Though this short story had a good basic theme and had the positive aspect of Hailey and Claire's strong friendship, the plot was completely without substance. Instead of finding a meaningful way of persuading Aquamarine to return to her ocean home, Hailey and Claire set her up on a date with a cute guy! Personally, I think that Ms. Hoffman could have come up with something more interesting and certainly something more meaningful. On the other hand, if you are looking for a mermaid story with REAL substance, try Liz Kessler's "The Tail of Emily Windsnap" (or for a different approach, Karen Hesse's "The Music of Dolphins"). Good try, Ms. Hoffman, but readers are better off with some other, more meaningful book.