SuitabookUnder the Mermaid Angel
Martha Moore
- Reading
- Consider reading together or checking in afterwards if bereavement feels close to home. Let the child lead on what to discuss; the friendship and Jesse’s changing outlook offer other ways into the story.
- Themes
- Friendship and appearance: Jesse forms an unusual friendship with Roxanne, and the story’s account of their relationship says Jesse learns that what is inside a person matters more than outward appearance. The story presents looking beyond appearance as a lesson Jesse takes from the friendship.
- Worth knowing
- A baby brother’s death is central to Jesse’s private distress. The story also involves a thirteen-year-old forming an unusual friendship with a thirty-year-old neighbour.