A very nice debut book. It is well written and will appeal to kids who like oddball mystery, magic and friendship stories.

Anthoni has the universal wish of most kids in her age group--a True Blue Friend. Unfortunately, her mom's quest for success in her cosmetic franchise has them moving too much for friends. When her mom decides they will spend the summer at a summer “resort” so mom can redesign her business plan and Anthoni has the universal wish of most kids in her age group--a True Blue Friend. Unfortunately, her mom's quest for success in her cosmetic franchise has them moving too much to find friends. When her mom decides they will spend the summer at a summer “resort” so mom can revamp her faltering business plan, Anthoni is excited. Even though the Showboat Resort 's glory days are in the past, there is the potential to find a True Blue Friend, maybe more than one. Plus, there is the mystery of the mermaid in the lake. Was she real?? Recommend this to all middle graders especially those search of a friend to share the ups and downs of growing up. Great summer read! Thank you Farrar Straus Giroux for the hardcover and Netgalley for the arc.

Anthoni and her mother are spending the summer at The Showboat after skipping out on their landlord and unpaid rent. Mom has been doing great selling Beauty and the Bee cosmetics but seems to be in a real slump. Anthoni is determined to make a True Blue Friend and has set her sites on Maddy who she met years ago even though Maddy doesn't seem like she wants to be friends with Anthoni. Meanwhile Anthoni starts spending time with DJ and they discover all kinds of interesting things about the Showboat and its owner Charlotte Boulay.

I really enjoyed the rundown resort setting and the fact that Charlotte and her family were vaudeville stars. I am not sure how many kids know what vaudeville is, but it is a good history lesson. I also enjoyed Anthoni's single minded focus on finding the perfect friend as she doesn't realize she is making lifelong friends in DJ and Charlotte along the way. I thought mom was portrayed very realistically as she is going through a slump both personally and professionally. Good story about making friends during a summer vacation.

The book does a great job tapping into kids' imaginations, perceptions and fears. Taking place in summertime, the story provides mystery, thrills, and a lesson about what makes a best friend.

What a wonderful read! I was captivated by the mystery of a potential mermaid. The author does a great job creating fun characters and a plot line centered around true blue friendship. I really appreciated the goal planning that was an essential part of this story.

Anthoni Gillis is a sweet 11 year old hoping to find her true blue friend. However, due to the nature of her mother's work, she is often traveling and unable to create lasting friendship. She ends up at a resort, that is all but what she thought?

Will Anthoni find a true blue friend while she is at the resort? Potentially a mermaid?

Readers and fans of Kate DiCamillo and katherine Applegate will find this an enjoyable read.

I had the opportunity to read a NetGalley digital ARC of this middle grade novel in exchange for a review. This book tells the story of Anthoni Gillis, an eleven-year-old girl who has no True Blue Friends. Her mother moves from town to town trying to rise up the ladder of success selling Beauty and the Bee cosmetics. Hoping to sell more of her products, her mother takes Anthoni to the Showboat Resort for the summer. As Anthoni tries to make a True Blue Friend, determine if there’s truth to the local rumors about the Boulay Mermaid, and help her mother bring her business back to life readers will get a great summer novel full of swimming lessons, back yard barbecues, and relationship drama.
I think that middle school readers looking for a vacation read and who enjoy friendship drama will enjoy reading this book. Anthoni is a quirky girl who enjoys comic books and friends who are strange in a good way. There’s a lot about the characters that ring true for this age group. This book has some good take-aways for adolescent kids who often have a difficult time determining who their True Blue Friends are.

Sometimes, the things we need are right in front of us, most especially when we need it the most. Anthoni Gullis is no exception. Maybe a Mermaid is an adorable MG novel that follow Anthoni and her mother, an MLM cosmetic seller as they travel to her mother's long ago favorite vacation spot. When they arrive, they find that things are not what they seem, the inn is in shambles and the townspeople have gossip galore.

