Cora's Mystery

by Janet Gurtler

  Cassie called Coach Cara on her shell phone, and in minutes the whole swim team arrived, cheering when they saw our mascot. We carted the Sea Lion back to its spot at the pool, and everyone agreed to leave the mascot there for this swim meet.

  Mystery solved. In the end, it was Regina being Regina. And I had no doubt she’d be dealing with the consequences of her actions.

  In the meantime, we had races to swim!

  Chapter Ten

  The whole school and most of the castle showed up for the swim meet. Even the King and Queen of Neptunia showed up!

  Regina was banned from appearing at the swim meet and was asked to leave the Spirit Squad since her actions showed absolutely no good spirit. Not only had she stolen our mascot, she’d also put the hook in the fishing net at my party, injuring Jada and Kaitlyn. I knew it probably wouldn’t be the last we heard from her, but for now no one seemed to care much that she wasn’t around.

  When it was time for the thirteen-year-old relay race and the horn blew to start, I dove into the water and swam as fast as I could. Shyanna, Rachel, and Cassie all did the same. We came in sixth, and I couldn’t have been more proud.

  Finally, it was time for my individual race — the butterfly!

  All the swimmers took their spots at the starting blocks. My heart pounded as I waited for the buzzer to sound, and when it went off, I swam as fast as I’d ever swum before. I blocked out all the cheers from the crowd, as well as the swimmers in the other lanes, and just focused on doing my best.

  When my hand hit the wall on my final lap, I glanced up at the clock. The display board showed that I’d beaten my best time! I’d come in second behind Shelby Stewart, but I knew it wasn’t because of the Sea Lion or because of anything else. Shelby had simply swum faster. But I’d done my best, and that’s what mattered.

  I swam to the stands afterward to sit with my family and help my parents with my sisters. I smiled when I glanced over and saw Shyanna holding the dolphin Kai had made for her. He was on one side of her, and Rachel was on her other side. Shyanna grinned at me and gave me a happy thumbs-up.

  I looked around for Jada to see if she was upset after realizing who Kai’s crush was, but she was sitting with Finlay from our swim team. She was giggling and seemed oblivious to the fact that Kai was even in the stands. I guess she’d moved on to a new crush.

  I smiled and put my attention back on the swimming and cheering for our team. In the end, we won a few races and lost a few, but it was exciting either way. Winning felt better for sure, but so did being a good person instead of a suspicious wreck.

  When the races were over, I turned to my mom. My sisters looked exhausted from all the excitement, and I knew they were going to go back to the cave and crash.

  “Do you mind if I go to shore to see my friends?” I asked her.

  “You mean Justin,” Mom teased, making my cheeks burn. That Shyanna! I knew she’d told my mom about my crush on Justin! Mom smiled and then started to giggle when she saw the look on my face. “You can go if Rachel goes with you.”

  I caught Rachel’s eye and made the motion of walking with my fingers. She smiled, understanding that I wanted to go to land and use my legs.

  “Look at Shyanna over there with that merboy from Titania,” I said to my mom. “He made her that clay dolphin she’s holding. You should mention it to her dad. I’m sure he’d be as eager to know about her new friend as you were to learn about Justin.” I winked to show I was kidding.

  My mom was still laughing when I swam over to Rachel. She grabbed my hand and then rubbed my belly. “For good luck,” she said, laughing and taking off through the water.

  I chased after her. My friend was much faster than she used to be, but I still caught up to her. A few seconds later, Shyanna joined us, and together, we all headed for shore. Life was good again. I had my best friends. And together, we were unstoppable.

  Legend of Mermaids

  These creatures of the sea have many secrets. Although people have believed in mermaids for centuries, nobody has ever proven their existence. People all over the world are attracted to the mysterious mermaids.

  The earliest mermaid story dates back to around 1000 BC in an Assyrian legend. A goddess loved a human man but killed him accidentally. She fled to the water in shame. She tried to change into a fish, but the water would not let her hide her true nature. She lived the rest of her days as half-woman, half-fish.

