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Rescue Sirens: The Search for the Atavist Paperback
For Nim, lifeguarding is more than just a summer job. She and her friends are Rescue Sirens, mermaids sworn to an ancient vow to watch over and protect humans -- and the best way to do that in today's world is by hiding in plain sight as lifeguards. When the Rescue Sirens receive word that a special human -- unwittingly possessing the rare power to turn into a mermaid -- has made her way to Miami Beach, it's up to them to find her before she transforms on her own and she's either discovered... or lost forever. Written by Jessica Steele-Sanders and Academy Award-nominated animation writer/director Chris Sanders ("Lilo & Stitch," "How to Train Your Dragon," "The Croods"), and featuring interior illustrations by Genevieve Tsai as well as cover art drawn by Chris Sanders and colored by Edgar Delgado, "Rescue Sirens: The Search for the Atavist" is the first book in the "Rescue Sirens" series. The paperback second edition also includes eleven pages of full-color character artwork by Chris Sanders.
- GenresFantasyYoung Adult
192 pages, Paperback
First published July 13, 2015
16 people are currently reading
141 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
January 7, 2025
First and foremost, this is not your average mermaid story. So much of the mermaid genre is filled with retellings of The Little Mermaid—which gets old. Everything about Rescue Sirens is fresh, new, and original, from concept to world-building to character development.
In particular, I loved the idea of humans being derived from mermaids, creating an ancient bond between the two species. This approach opened the door to a whole new world of mythology, which includes mermaids disguised as lifeguards to protect their above-water kin. And, as with many ocean-centric stories, this book stresses the importance of ocean conservation and preservation, not only for the mermaid’s sake but for humans, as well.
Another concept I adored was mermaids viewing books from the human world as treasures, using them to understand the world above. For someone who spends most of her free time reading books (and the rest of her time thinking about them), this hit me right in the heart. Books are treasures, you guys!
The writing is fast-paced and filled with beautiful imagery, from the beaches of Miami to the underwater home of the mermaids; the story never felt like it was floundering in exposition or explanation. By ten pages in, I was getting a strong urge to drop everything and head to the nearest beach. Added bonus, the writers seem love puns just as much as I do (“Hey there, gillfriend” is my personal favorite).
One of the strongest anchors of this story is the characters. Each mermaid feels fully realized as a member of the Rescue Siren group, bringing forth their own unique set of skills, talents, and personalities—together, they click beautifully. While there is mention of mermen, this was very much a female-centric story, without (thankfully) any sort of love story in sight.
Hmmm…a group of strong female characters with their own strengths, coming together to fight for a higher purpose (or should I say, porpoise)? Is this the Sailor Moon of mermaids? I digress…
As is the case with Chris Sanders’ animated work, the main theme of this story is about family and, by extension, what it means to belong. While each mermaid differs greatly from the other (right down to their mermaid tails, which vary from dolphin to seal to blue marlin), it is their differences that make them stronger and work together as a team—even if it does take some time for everyone to get along. Just as in life, we don’t get to chose who is in our family, but we can choose who we become and who we chose to accept. Kelby, one of our leading ladies, particularly must overcome anxiety and come to terms with what it means to truly be herself, and her personal growth is beautiful to see unfold.
Also making a splash in this book is the phenomenal artwork, with internal illustrations provided by the fabulous Genevieve Tsai and cover/character artwork done as a collaboration between Chris Sanders, Edgar Delgado, and Teresa Martinez. With all hands on deck, the artwork is (needless to say) gorgeous.
This was the adorable, fun, cute story I had hoped for—and more. The creators are talking about printing more fancy bound and signed copies, but, if you’re impatient to soak it up (as you should be), you can grab it as an eBook on Amazon.
The future of Rescue Sirens holds lots of potential, and I am excited for the next installment in the series. I can’t wait to “sea” where the story goes next!
In particular, I loved the idea of humans being derived from mermaids, creating an ancient bond between the two species. This approach opened the door to a whole new world of mythology, which includes mermaids disguised as lifeguards to protect their above-water kin. And, as with many ocean-centric stories, this book stresses the importance of ocean conservation and preservation, not only for the mermaid’s sake but for humans, as well.
