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Ingo
(Ingo #1)
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I wish I was away in Ingo, Far across the sea, Sailing over the deepest waters, Where love nor care can trouble me...
Sapphire's father mysteriously vanishes into the waves off the Cornwall coast where her family has always lived. She misses him terribly, and she longs to hear his spellbinding tales about the Mer, who live in the underwater kingdom of Ingo. Perhaps that is ...more
Sapphire's father mysteriously vanishes into the waves off the Cornwall coast where her family has always lived. She misses him terribly, and she longs to hear his spellbinding tales about the Mer, who live in the underwater kingdom of Ingo. Perhaps that is ...more
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Paperback, 320 pages
Published
May 2nd 2006
by Harper Collins Children's Books
(first published August 11th 2005)
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Radz
Not really. It has its own separate story.
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Ingo is a delightful story full of beautiful and serene imagery as well as magic. It’s a children’s book, yes, but it captured my attention and I’m very glad to have come across it.
It’s about an eleven-year-old girl and her older brother who lose their father one day when he takes out his boat and disappears. The children are the only two people in town (with the exception of Granny Carne) who believe that he is still alive. They discover an underwater world called Ingo, where they meet Faro an ...more
It’s about an eleven-year-old girl and her older brother who lose their father one day when he takes out his boat and disappears. The children are the only two people in town (with the exception of Granny Carne) who believe that he is still alive. They discover an underwater world called Ingo, where they meet Faro an ...more

I always feel so honoured when someone tells me about one of their favourite books. Books have been such an integral part of my life and I know without a doubt that my experiences, hopes, dreams and pain, all mingled together, make certain books more personally significant than others. If I learn about a book that was important to someone in their childhood then I’m likely to want to dive straight in.
That’s what happened with this book. I was 8 pages into my next read when I learned of this book ...more
That’s what happened with this book. I was 8 pages into my next read when I learned of this book ...more

I've never read a book that painted a picture as well as Ingo did. I read it several years ago, but Cornwall, England has stuck in my mind ever since. The story centers on the life of twelve-year old Sapphire and her older brother, Conor, and how they find an underwater world in their town's cove. The book was part of a four-story series, but it was definitely the strongest novel of the bunch. I'd reccomend it to anyone who knows how to read.
Sapphire and Conor live in a small beachside house, a ...more
Sapphire and Conor live in a small beachside house, a ...more

I love mermaids, but I'm having some trouble finding a really good mermaid book. This one was especially disappointing since a friend and fellow mermaid fan recommended it to me. Sadly, it just didn't work, although it's really not a bad book.
I'll do the good first. The basic plotline itself was interesting, and could have been really engaging. The short version: Sapphire and Conor's father disappears. (The book is written in Saph's POV) They are convinced that he's still alive, just vanished. E ...more
I'll do the good first. The basic plotline itself was interesting, and could have been really engaging. The short version: Sapphire and Conor's father disappears. (The book is written in Saph's POV) They are convinced that he's still alive, just vanished. E ...more

Jul 21, 2008
Aerin
rated it
liked it
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
the Little Mermaid (the faery tale, not the Disney movie), the Tale of Emily WIndsnap
Shelves:
middle-grade,
2008
SUMMARY
When Sapphire's father disappears, most people say he's been drowned, although the more vicious of the townspeople say he ran off with another woman. But neither Sapphy or her brother Conor believe either story. Raised on the coast of Cornwall, they have an intimate connection to the sea and her mysteries. Neither of them realizes quite how intimate. When Sapphire feels an irresistible call to the ocean, she must choose where her loyalties lie - to her Air family and the brother whom she ...more
When Sapphire's father disappears, most people say he's been drowned, although the more vicious of the townspeople say he ran off with another woman. But neither Sapphy or her brother Conor believe either story. Raised on the coast of Cornwall, they have an intimate connection to the sea and her mysteries. Neither of them realizes quite how intimate. When Sapphire feels an irresistible call to the ocean, she must choose where her loyalties lie - to her Air family and the brother whom she ...more