  Later, the ancient Greeks whispered tales of fishy women called sirens. These beautiful but deadly beings lured sailors to their graves. Many sailors feared or respected mermaids because of their association with doom.

  Note: This text was taken from The Girl’s Guide to Mermaids: Everything Alluring about These Mythical Beauties by Sheri A. Johnson (Capstone Press, 2012). For more mermaid facts, be sure to check this book out!

  Talk It Out

  Rachel and Shyanna agree to swim as substitutes, saving the day for their friends on the swim team. Talk about a time a friend helped you. What did he or she do? How did it make you feel?

  Cora feels terrible when she realizes she’s accusing her friends and teammates of stealing. Do you think she was right to be so suspicious of everyone? Talk about your opinion.

  Kai was nervous to give Shyanna his gift. Why do you think he felt that way? Talk about some possible reasons.

  Cora loves being a part of the swim team with her friends. Talk about what it means to be a part of a team. What makes a good team? What does it mean to be a good teammate?

  Write It Down

  Pretend you are Rachel or Shyanna. Make a pro and con list about swimming in the relay race.

  Cora lets her belief in superstitions get the best of her but later realizes she doesn’t need luck to win. Are you superstitious? Write a paragraph about a superstition or tradition you believe in.

  Imagine that you are Shyanna, and Kai has just given you the gift he made. How would you feel? Write a letter to him expressing your feelings.

  Regina is rude to Rachel because she’s different, but our differences are what make each of us unique. Write a paragraph about what makes you different and unique.

  About the Author

  Janet Gurtler has written numerous well-received YA books. Mermaid Kingdom is her debut series for younger readers. She lives in Calgary, Alberta, near the Canadian Rockies, with her husband, son, and a chubby Chihuahua named Bruce. Gurtler does not live in an igloo or play hockey, but she does love maple syrup and says “eh” a lot.

  About the Illustrator

  Katie Wood fell in love with drawing when she was very small. Since graduating from Loughborough University School of Art and Design in 2004, she has been living her dream working as a freelance illustrator. From her studio in Leicester, England, she creates bright and lively illustrations for books and magazines all over the world.

  Dive in and get swept away!

  Mermaid Kingdom is published by Stone Arch Books

  A Capstone Imprint

  1710 Roe Crest Drive

  North Mankato, Minnesota 56003

  www.mycapstone.com

  Copyright © 2016 Stone Arch Books

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in whole or in part, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without written permission of the publisher.

  Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

  Gurtler, Janet, author.

  Cora's mystery / by Janet Gurtler ; illustrated by Katie Wood.

  pages cm. — (Mermaid kingdom)

  Summary: When two of her Neptunia relay team members are injured and unable to swim in the thirteen-year-olds' race, Cora presses her friends Rachel and Shyanna into service — but when the team's lucky Sea Lion statue disappears, Cora fears sabotage and sets out to find the
guilty party, and her chief suspect is a merboy on the rival Titania team.

  ISBN 978-1-4965-2606-9 (hardcover)

  ISBN 978-1-4965-2608-3 (pbk.)

  ISBN 978-1-4965-2610-6 (ebook pdf)

  ISBN 978-1-4965-3972-4 (ebook)

  1. Mermaids--Juvenile fiction. 2. Swimming--Competitions--Juvenile fiction. 3. Swim teams--Juvenile fiction. 4. Theft--Juvenile fiction. 5. Friendship--Juvenile fiction. [1. Mystery and detective stories. 2. Mermaids--Fiction. 3. Swimming--Fiction. 4. Contests--Fiction. 5. Stealing--Fiction. 6. Friendship--Fiction.] I. Wood, Katie, 1981-illustrator. II. Title. III. Series: Gurtler, Janet. Mermaid kingdom.

  PZ7.G9818Co 2016

  813.6--dc23 [Fic]

  2015032276

  Designer: Alison Thiele

  Artistic Elements: Shutterstock