Another concept I adored was mermaids viewing books from the human world as treasures, using them to understand the world above. For someone who spends most of her free time reading books (and the rest of her time thinking about them), this hit me right in the heart. Books are treasures, you guys!
The writing is fast-paced and filled with beautiful imagery, from the beaches of Miami to the underwater home of the mermaids; the story never felt like it was floundering in exposition or explanation. By ten pages in, I was getting a strong urge to drop everything and head to the nearest beach. Added bonus, the writers seem love puns just as much as I do (“Hey there, gillfriend” is my personal favorite).
One of the strongest anchors of this story is the characters. Each mermaid feels fully realized as a member of the Rescue Siren group, bringing forth their own unique set of skills, talents, and personalities—together, they click beautifully. While there is mention of mermen, this was very much a female-centric story, without (thankfully) any sort of love story in sight.
Hmmm…a group of strong female characters with their own strengths, coming together to fight for a higher purpose (or should I say, porpoise)? Is this the Sailor Moon of mermaids? I digress…
As is the case with Chris Sanders’ animated work, the main theme of this story is about family and, by extension, what it means to belong. While each mermaid differs greatly from the other (right down to their mermaid tails, which vary from dolphin to seal to blue marlin), it is their differences that make them stronger and work together as a team—even if it does take some time for everyone to get along. Just as in life, we don’t get to chose who is in our family, but we can choose who we become and who we chose to accept. Kelby, one of our leading ladies, particularly must overcome anxiety and come to terms with what it means to truly be herself, and her personal growth is beautiful to see unfold.
Also making a splash in this book is the phenomenal artwork, with internal illustrations provided by the fabulous Genevieve Tsai and cover/character artwork done as a collaboration between Chris Sanders, Edgar Delgado, and Teresa Martinez. With all hands on deck, the artwork is (needless to say) gorgeous.
This was the adorable, fun, cute story I had hoped for—and more. The creators are talking about printing more fancy bound and signed copies, but, if you’re impatient to soak it up (as you should be), you can grab it as an eBook on Amazon.
The future of Rescue Sirens holds lots of potential, and I am excited for the next installment in the series. I can’t wait to “sea” where the story goes next!
December 5, 2015
I'm always interested when someone whose work I know from collaborative media (film, comics, etc) produces something more personal, like a comics artist writing their own scripts for the first time, or a comics writer or screen writer writing a novel on their own. In this case, one of my favorite filmmakers, Chris Sanders (Lilo & Stitch, How to Train Your Dragon) is still working in collaboration, this time with his wife, Jessica Steele-Sanders, but it's a concept and story that is completely theirs, not filtered through hundreds of animators, storyboard artists, and studio executives. Their story, which is hopefully the first in a series about mermaids working as lifeguards in Miami Beach, is a lot of fun, and has a lot of the hallmarks of Sanders' film work.
The book sets up an interesting mythology, about the origins of mermaids and their connections to regular land-humans. It then sets up a quest, to find the first mermaid in centuries born as a human: an atavist. However, for the most part, the book focuses on the interactions between the characters, in much the same way that Lilo & Stitch and How to Train Your Dragon, despite their genre or adventure elements, have at their hearts the stories of developing friendships. There are some exciting action sequences, but they don't get in the way of the characters.
We also learn a lot about lifeguards and how they work. The authors go to great pains to show how lifeguarding is hard work, and very different from popular depictions in other media. (They particularly take Baywatch to task, which is fine by me.) By explaining what lifeguards do, and why the mermaids are working as lifeguards, they make some good observations about the sorts of people who take on those kinds of duties.
Steele-Sanders and Sanders give each of the characters distinct personalities, and that helps determine how they work together. They also have added the neat conceit that mermaids don't necessarily all have fish tails; here, one has a dolphin tail and another has the tail and flippers of a seal, and that affects how they swim. While Sanders doesn't provide the illustrations, the book does include a gallery section of his character designs. The actual artwork in the story is by animator Genevieve Tsai, and it is gorgeous and expressive.
