CAPTAIN CLEMENTINE

A young seafarer receives underwater help.

Clementine, a princess-turned-captain with years of training at the Royal Barnacle Academy under her belt, sets sail aboard her magical ship, the Star of the Sea; her crew comprises various animals. Clementine wears a necklace, a “starstone” that represents stars’ importance in her career and as navigational aids. She’s distraught when a gull steals it. When the bird later drops it, it sinks to the ocean’s bottom, where it’s found by three mer-kids; their wise GrandMer explains its significance to the ship—now sitting listlessly in the waves above—and to the rightful owner. Flo, the eldest mer-sister, invents an ingenious device to return the bauble. Meanwhile, the hapless vessel has magically provided Clementine with a secret map to guide her to her treasure. Together, these forces bring about a happy ending. Unhappily, this isn’t a credible, well-plotted, or well-written story. Its amateurish prose includes trite, cloying expressions such as “my stars” and “Oh my dearie-dear.” Additionally, it’s sometimes unclear from the illustrations who’s being referenced when some crew members are named in the text; a final page identifying Clementine’s “worthy crew” helps. Commendably, this tale is female-centric; even the ship is female and sentient. The colorful, cartoonish illustrations are lively. Clementine, with brown, wavy hair, brown skin, and large, green eyes, seems to be a child; Flo is light-skinned. Human and mermaid characters are diverse. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

No secret here: This ship doesn’t sail.