Apr 15, 2008
Jen
rated it
it was ok
Recommends it for:
pre-teens who don't usually like fantasy
Shelves:
ya-fiction
This book didn't feel like fantasy: it felt more like your typical girl-dealing-with-loss-of-a-parent story, only with a mermaid or two thrown in. I realized that the loss-of-parent thing is very relevant today, what with divorce rates being what they are, but the formula gets irritatingly predictable. Here it is in a nutshell: 1)parent dies or leaves 2) remaining parent starts dating someone new 3) child hates the "replacement" parent 4) over time, child starts to accept both the loss of the fi
...more

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.

This book... the best way to describe it, I think, is that despite predating A Monster Calls, it wants to be AMC - a lyrical, mythical, semi-allegorical exploration of death and coping mechanisms. The problem is that Ingo also wants to be an adventure book about exciting fun times under the ocean, and you really can't have those themes co-exist in one novel.
It starts out as a story about Sapphire's strained family, culminating in her dad going for a late night jaunt in his boat and never returni ...more
It starts out as a story about Sapphire's strained family, culminating in her dad going for a late night jaunt in his boat and never returni ...more

Ingo follows the life and secrets revolving around a girl named Sapphire and her love for the sea. Her father had gone missing, supposedly taken by the ocean. A year after his disappearance, her mother began dating a new man, which dismayed Sapphire and her brother.
Her dad was mysteriously named after a local man who was believed to have drowned years ago and was captured by mermaids. The townfolks believed this same fate befell her dad. Against their mother's orders, she and her brother Connor ...more
Her dad was mysteriously named after a local man who was believed to have drowned years ago and was captured by mermaids. The townfolks believed this same fate befell her dad. Against their mother's orders, she and her brother Connor ...more

I discovered this series by pure luck. I found the second book on one of the tables in the YA section of chapters. It was all colourful and shiny so I picked it up (wow...I'm such a bird). I Bought the book that day not realizing it was the second book. So I went back and got the first one, which was rather difficult because as it turns out-the series is suppose to be in the 9-12 section. ANyways...This book is by a british woman (Just another piece of proof that they are the best writers) and i
...more

I hated this book. As soon as I was finished reading it, I sent it to my library's used book store.
The main characters were frustrating right down to Saphire's name, and by the time the merpeople were finally revealed, it was too little too late for my taste. I also think this falls victim to series cliches of not exposing enough of the "mysteries" to keep me satisfied with the intent of saving it for later books. It definitely
spins its wheels" to where not enough happens. I skimmed through the ...more
The main characters were frustrating right down to Saphire's name, and by the time the merpeople were finally revealed, it was too little too late for my taste. I also think this falls victim to series cliches of not exposing enough of the "mysteries" to keep me satisfied with the intent of saving it for later books. It definitely
spins its wheels" to where not enough happens. I skimmed through the ...more

“Ingo’s a place that has many names, ” says Granny Carne. “You can call it Mer, Mare, or Meor…Earth and Ingo don’t mix, even though we live side by side. Earth and Ingo aren’t always friends…”
Despite Granny Carne’s words, in Helen Dunmore’s fantastic fantasy Earth and Ingo do mix–with consequences. Ingo is set partially above ground in modern day Cornwall and partially below the surface of the water in Ingo.
Ingo features Sapphire Trewhella (also known as Saph or Sapphy). Sapphy takes after her f ...more
Despite Granny Carne’s words, in Helen Dunmore’s fantastic fantasy Earth and Ingo do mix–with consequences. Ingo is set partially above ground in modern day Cornwall and partially below the surface of the water in Ingo.
Ingo features Sapphire Trewhella (also known as Saph or Sapphy). Sapphy takes after her f ...more

REVIEW
I love reading mermaid books. There are not very many of them, so I cherish the few that I can get my hands (and eyes) on. Ingo is no exception.
Ingo is the name of the magical underwater world where the mermaids (and mermen) live. You don’t see much of it in the book, but the descriptions that are in there, are amazing. I am betting there is more detail about this amazing world in the next book.
This book is told from Sapphire’s point of view. She is spunky and loyal to her brother, Conor. ...more

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.

