The Colors of the Sea

An exciting ecological fantasy adventure in which a young girl finds out her origins are from the Sea People and can turn into a mermaid.

Perfect for fans of middle-grade oceanic adventures like ＂Percy Jackson＂ and ＂The Girl Who Drank the Moon＂.

Alea Aquarius: The Colors of the Sea picks up right at the end of Book 1. Alea Aquarius has come to accept that she is a mermaid, and is more determined than ever to find out what happened to her parents and her people. Together with her newfound friends - Ben, Sammy, Tess, and Lennox - Alea follows a clue northward to the mysterious Loch Ness. Along the way, she discovers more about her past - and how she and Lennox are connected.

Emotions play a central role in this volume, as Alea struggles with her feelings for Lennox. Is he a merperson like her, or perhaps even her brother? Ashore and away from the rest of the Alpha Cru, their adventures become more and more impetuous. Will they find the answers they seek at the bottom of Loch Ness - or are they walking into a trap?

Having established the character’s core motivations and traits in the first volume, Aleah Aquarius: The Colors of the Sea invites readers to explore the historical and cultural contours of Alea’s undersea world alongside her. Alea’s quest to learn the truth about her past and her people drives the narrative, as does her curiosity about Lennox. Pre-teen readers interested in their *potentially* romantic relationship will have plenty to chew on in this volume, but there are still plenty of shore-excursions, band performances, and silly Sammy jokes to keep Alea grounded with her shore-bound friends.

Tanya Stewner did not immediately fall in love with books. After her primary school teacher had told her parents it was unlikely that she would ever learn to read and write properly. Thus, she did not develop her passion for writing until late, i.e. the age of ten. From then on, it was the love of her life. She studied English, German and literature, and worked for several years as a translator and editor. She now writes full-time. Her children’s series Liliane Susewind and the adventures of the Hummelbi elves have achieved major international success.

Matthew O. Anderson grew up in the sunny, sleepy town of Sequim, WA. As a young reader he devoured books of all kinds but was especially drawn to fantasy and myth. His favorites were Homer’s Odyssey, J. R. R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit, and J. K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series. As an adult, he continues to explore these and similar stories as a scholar and fan.

Matthew currently teaches courses on German language and culture at St. Olaf College in Northfield, MN, and has published articles on historical German youth adventure literature. His translation of Andreas Steinhöfel’s If My Moon Was Your Sun won the 2016 German Book Office’s Translation Competition. Although he has spent three years studying and working in Germany, he is still searching for an American bakery that can recreate the perfect Vollkornbrot.

Like Alea, Matthew is drawn to the water - the awe-inspiring, thunderous crash of the Pacific Ocean, the gleeful gurgle of the Black Forest’s babbling brooks, or the sight of a blustery autumn breeze billowing across the smooth surface of Lake Superior. In his spare time, he enjoys hiking, baking, travelling, and reading.