This book was perfect on so many levels.
The cover is gorgeous. It is easily what pulled me. I knew nothing about this novel before hand.
The writing is brilliant for a debut. It's quirky, catchy and propels the reader forward. Anthoni's voice is strong, brave and decisive. The Characters are hilarious, multi layered and relatable. From Athoni, Maureen, Charlotte, DJ and more - they all had an arc that contributed in some delightful way to Anthoni's own character arc. It was easy to fall back into the curiosity and innocence of a child's view.

This was not just for children though! The constant reference to MLM thinking, list making and quips about needing to find your people. The references made me giggle, and while I have never done an MLM, I know many people who have so it was easy to understand the concept.and comments surrounding it.

My biggest issues with the novel is that there really wasn't enough inclusive diversity. There were only a few non white characters and they were not properly introduced - much of their introduction was focused on their skin color and not their personalities or beings in general. That just didn't' quite sit well with me. The other thing that bothered me was the timeline. It wasn't exactly consistent. Charlotte was super old, but was a mermaid when Anthoni's mom was younger, 20 years ago. The showboat's history didnt' quite line up, and neither did the town gossip time line.

Those were the biggest complaints for me, and they still did little to dampen the way I felt about the book. This book is adorable, fun, and quirky. Anthoni is definitely the friend I needed when I was her age!

Fun, well paced story of a young girl trying to make a True Blue Friend. I liked the people she met and it made me happy reading it.

MAYBE A MERMAID, by Josephine Cameron, was a sweet little adventure story about finding a True Blue Friend, and creating a summer to remember. I loved the constant references in Anthoni and her mom's life relating to the direct sales business. This book grabbed my attention, and I really felt everything Anthoni went through. I would highly recommend this book to anyone looking for an escape from reality for a little while.

This excellent middle grade fiction book is about Anthoni, who lives with her mom. Her mom sells make up and beauty products and has worked really hard at setting goals and then achieving them. They decide they are going to spend the summer at the resort where her mom used to spend summers but they are disappointed a number of levels. Number one, it turns out that her mom didn't really meet her goals and so they're in a bit of a bind financially. Number two, the resort has seen better days, in fact, they appear to be the only guests. And number three, the friends they hoped to reconnect with are really different (and maybe kind of meaner) than they remember. It's a great story about friendship and what makes a good friend with a super fun piece of vaudeville thrown in for good measure. I think the kids are going to like this one a lot.

When a girl has a name like Anthoni Gillis (named for her grandfather), life probably won’t turn out like it does for regular people. But Anthoni and her mom know how to set goals, reach objectives, and make things happen.

For the last five years they’ve had one goal—help her mom reach Queen Bee level at the Beauty and the Bee cosmetic company. When they reach that goal, they’ll get to spend the summer at the Showboat Resort—where true blue friends meet.

And Anthoni has always wanted a true blue friend. Her mom’s job requires that they move a lot. And although her mom has equipped her with the skills for making friends, a girl dreams of having at least one true blue friend.

When her mom tells her that the girl she laughed so much with when they knew each other years ago lives in the resort town, Anthoni just knows they’ll rekindle the friendship.

But things don’t always turn out the way a girl expects. The Showboat Resort has no other guests (and doesn’t offer refunds). Maddy acts standoffish and Anthoni can’t decide if she wants to be friends, much less a true blue friend.

Even worse, her mom hasn’t been exactly truthful about her progress towards Queen Bee. But then, nothing about the summer seems to turn out the way Anthoni expected.

This debut middle grade novel lives up to its cover and will be a delightful summer discovery for readers. You can't help but root for Anthonie and the quirky cast of characters she meets at the Showboat Resort. Maureen Boulay alone is worth the price of admission. Readers will learn along with Anthonie lessons about friendship, loyalty and looking below the surface for the truth. Highly recommended!

