This tale features a Black girl in the starring role, and people of all backgrounds will be enchanted. I loved the way Kela made jewelry with sea glass - something humans had thrown into the sea so she was allowed to remove - and the common name for them of mermaid's tears. The depiction of the island and the sea people added to the beauty of the story. Normally, I'd see all the drawbacks of magic messing with something so major - but the story itself brought those to the front, and I could believe the way it played out. Especially when adults get wind of the comb, and she can't give it back to the sea as she had promised.

So when a magical comb seems to call to her in a sea cave, and Kela learns she can use it to get a wish, it's no surprise what she would wish for. In the chapters set in our world, we see a girl named Kela whose mother died three months earlier in a car accident, whom Kela is still deeply grieving. Rita, Bahni Turpin used appropriate accents for the characters, but my favorite was hearing her say 'Crick! Crack!' at the start and end of the chapters about the Sea Woman, as a storyteller on the island would do. Oh, this story was wonderful, and the audiobook version adds the perfect touch of atmosphere to pull me into its spell. Review written July 23, 2022, based on a library eaudiobook A Comb of Wishes by Lisa Stringfellow - Audiobook Scribd Enjoy millions of ebooks, audiobooks, magazines, and more, with a free trial Only 11.99/month after trial. In the chapters set in our world, we see a girl named Kela whose mother died three months earlier in a car accident, whom Kela is still deeply grieving.

And a wish that big will exact an even bigger price.Quill Tree Books, February 2022.

And despite her hatred of all humans, her magic requires that she make a bargain: the comb in exchange for a wish.īut what Kela wants most is for her mother to be alive. So when Kela and her friend Lissy stumble across an ancient-looking comb in a coral cave, with all she's already lost, Kela can't help but bring home her very own found treasure.įar away, deep in the cold ocean, the mermaid Ophidia can feel that her comb has been taken. Click here to purchase from Rakuten Kobo Set against the backdrop of Caribbean folklore, Lisa Stringfellow's spellbinding middle grade debut tells of a grieving girl and a vengeful mermaid and will enchant readers who loved Kacen Callender's Hurricane Child or Christian McKay Heidicker's Scary Stories for Young Foxes.Įver since her mother's death, Kela feels every bit as broken as the shards of glass, known as 'mermaid's tears,' that sparkle on the Caribbean beaches of St.

A comb of wishes