While the characters are all distinct individuals, I hope that in future volumes, we get into their heads a little more and see who they are beneath the surface (pun intended). Also, at times, the writing was a bit exposition-heavy, but hopefully that stuff won't need to be repeated in future stories. Overall, this was a really fun start to what I hope will be an ongoing series from Sanders and Steele-Sanders. It would make a nice movie or TV series, I suppose, but I would really like it if it stayed a personal project by the authors (they published it as well).
The book sets up an interesting mythology, about the origins of mermaids and their connections to regular land-humans. It then sets up a quest, to find the first mermaid in centuries born as a human: an atavist. However, for the most part, the book focuses on the interactions between the characters, in much the same way that Lilo & Stitch and How to Train Your Dragon, despite their genre or adventure elements, have at their hearts the stories of developing friendships. There are some exciting action sequences, but they don't get in the way of the characters.
We also learn a lot about lifeguards and how they work. The authors go to great pains to show how lifeguarding is hard work, and very different from popular depictions in other media. (They particularly take Baywatch to task, which is fine by me.) By explaining what lifeguards do, and why the mermaids are working as lifeguards, they make some good observations about the sorts of people who take on those kinds of duties.
Steele-Sanders and Sanders give each of the characters distinct personalities, and that helps determine how they work together. They also have added the neat conceit that mermaids don't necessarily all have fish tails; here, one has a dolphin tail and another has the tail and flippers of a seal, and that affects how they swim. While Sanders doesn't provide the illustrations, the book does include a gallery section of his character designs. The actual artwork in the story is by animator Genevieve Tsai, and it is gorgeous and expressive.
While the characters are all distinct individuals, I hope that in future volumes, we get into their heads a little more and see who they are beneath the surface (pun intended). Also, at times, the writing was a bit exposition-heavy, but hopefully that stuff won't need to be repeated in future stories. Overall, this was a really fun start to what I hope will be an ongoing series from Sanders and Steele-Sanders. It would make a nice movie or TV series, I suppose, but I would really like it if it stayed a personal project by the authors (they published it as well).
January 29, 2017
This is one of those books that leaves you wanting another but sadly there is only one so far.
November 1, 2015
Rescue Sirens: Search for the Atavist makes the everyday superheroism of first responders and the true strength of teamwork accessible through this delightful tale of friendship, camaraderie, and mission orientation. If I’d had this story when I was a teenager, I guarantee I would have been inspired to become a first responder a lot earlier than I did. I know there are young people out there with lifesaving potential who will be as inspired by this tale of lifesaving work as I am, and this is a great story for young readers interested in first response, even those who’ve never been captured by the magic of mermaid mythology.
I love a few things deeply and intensely. The ocean. Mermaids. Women in first responder lines of work. Strong female friendships. The works of Chris Sanders, whose projects (including Disney’s Mulan, Lilo and Stitch, and Dreamworks’ How to Train Your Dragon) have without fail delighted me. So when I found out that Jessica Steele-Sanders and Chris Sanders had combined all those into one book (with engaging, charming illustrations by Genevieve Tsai), I immediately had to have it.
As a displaced Florida resident missing family and friends on the other side of the country, I finished this story about strong female friendships, longing for the sea, and saving lives in book form, feeling more and more homesick for Florida with every page. Even if I wasn’t from Florida, and very susceptible to a deep longing for that place, Rescue Sirens would still pull me in to that desire for a South Florida sense of belonging.
The character of Kelby, who spends the story undergoing the journey to find home herself, is a pleasant person to follow on that journey. There is something so comforting about Kelby’s journey, not just to find her spiritual home in the sea that has always called to her, but to find a home, a family, a team with which to daily make the world better, safer, than it would be without them. The pull to home, the pull to find the place where you belong, is a deep and powerful pull and to see Kelby achieve it and more is a beautiful fulfillment of that wish.
