A Comb of Wishes
HarperCollins · Paperback · January 17, 2023
Set against the backdrop of Caribbean folklore, Lisa Stringfellow’s spellbinding middle grade debut tells of a grieving girl and a vengeful mermaid and will enchant readers who loved Kacen Callender’s Hurricane Child or Christian McKay Heidicker’s Scary Stories for Young Foxes.
We earn from qualifying purchases.
- Who it’s for
- Caribbean folklore gives this middle-grade tale of grief and a vengeful mermaid an eerie, tender pull.
- Themes
- Grief and loss, Wishes and their costs, Human-mermaid conflict
- Genres
- Mermaids & Sea Magic, Caribbean & Latin American Folktales, Loss & Grief
Nearest books
Matched by what the books are about, then ordered by what their readers also loved.
Pilar Ramirez and the Escape From ZafaJulian Randall56% matchShares Caribbean & Latin American Folktales
Spooky Sleuths #3: Don't Go Near the Water!Natasha Deen58% match
Miracle SeasonBeth Hautala54% matchShares Loss & Grief
The Girl and the MermaidHollie Hughes63% matchShares Mermaids & Sea Magic
Moko Magic: Carnival ChaosTracey Baptiste56% matchShares Caribbean & Latin American Folktales
If You Read ThisKereen Getten57% matchShares Loss & Grief
LolaKarla Arenas Valenti58% matchShares Caribbean & Latin American Folktales
When Life Gives You MangosKereen Getten61% match
For older readers: A Song of Wraiths and Ruin, Legendborn, The Unfinished
Start with three books, and this one can be the first.
Members get a new edition every morning: a route out from their books to essays, research and talks, with the reason for each.
Start with this bookAbout this book
Set against the backdrop of Caribbean folklore, Lisa Stringfellow’s spellbinding middle grade debut tells of a grieving girl and a vengeful mermaid and will enchant readers who loved Kacen Callender’s Hurricane Child or Christian McKay Heidicker’s Scary Stories for Young Foxes. Ever since her mother’s death, Kela feels every bit as broken as the shards of glass, known as “mermaid’s tears,” that sparkle on the Caribbean beaches of St. Rita.
Continue reading
So when Kela and her friend Lissy stumble across an ancient-looking comb in a coral cave, with all she’s already lost, Kela can’t help but bring home her very own found treasure. Far away, deep in the cold ocean, the mermaid Ophidia can feel that her comb has been taken. And despite her hatred of all humans, her magic requires that she make a bargain: the comb in exchange for a wish. But what Kela wants most is for her mother to be alive. And a wish that big will exact an even bigger price… Don’t miss the novel that Newbery-winning author Kelly Barnhill calls “one of the most promising works of fiction in a long time”!
Wishes With Teeth
Caribbean folklore gives this middle-grade tale of grief and a vengeful mermaid an eerie, tender pull.
Come here for
- A grieving girl facing a wish with a steep price
- Mermaid magic rooted in Caribbean folklore
Expect
- Tenderness alongside a thread of menace
- A sustained story about loss, longing, and bargains
Where it sits
| Mermaids & Sea Magic | 89% |
|---|---|
| Caribbean & Latin American Folktales | 69% |
| Loss & Grief | 68% |
Percentages are BookFrontier’s reading of the book.
Publisher categories
- US: Hispanic & Latino Stories
- African Myths & Legends
- Caribbean & Latin American Folktales
- New Baby Stories
Show all 8 publisher categories
- Parent-Child Stories
- Horror & Ghost Stories
- Arthurian Tales
- Caribbean & Latin American Stories
- Authors
- Lisa Stringfellow
- Publisher
- HarperCollins
- Published
- January 17, 2023
- Format
- Paperback
- Theme
- Grief and loss · Wishes and their costs · Human-mermaid conflict
- Reading lane
- US: Hispanic & Latino Stories