The Crook and the Crown

By Debbie Dadey and Tatevik Avakyan

Shelly Siren and her friends visit King Neptune’s royal castle and attend their first ball in this Mermaid Tales adventure.

Shelly, Echo, Kiki, and Pearl are spending their school vacation at Neptune’s castle! Shelly’s aunt, Queen Edwina, has invited the girls to stay for a whole week, and while they’re there the girls can’t wait to visit the Royal Orca Museum, see the Palace Library, ride seahorses, and maybe even attend a royal ball.

Shelly is nervous about meeting her royal family, especially since she’s never felt like a princess. But when she arrives at the castle, she is welcomed with curtsies, bows, and sea flowers. Queen Edwina even gives Shelly a sparkling tiara that she once wore as a young princess.

Just as Shelly starts to relax and have fun, the tiara disappears and the girls have to find it before the queen finds out! The mergirls have a real mermystery on their fins! But will they be able to figure out who took the tiara before Shelly’s royal visit turns into a royal disaster?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Aladdin
• Release date: Dec 15, 2015
• ISBN: 9781481440776

Debbie Dadey

Debbie Dadey is an author of early readers and graphic novels including The Adventures of the Bailey School Kids Graphix Chapters Books. She lives in Sevierville, Tennessee, with her husband Eric and their dog Carmen.

Book preview

Contents

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

1 FIT FOR A PRINCESS

2 SCREECH, CLICK, SQUEAL!

3 A CROWN OF JEWELS

4 ZEE ROYAL TAILOR

5 SADDLE UP, SEA HORSE!

6 TIARA TROUBLE

7 SEAT OF HONOR

8 A ROYAL REVIEW

9 PICTURE PERFECT

10 BELLES OF THE BALL

11 THE THIEF REVEALED

POSTCARDS FROM NEPTUNE’S CASTLE

THE MERMAID TALES SONG

AUTHOR’S NOTE

GLOSSARY

TWIST AND SHOUT EXCERPT

ABOUT DEBBIE DADEY

In memory of my mother,

Rebecca Ann Bailey Gibson

Acknowledgments

Thank you to Laasya, Anna, as well as all my fin-tastic readers at St. Margaret’s School in Woodbury Heights, New Jersey.

Fit for a Princess

OH MY NEPTUNE! QUEEN Edwina sent her own royal carriage for us!" Pearl squealed.

Shelly Siren and her friends Pearl, Echo, and Kiki stood outside the Trident City People Museum as a large killer whale stopped beside them. The orca was pulling a sparkling shell carriage. Two tailmen wearing bright-blue coats with silver sashes lowered a glittering step from the carriage onto the ocean floor.

Another tailman, also wearing a blue coat, but with a gold sash, said in a loud voice, Princess Shelly, it would be my honor to escort you and your servants to Neptune’s Castle.

Hey, we’re not her servants! Pearl snapped.

It’s all right, Pearl, Kiki said. Let’s just bubble down and enjoy the ride.

Pearl stuck her nose up in the water and frowned at the tailman but didn’t complain anymore.

Shelly hugged her grandfather good-bye before floating up the carriage’s diamond-covered stairs. The inside was just as beautiful as the outside. Blue gems lined the ceiling and the seats. Shelly could see her reflection shining in the walls.

Ooh, Pearl said, running her hand over the jeweled seats. I’ve heard of this. It’s aquamarine and very rare in the ocean. She turned to Shelly. "This is a carriage fit for a princess! Good thing you are one!"

Shelly smiled, but inside she sure didn’t feel like a princess! Still, her great-aunt was Queen Edwina of the Western Oceans, and that made Shelly royalty.

As the carriage sped away, Shelly waved to Grandfather Siren until she couldn’t see him anymore. Then she sat back with a sigh. This was it! She was actually going to visit Neptune’s Castle—the palace named for the very first king of the sea. When the queen had suggested that Shelly bring her friends to the castle during a school vacation, it had seemed exciting. Now it just felt scary.

Echo pushed back her dark, curly hair and turned to Shelly. "You’re so quiet! Are you

Reviews for The Crook and the Crown

[K · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I love how kind queen Edwia is, and I love how Lorelei told the truth and admitted herself