All the characters, actually, are pleasant people to take the journey with. Each mermaid is distinct and motivated based on her own values and interests, valued for her eccentricities and for her competence. Pippa’s outlandish interests and childlike glee over human culture is never treated as a diminishment of her lifesaving competence. Maris, interested in appearances and achieving the high life, is still a welcoming and friendly face among the group, a supportive maker of smoothies whose drama is an expression of enthusiasm and not a detriment to the group’s unity.
So it might seem surprising when I say that one of the best aspects of the group dynamics is the conflict. There’s no cattiness or conflict for the sake of conflict, as is unfortunately common in a lot of female-populated media. Echo, the particularly confrontational mermaid, has hints at a past informing the chip on her shoulder. We don’t know all the reasons she has to stir the pot, but at least one of them is the high standards she sets for herself and others.
High standards and ambition are the hallmarks of lead mermaid Nim’s character, too. Ambitious for earned leadership and competence at her lifesaving job, Nim strives not just to be the boss, but to be the boss correctly, in the face of real stress and urgency. She encapsulates the lifeguard’s dedication and skill, the positive ambition of making the beach a safer place than it would have been without her. The book is as much about Nim achieving her leadership skills as it is about Kelby, the lost mermaid, coming home.
The story is refreshingly full of young women supporting each other, challenging each other, thinking of each other as skilled and beautiful and worthwhile. And most of all, Rescue Sirens is full of girls being a righteous emergency-responding life-saving unit. Easily my favorite aspect of Rescue Sirens: Search for the Atavist is watching them have their differences, then put them aside for the sake of the mission. Their team feels so true as a lifesaving unit, a set of competent first responders putting aside panic and differences for the sake of the mission.
The mermaids’ control over whether or not to make legs is refreshing after so much mermaid media that relies on a mermaid’s inability not to grow a tail when splashed to generate drama. There are still rules by which the mermaids must live and can be exposed, but removing the lack of choice in the matter of whether to have a tail or not gives our Rescue Sirens an agency and control that lends itself to greater adventures without losing the urgency and danger of being outed.
The setting itself is huge, open and rich with possibility for future stories. The mermaids’ anatomies are based on real local sea creatures, allowing for a range of diversity and culture through environmental zones across the ocean. The distinct tribes we might encounter in the future, the lives of other groups of Rescue Sirens on beaches across the world, creates a setting rich with magic and diversity, with life-saving magical women everywhere there are beaches to be protected, and oceans to swim in.
I’ve read Rescue Sirens: the Search for the Atavist twice since purchasing it. I will read it several more times, while I wait eagerly for more stories of this delightful world to arrive in my waiting hands.
I love a few things deeply and intensely. The ocean. Mermaids. Women in first responder lines of work. Strong female friendships. The works of Chris Sanders, whose projects (including Disney’s Mulan, Lilo and Stitch, and Dreamworks’ How to Train Your Dragon) have without fail delighted me. So when I found out that Jessica Steele-Sanders and Chris Sanders had combined all those into one book (with engaging, charming illustrations by Genevieve Tsai), I immediately had to have it.
As a displaced Florida resident missing family and friends on the other side of the country, I finished this story about strong female friendships, longing for the sea, and saving lives in book form, feeling more and more homesick for Florida with every page. Even if I wasn’t from Florida, and very susceptible to a deep longing for that place, Rescue Sirens would still pull me in to that desire for a South Florida sense of belonging.
The character of Kelby, who spends the story undergoing the journey to find home herself, is a pleasant person to follow on that journey. There is something so comforting about Kelby’s journey, not just to find her spiritual home in the sea that has always called to her, but to find a home, a family, a team with which to daily make the world better, safer, than it would be without them. The pull to home, the pull to find the place where you belong, is a deep and powerful pull and to see Kelby achieve it and more is a beautiful fulfillment of that wish.
All the characters, actually, are pleasant people to take the journey with. Each mermaid is distinct and motivated based on her own values and interests, valued for her eccentricities and for her competence. Pippa’s outlandish interests and childlike glee over human culture is never treated as a diminishment of her lifesaving competence. Maris, interested in appearances and achieving the high life, is still a welcoming and friendly face among the group, a supportive maker of smoothies whose drama is an expression of enthusiasm and not a detriment to the group’s unity.
