Rescue Sirens: The Search for the Atavist

Rescue Sirens: Search for the Atavist makes the everyday superheroism of first responders and the true strength of teamwork accessible through this delightful tale of friendship, camaraderie, and mission orientation. If I’d had this story when I was a teenager, I guarantee I would have been inspired to become a first responder a lot earlier than I did. I know there are young people out there with lifesaving potential who will be as inspired by this tale of lifesaving work as I am, and this is a great story for young readers interested in first response, even those who’ve never been captured by the magic of mermaid mythology.I love a few things deeply and intensely. The ocean. Mermaids. Women in first responder lines of work. Strong female friendships. The works of Chris Sanders, whose projects (including Disney’s Mulan, Lilo and Stitch, and Dreamworks’ How to Train Your Dragon) have without fail delighted me. So when I found out that Jessica Steele-Sanders and Chris Sanders had combined all those into one book (with engaging, charming illustrations by Genevieve Tsai), I immediately had to have it.As a displaced Florida resident missing family and friends on the other side of the country, I finished this story about strong female friendships, longing for the sea, and saving lives in book form, feeling more and more homesick for Florida with every page. Even if I wasn’t from Florida, and very susceptible to a deep longing for that place, Rescue Sirens would still pull me in to that desire for a South Florida sense of belonging.The character of Kelby, who spends the story undergoing the journey to find home herself, is a pleasant person to follow on that journey. There is something so comforting about Kelby’s journey, not just to find her spiritual home in the sea that has always called to her, but to find a home, a family, a team with which to daily make the world better, safer, than it would be without them. The pull to home, the pull to find the place where you belong, is a deep and powerful pull and to see Kelby achieve it and more is a beautiful fulfillment of that wish.All the characters, actually, are pleasant people to take the journey with. Each mermaid is distinct and motivated based on her own values and interests, valued for her eccentricities and for her competence. Pippa’s outlandish interests and childlike glee over human culture is never treated as a diminishment of her lifesaving competence. Maris, interested in appearances and achieving the high life, is still a welcoming and friendly face among the group, a supportive maker of smoothies whose drama is an expression of enthusiasm and not a detriment to the group’s unity.So it might seem surprising when I say that one of the best aspects of the group dynamics is the conflict. There’s no cattiness or conflict for the sake of conflict, as is unfortunately common in a lot of female-populated media. Echo, the particularly confrontational mermaid, has hints at a past informing the chip on her shoulder. We don’t know all the reasons she has to stir the pot, but at least one of them is the high standards she sets for herself and others.High standards and ambition are the hallmarks of lead mermaid Nim’s character, too. Ambitious for earned leadership and competence at her lifesaving job, Nim strives not just to be the boss, but to be the boss correctly, in the face of real stress and urgency. She encapsulates the lifeguard’s dedication and skill, the positive ambition of making the beach a safer place than it would have been without her. The book is as much about Nim achieving her leadership skills as it is about Kelby, the lost mermaid, coming home.The story is refreshingly full of young women supporting each other, challenging each other, thinking of each other as skilled and beautiful and worthwhile. And most of all, Rescue Sirens is full of girls being a righteous emergency-responding life-saving unit. Easily my favorite aspect of Rescue Sirens: Search for the Atavist is watching them have their differences, then put them aside for the sake of the mission. Their team feels so true as a lifesaving unit, a set of competent first responders putting aside panic and differences for the sake of the mission.The mermaids’ control over whether or not to make legs is refreshing after so much mermaid media that relies on a mermaid’s inability not to grow a tail when splashed to generate drama. There are still rules by which the mermaids must live and can be exposed, but removing the lack of choice in the matter of whether to have a tail or not gives our Rescue Sirens an agency and control that lends itself to greater adventures without losing the urgency and danger of being outed.The setting itself is huge, open and rich with possibility for future stories. The mermaids’ anatomies are based on real local sea creatures, allowing for a range of diversity and culture through environmental zones across the ocean. The distinct tribes we might encounter in the future, the lives of other groups of Rescue Sirens on beaches across the world, creates a setting rich with magic and diversity, with life-saving magical women everywhere there are beaches to be protected, and oceans to swim in.I’ve read Rescue Sirens: the Search for the Atavist twice since purchasing it. I will read it several more times, while I wait eagerly for more stories of this delightful world to arrive in my waiting hands.

