Available Formats
A Mermaid's Diary
By (Author) Chris Riddell
Pan Macmillan
Macmillan Children's Books
19th August 2025
1st May 2025
United Kingdom
Children
Fiction
Childrens / Teenage fiction: Nature and animal stories
Childrens / Teenage fiction: Friendship stories
Childrens / Teenage fiction: Humorous stories
Childrens / Teenage general interest: Mermaids /mermen /merfolk
Hardback
240
Width 139mm, Height 206mm, Spine 25mm
306g
Dive into a mermaid's diary and discover all the underwater secrets in this fantasy adventure from award-winning Chris Riddell, a gorgeous holiday read, fully illustrated in black and white throughout and perfect for 7 to 9 year old fans of Ottoline and Goth Girl. 'Charming, witty, imaginative, and packed with an unbelievable amount of stunning artwork' The Bookseller Meet shy mermaid Atalanta Scrimshaw. She lives in the quiet backwater of Sleepy Cove, collects messages in bottles, rides seahorses and enjoys the hobby of 'walking' on the beach and visiting friends. Life is perfect until Atalanta learns of plans by developers Bristle & Splinter to transform Sleepy Cove into a luxury seaside golf resort. Realizing that this plan will destroy her home, she enlists the help of her friends, old and new, to try to stop it . . .
Charming, witty and imaginative, and packed with an unbelievable amount of stunning artwork for the price point. This might be one of the best books to be published for 7-9 year-olds this year. * The Bookseller *
This gorgeous book, written as a diary with Riddells stunning illustrations, is so packed with literary puns and cultural jokes that I had to read it twice in case I missed something. The first in a series, this is the perfect summer read. * Daily Mail *
Full of Riddells richly detailed and intricate black and white illustrations, this utterly charming and comedy-infused fantasy adventure delivers a seductive blend of friendship, underwater fun and imagination. -- Pan Norfolk * Lancashire Post *
Chris Riddell, the 2015-2017 UK Children's Laureate, is an accomplished artist and the political cartoonist for the Observer. He has enjoyed great acclaim for his books for children. His books have won a number of major prizes, including the 2001, 2004 and 2016 CILIP Kate Greenaway Medals. Goth Girl and the Ghost of a Mouse won the Costa Children's Book Award 2013. His work for Macmillan also includes the bestselling Ottoline books, The Emperor of Absurdia, and, with Paul Stewart, the Muddle Earth books, the Scavenger series and the Blobheads series. Chris has been honoured with an OBE in recognition of his illustration and charity work. He lives in Brighton with his family.