After a tornado carries off twelve-year-old Boom Broom's mother, his father refuses to leave the house, and his little sister, Mertyle, constantly misses school, claiming she's sick. Due to the family's dwindling funds, Boom scrounges dinner from a fisherman's reject seafood bucket one night. But Mertyle doesn't think what Boom brings home is a fish. "'The tail is made of scales while the upper half is covered in skin. . . . It's a baby mermaid.'" Black-and-white illustrations.
Spine-tingling tales of suspense and adventure compose this 14 book category-filled with both fiction and nonfiction titles. Elementary readers who thrive on a thrill will really spark to these selections.