Title: Sirena

Author: Donna Jo Napoli

Publisher: Scholastic 1998

Genre: Myths and Fairy Tales

Pages: 210

Rating: 4 / 5 stars

Reading Challenges: Telling Tales; A to Z: N; Support Your Local Library

How I Got It: Library loan

In Donna Jo Napoli's beautiful prose, the tragic love story between a mermaid and a mortal comes to life for young readers. When Sirena meets Philoctetes, Hercules' friend, she falls in love. But the young warrior must return home to fight the Trojan War and leave his magical love behind.

A retelling of the classic mermaid/siren myths of Ancient Greece.  I loved that Sirena is a mermaid who does not act like a human.  Too many times mermaids act like humans with fish tales.  Thankfully we see a very different being in this story.  Napoli's words read like poetry.  They flow almost like the currents of the ocean.  My only issue is with Philoctetes himself.  He's not a very good hero and I'm not very attracted to him.  Yet, I understand Sirena's need for love and belonging.  And it's that need that kept me reading.  Now I need to check out Napoli's other retellings.