of her whereabouts. Plus, it's been twenty-one days since Jade first kissed her mer-boy Luke and now-nothing.

Will Mom find the enchanted tidal pool that will allow her to become human? And why is Luke acting so weird?

The SEAquel to Helene Boudreau's critically acclaimed Real Mermaids Don't Wear Toe Rings is as energetic and fresh as a salty sea breeze. 

Real Mermaids Don't Need High Heels (Real Mermaids #3)

Release Date: February 1, 2013

Description:

  

In Real Mermaids Don’t Need High Heels, Jade is finally ready for life to return to normal—even if starting ninth grade is like being a goldfish in a shark tank and being asked to the school dance means Jade must get over her fear of awkward dancing.

But just as Jade settles into high school life, there is unrest in the ocean, and the whole mer-world is on the brink of civil war. Can Jade find a plus-sized dress that doesn’t look like a shower curtain, keep her mer-ness a secret, and finally figure out if she and Luke are officially dating? Who knew being a high school freshman is even more awkward than being a plus-sized aqua-phobic mer-girl?

    

About the Author:

Hélène Boudreau never spotted a real mermaid while growing up on an island surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean, but she believes mermaids are just as plausible as giant squids, flying fish, or electric eels. She now writes fiction and nonfiction for kids from her landlocked home in Ontario, Canada. Her first book of this series, Real Mermaids Don’t Wear Toe Rings, was a 2011 SCBWI Crystal Kite Award finalist. Learn more about Helene at www.heleneboudreau.com.