Thank you to Macmillan and NetGalley for a digital ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Great characters and a fun setting make this book an enjoyable read. This is a sweet story about a young girl searching for her True Blue Friend (who happens to be right in front of her the whole time) while trying to navigate some tough financial circumstances that even her very best hustle can't quite keep at bay. The mystery of the hotel care-taker and her vaudeville past was icing on the cake. A fun, sometimes serious, story that will appeal to middle grade readers.

I LOVED this book. I had to say that first. I got this book as an ARC through Netgalley in exchange for an honest Review. It's not so much a mermaid book. but that is alright. I liked the characters and description. It felt like it could be anytime. Because how kids develop friendships doesn't really change. And their need for a connection. It reminded me a bit of Joan Bauer's books like "Hope Was Here" (She was just a random book I picked off the shelf to build up my readers advisory muscles. You can't really recommend the Dark Tower Series to grade school kids no matter how obsessed you are) I can't wait to read more from Josephine Cameron.

A very interesting story that was not able to sustain my attention for the totality of the narrative. An admirable attempt.

Have you ever had a good thing right in front of your face and you didn't realize it? Anthoni Gillis is in this exact situation. She has a plan to get a True Blue Friend, one that will always be with you through thick and thin, but so far in her eleven year old life, she has not found one. Her mom sells Beauty & Bee cosmetics and she is working her way up the company; however because of her success they have always moved around and Anthoni has never been able to make a true blue friend. When her mom surprises her with a summer trip to Thunder Lake and the Showboat Resort, where her mom grew up, Anthoni assumes it is because her mom is about to advance in the company. She soon finds out that it is completely the opposite. Her mom has not been following their plan and is slowly loosing control of her business. Antoni is furious with her mom but she meets Maddy, Juile, Kurt and DJ and instantly knows that Maddy is going to be her True Blue Friend. Little does she know that things are not always as they seem - when it comes to her friends and when it comes to the crazy lady, Charlotte, who runs the Showboat Resort. Will Antoni work her plan and make Maddy her True Blue Friend? What about DJ? He has been by her side the whole summer, but when he is pushed aside by Antoni's plan to make Maddy her True Blue Friend, will he be able to overcome his hurt feelings? Can Antoni's mom get her business plan back on track or will they be forced to come up with another plan? Don't miss this endearing story of family, friendship, and the persistence to get what you want out of life!

This is such a precious story of a girl who just wants a friend and then doesn't realize it when one is right in front of her face. It's also a story of a girl with a concrete plan and finding out that not all plans work out like you think. I love Antoni's work passion and her passion to find a friend. I also love that when her plan doesn't go the way she expects it to, she doesn't give up on her plan, she just reevaluates it. This is a must read book for 2019!

I really enjoyed this book. A different, sweet book where I couldn't guess the ending. Highly recommend!

Maybe a Mermaid is an excellent book for middle-schoolers. It has mystery, intrigue, friendship and was easy to read. Anthoni Gillis, an eleven-year-old girl, is heading to Eagle Lake for a much needed vacation with her Mom., Carrie Gillis. They move a lot because of her mother's job as a home-salesperson for Beauty and the Bee cosmetics. She was so good at it that they won a Beemobile ( a yellow hybrid car wit black stripes and fuzzy antennae), but sales have been dropping and she's got to meet her quota to move up to the next level. Anthoni helps with setting up goals and reminding her mother of their plans and the Beauty and the Bee way to accomplish them. The Gillis Girls are staying at the Showboat Family Resort where Carrie had the Best Summer of Her Life, 6 years in a row. Anthoni (named after her Grandfather) is looking forward to making a True Blue Friend and reconnecting with her childhood friend, Maddy Quinn. Nothing is as they remember it, though, including the manager, Charlotte Boulay, a former vaudeville performer. The Gillis Girls spend the summer trying to regroup, make friends and for Anthoni, learn to swim. She learns a lot more then that from DJ, the unusual boy next door, and her old friend Maddy, who's dream is to see a mermaid. Anthoni makes some big mistakes along the way, and learns a lot about herself, her mother and Charlotte Boulay...and mermaids!