3.5 stars. I feel like this book started out strong, and then kind of petered out later on. I liked Sapphy's voice for the most part (although sometimes her thought processes and decisions irritated me – probably more a reflection of her young age than anything else), and I thought the way that she was losing herself to Ingo was unsettling and kind of creepy. Ingo itself was mysterious and a little unnerving, and the main character we meet from Ingo, Faro, was an interesting mix of helper and...
...more

Ladies and Gentlemen, I almost lost the will to live.
Now, I understand that this book is aimed at children/teens, so I naturally assumed there was going to be a small amount of childishness to it. Surprisingly, there isnt. The imagery is beautiful and some of the character backgrounds and situations are more along the adult scale than expected. These things are not what caused an issue with me.
What made me want to chuck it all in was the storyline and events that just dragged and dragged and dra ...more
Now, I understand that this book is aimed at children/teens, so I naturally assumed there was going to be a small amount of childishness to it. Surprisingly, there isnt. The imagery is beautiful and some of the character backgrounds and situations are more along the adult scale than expected. These things are not what caused an issue with me.
What made me want to chuck it all in was the storyline and events that just dragged and dragged and dra ...more

It was more than an OK book. It was good though not enough to hook me. It felt like T. S. White style of writing with the young Arthur book 'Sword in the Stone'. Young Arthur a.k.a. Wart learn magic or wisdom by turning himself to various of animals and talking with them, observing their way of life, with Merlin's help of course. In this book, though not turning anyone into animals, the idea is similar. Sapphire and Conor learnt how to be Mer people, they learnt how to talk with animals and lear
...more

This book was pretty short, but it took me like 4 months to read it. Once in a while, I'd pick it up and read a chapter, but I wasn't compelled to keep reading or pick it up again. It's too bad, because I love mermaids, but this was just soooo sloooow. I did eventually finish it, but I don't think I'll be going on to the rest of the series.
...more

I am reading this again after at least 10 years and I had forgotten the pure magic that Helen Dunmore achieves with her story. Having grown up in Cornwall it is lovely to hear the mermaid tales again! Especially a new take on The Mermaid of Zennor. This filled me with such huge nostalgia and I am glad that I revisited the story once more and I can certainly recommend this to everyone!

It was so good . They are humans and they can speak mer. They have powers. they have to be careful with sharks and seals. her father disappear and they couldn't find the body so they had a pirate funeral.This book had 328 page.
...more

quite disappointing. definitely didn't live up to my fond childhood memories of this series. won't be continuing with the series reread.
...more

Ingo is a book I read when I was a lot younger and fell in love with. I am happy to report that, after reading it again for the first time in many years, it is just as thrilling and enjoyable as I remember it. Sapphire is a compelling protagonist. I never noticed how much her journey in this book is tied to grief and healing. When I was a kid, I was so engrossed by the world and the fantasy of it all, but this book explores grief and the healing process in an unexpected way. Sapphire’s grief jou
...more
topics | posts | views | last activity | |
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What's the Name o...: SOLVED. Children's/ YA book fantasy (mermaid). [s] | 5 | 36 | Jun 13, 2017 07:09PM | |
Sapphire | 2 | 30 | Dec 27, 2013 01:26PM | |
Ingo | 19 | 64 | Jul 22, 2012 11:55AM |
I was born in December 1952, in Yorkshire, the second of four children. My father was the eldest of twelve, and this extended family has no doubt had a strong influence on my life, as have my own children. In a large family you hear a great many stories. You also come to understand very early that stories hold quite different meanings for different listeners, and can be recast from many viewpoints
...more
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“I wish I was away in Ingo
Far across the briny sea
Sailing over deepest waters
Where neither care nor worry trouble me.”
—
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Far across the briny sea
Sailing over deepest waters
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