This book is fantastic for both young readers and older readers. It's a must read for anyone who already likes mermaids and will hook anyone who wasn't already a fan, I never thought about mermaids before I read this and now I'm absolutely enthralled with them.I own two copies of this book (an original hardcover and the kindle version) and it's one of the only books I've ever read multiple times. It's got a really nice heartwarming story about a girl finding her place in life and the friends that help her get there. The writing is easy to read but still gripping, it brings to mind the style of older children's stories that became literary classics like The Hobbit. Like many stories for young readers, the twists don't come from out of left field, but the writing is handled in a way that still keeps you on the edge of your seat even for a second or third reading.The best part of this book in my opinion is the fascinating world and mythology that Jessica came up with. She drops little details about the mermaid world and history that make you long to know more. I've had the chance to talk with Jessica on multiple occasions at conventions so I know that she's very passionate about this story and has tons of ideas about how to expand this world and in definitely excited to see what she has in store.

I am probably too old to be reading this book, but who cares? This book was so much fun to read!

Such a darling read! Very dedicated in having a strong scientific foundation of mermaid and marine biology, story and characters were well developed (this is coming from a gal with a degree in Literature), and has a score of accurate lifeguarding facts that this once-upon-a-time lifeguard found were fun to read and relearn. The characters were great to get to know, and I'm truly sad the series has not had a sequel. Best book for emerging young adults about mermaids I've ever had the pleasure to read!

I’m usually skeptical of YA genre, but this was a surprisingly great find! Sweet story of friendship and finding your place. I want my tail!

A fast and easy read that's great for all ages. A unique and new take on mermaid lore that's part myth, part superhero, and part slice-of-life, filled with vibrant characters in a colorful new world that's crying out to be explored!I can't wait until the next one!

Started this and couldn't put it down, I expected a graphic novel realized it wasn't and once I started it,it was easy to finish. I loved it and love sprinkles of Sanders incredible artwork.

Rescue Sirens is a great tail with well developed, three dimensional, characters and terrific story line the lures you in. There adventure is just beginning and I look forward to reading more adventures of the Rescue Sirens. This one's a keeper!

If in doubt. Read it. It's a book that you can't put down and when you get to the end you'll pine for the fact that the next book isn't finished yet.The characters are colourful, intelligent, wonderfully and realistically flawed, not to mention diverse.A rich universe with fantastic lessons about our world and ocean conservation woven in for readers young and old.

É claramente um livro pra leitores mais jovens, mas tem o senso de diversão e criatividade dignos de um desenho de sábado de manhã.Eu queria poder dar um rolê com essas personagens e conhecer mais desse mundo com uma lore tão interessante.

*french reader, sorry for my poor English*You see it when you read it: it's just the beginning of a big and wonderful adventure! May be I wanted a little clue about what'll happen next and about their future mission. (But I give 5 stars because it's a good story and a fresh world with a lot of mermaid!)I love the story, the design, and all the illustrations!All of the main characters have a distinct personality. And the story is easy to read.I just cannot say something without spoil so: READ IT and love it of course!I hope a long and good adventure to the all team. And thank you for this good moment!I can't wait what happen next!--------------------Je pense que je vais être rapide: l'histoire est bien même si l'Aventure avec un grand A n'a pas encore commencé. Cependant, le concept est bien et toute personne qui adore l'univers des sirènes peut y trouver son compte!Les illustrations sont très jolies et les personnages ont leurs petits caractères propres qui font qu'elles sont uniques à leur façon.Pour ceux qui ont peur de ne pas arriver à le lire je pense qu'avec un niveau "intermédiaire", on peut facilement le comprendre (c'est mon niveau en anglais) en plus kindle a un dictionnaire et une liste de définition mis à disposition.Voilà, n'hésitez pas l'essayer!

Super cute YA book