I loved this book. I think middle schoolers will love it too - it was a fun read.. The story was inspirational without being preachy. There is something for everyone to identify with and something great to take with you when you're done.

Anthoni Gillis and her mother have moved frequently as her mother moves up in the ranks of Beauty and the Bee cosmetics. When her mother moves up a level, she takes Anthoni on a long-promised vacation to Showboat Resort at Thunder Lake, a place she spent six "perfect" summers at when she was a girl. When the two arrive, the whole place is in disrepair and is being run by Charlotte Boulay, the now elderly daughter of the owners. Anthoni's mother reconnects with her childhood friend, who isn't really interested in spending time together. Anthoni hopes that she and the daughter might become True Blue Friends, but that doesn't work out either. Instead, Anthoni starts hanging around with DJ, and the two discover some secrets about the resort and Charlotte. Back in the day, Charlotte was the Boulay Mermaid, but how she managed the act is something Anthoni doesn't understand. Since Anthoni's mother's business is not doing well, the two plan to move to Chicago when their time is up at the resort, and Anthoni hopes she can make a friend before they go. When she tells a potential friend that she can show her a REAL mermaid, Charlotte graciously agrees to help, but when the show almost ends in disaster, Anthoni is forced to face some difficult truths.

Strengths: I am a complete sucker for run down resorts and especially Storybook Forest theme parks. The setting was awesome, and I didn't even mind the horrible flashbacks I had to swimming lessons in the lake! Anthoni and her mother's various positive mantras were great fun, and I also had some Amway flashbacks-- my parents sold it briefly, and I helped with the various demonstrations of the products. Anthoni and DJ had just the right level of supervision that they were safe but were able to get into some trouble! The inclusion of information of vaudeville was fun. There should be more middle grade novels about vaudeville!
Weaknesses: I couldn't pin down the timeline. Charlotte seemed like she would be about 90, but the mother would have been at the resort about 20 years ago. I didn't think about it too hard, but something seemed not quite right.
What I really think: I liked this, but I'm not sure how much appeal it would have. I have reached the point in the year where I have no budget left. If I got a copy of this for free, I would put it in the library, but I'm not entirely sure I'll buy it. And yes, I get a LOT of books that I send to other schools because I know my students just won't pick them up.

Eleven-year-old Anthoni Gillis grew up hearing her mother Carrie’s memories of Thunder Lake and the Showboat Resort. It was a magical place that Anthoni was eager to experience herself. The Showboat Resort is not magical in that it promises fairies or mermaids, or even X-Men-level mutants; it was a place where True Blue Friends were found and made.

As a sales rep and team leader for Beauty and the Bee products, Anthoni’s Mom moves them around frequently and it has been difficult for Anthoni to make friends, let alone a friend who will remember her after she’s gone. A summer vacation at the Showboat Resort sounds like just the thing both Anthoni and her mom could use. Besides the promise of a True Blue Friend, a vacation at the Showboat resort means their business goals have been met. They can relax from the hustle.

“Mom never waited for magic to come to her. She made her own.”

Maybe a vacation will offer Carrie a reprieve from having to turn every new person she meets & old friend she has into a client or, even more necessary, a colleague. And maybe a vacation at Thunder Lake will offer Anthoni an opportunity to see her mom in a different way: someone who is less about ‘sticking to the plan’ than previously believed. Only ‘sticking to the plan’ is a good and necessary thing in Anthoni’s mind. Stability and comfort is found in writing and implementing business plans. (I totally have a friend or three like this). Anthoni has her own plan for how to achieve her goal of a True Blue Friend.

Needless to say, Anthoni’s business plan is not fail-proof. That list of what she’s looking for in a friend and how she is going to go about making a friend are going to meet interference. That beautiful book cover image should have a girl in a sparkling bathing suit, and there should be absolutely no mermaids—because Anthoni is not about Mermaids, or even Maybes.

