Aquamarine

Book excerpt: A New York Times bestseller—now a major motion picture. A luminous tale of nostalgia and enchantment, for readers both young and old. Hailey and Claire are spending their last summer together when they discover something at the bottom of the murky pool at the Capri Beach Club. There in the depths is a mysterious and beautiful creature with a sharp tongue and a broken heart: a mermaid named Aquamarine who has left her six sisters to search for love on land. Now, as this mythological yet very real being starts to fade in the burning August sun, a rescue is begun. On the edge of growing up, during a summer that is the hottest on record, Hailey and Claire are discovering that life can take an unpredictable course, friendship is forever, and magic can be found in the most unexpected places. “This spare, haunting novella . . . is a lovely introduction to the author’s storytelling genius and matter-of-fact lyrical style.” —The New York Times Book Review “Hoffman creates an apt metaphor for that twilight time between childhood and adolescence when magic still seems possible and friendships run deep and true.” —Publishers Weekly “In this small, spacious book, Hoffman’s spare words reveal the magic and the gritty realism in daily life, ‘somewhere between laughter and a wave breaking.’” —Booklist “This book has some wonderful elements—there is some vivid imagery, especially when it comes to the setting, with its waves of heat and air of decay.” —School Library Journal