“Gillis Girls Don’t Believe in Maybe.”

The Gillis Girls have a lot of declarations between them that read like motivational posters. The statements integrated into Anthoni’s narrative and narration add an unexpected form of whimsy, especially when they are maybe revealed as much a form of fantasy as any other tale told in Maybe a Mermaid. The owner of The Showboat Resort, Charlotte Boulay, would say that people will believe what they need to believe—and it’s all in the sale’s pitch. She would also, quite bitterly, suggest that there is no such thing as a True Blue Friend.

The problem is, that while Anthoni could’ve used a friend before vacation, she could really use one now that things with her mom and their life come under serious strain. Anthoni can’t afford much more uncertainty, and she takes a page from her observations of her mother: she will make her own magic. In order to be True Blue Friends with Maddy Quinn, she’ll need more than a common obsession with X-Men comic books. She’ll need to discover the secret of the Boulay Mermaid and hope she’s as real as Maddy believes her to be.

The Boulay Mermaid was part of the vaudeville world of the early 20th century. The Showboat has countless photographs of acts on its walls from back when the resort hosted performances. The Boulay’s were actors and creators in vaudeville. Cameron does quick, light work bringing this bit of history to the fore. And, of course, it will provide common ground between the eccentric Charlotte Boulay and an earnest Anthoni Gillis. They both traveled with their working parents; both of their parents selling one-of-a-kind opportunities—one for beauty products, the other entertainment. Charlotte understood Anthoni’s loneliness.

Cameron writes plenty of quirky traits for her characters, but Charlotte is by far the oddest. She’s startling, but Charlotte proves carefree enough, risky enough to relieve the tension built into all the other characters. She is the vaudeville act that offsets the “real world” anxieties. Every character of any significance in Maybe a Mermaid is in some kind of conflict. They could all do with the idea of possibility; that there is a possibility of something more, of something else; that magic does exist. A mermaid would affirm something for Maddy, just as a friend would affirm something for Anthoni.

That Charlotte Boulay is also very human is an important realization for Anthoni to make. There’s the person we are, and the one we want to be seen as. There is the Anthoni who cannot swim and should be with the small children learning to blow-bubbles in the water, and there is the one wearing a sparkling swimsuit splashing around with the big kids, able and unafraid to swim in the lake. There is the Anthoni who can genuinely appreciate a vampiric mermaid comic, but cannot believe a mermaid actually exists in the lake—but who will say she does to get the friend she wants (the friends she believes she needs). It’s harmless until it isn’t.

Anthoni will risk a true friendship, risk another’s dignity, and risk her own life, to prove herself worthy and gain a friend. Wow, that sentence makes this middle grade novel seem darker than it is. Cameron delivers light and warmth in DJ’s efforts at camouflage despite his clumsiness and his arm in a cast; Julie’s colorful and energetic presence; Maddy’s wall art and water ski skills among other textured characterizations that add an earnestness that’s heart-warming and sweetly heart-aching.

Maybe a Mermaid will get to the bottom of how much grit and magic is required to ease the harder edges of real life and what is true blue in any relationship. And Anthoni will find herself with maybe more than a single friend to remember her.

That Cameron will write an unlikely friendship into a middle grade novel is hardly rare, what is noteworthy is how she goes about it. The clumsy, sweet, and intensely loyal DJ and Chapter 35 are anticipated, regardless at how heartwarming the effect. But that Epilogue is the clincher, that smile of delight that is the wink to the wave farewell.

That this is Cameron’s debut novel is a delight, because it is a seriously strong first offering. She’ll be one to watch.

Recommended for readers of contemporary fiction; of friendship stories; of Kate DiCamillo, Erin Kelly Estrada, Barbara O’Connor. Its a good addition to stories involving single parents as well as frequent changes in address.

And yes, Gilmore Girls might have come to mind with this one.