So it might seem surprising when I say that one of the best aspects of the group dynamics is the conflict. There’s no cattiness or conflict for the sake of conflict, as is unfortunately common in a lot of female-populated media. Echo, the particularly confrontational mermaid, has hints at a past informing the chip on her shoulder. We don’t know all the reasons she has to stir the pot, but at least one of them is the high standards she sets for herself and others.
High standards and ambition are the hallmarks of lead mermaid Nim’s character, too. Ambitious for earned leadership and competence at her lifesaving job, Nim strives not just to be the boss, but to be the boss correctly, in the face of real stress and urgency. She encapsulates the lifeguard’s dedication and skill, the positive ambition of making the beach a safer place than it would have been without her. The book is as much about Nim achieving her leadership skills as it is about Kelby, the lost mermaid, coming home.
The story is refreshingly full of young women supporting each other, challenging each other, thinking of each other as skilled and beautiful and worthwhile. And most of all, Rescue Sirens is full of girls being a righteous emergency-responding life-saving unit. Easily my favorite aspect of Rescue Sirens: Search for the Atavist is watching them have their differences, then put them aside for the sake of the mission. Their team feels so true as a lifesaving unit, a set of competent first responders putting aside panic and differences for the sake of the mission.
The mermaids’ control over whether or not to make legs is refreshing after so much mermaid media that relies on a mermaid’s inability not to grow a tail when splashed to generate drama. There are still rules by which the mermaids must live and can be exposed, but removing the lack of choice in the matter of whether to have a tail or not gives our Rescue Sirens an agency and control that lends itself to greater adventures without losing the urgency and danger of being outed.
The setting itself is huge, open and rich with possibility for future stories. The mermaids’ anatomies are based on real local sea creatures, allowing for a range of diversity and culture through environmental zones across the ocean. The distinct tribes we might encounter in the future, the lives of other groups of Rescue Sirens on beaches across the world, creates a setting rich with magic and diversity, with life-saving magical women everywhere there are beaches to be protected, and oceans to swim in.
I’ve read Rescue Sirens: the Search for the Atavist twice since purchasing it. I will read it several more times, while I wait eagerly for more stories of this delightful world to arrive in my waiting hands.
May 30, 2017
This was a fun YA book. Mermaids as Miami lifeguards? Sanders ties that into both the mermaid mythos, evolution, and lots of information on what it takes to become a lifeguard. It's a fast read and well worth giving it a shot.
July 2, 2017
Get an editor and call me when it's redone
April 20, 2019
An interesting concept and decently realized, but it feels really forced at times.
I was expecting something with a bit more heart and less Saturday morning PSA.
I was expecting something with a bit more heart and less Saturday morning PSA.
January 8, 2024
Fun book, set on (and in) the water. Perfect for teens who want to do good in the world, and who love the water.
February 14, 2021
Fin-tastic!
I am probably too old to be reading this book, but who cares? This book was so much fun to read!
I am probably too old to be reading this book, but who cares? This book was so much fun to read!
August 30, 2015
I decided to check out this book because it's written by Jessica Steele-Sanders and Chris Sanders. Chris Sanders is the creator of "Lilo and Stitch", and I really like his sense of design and his beach themed stories, so I thought it would be worth reading this.
I really enjoyed the world that was created in this story. The explanation of the relationship between humans and mermaids was a different take on the mythology. Also, all of the mermaid characters are lifeguards, so you learn a lot about the job of being a lifeguard such as how to do the work, how to train to be a lifeguard, and how to rescue people in certain situations. Jessica Steele-Sanders was previously a lifeguard, so the details about this line of work serve to ground this fantasy story. Lastly, I loved the setting. The story takes place in Miami, and you can tell the authors really love the pre-Disney era of Florida tourism. The mermaids themselves live in an old art-deco motel complete with pastel stucco and neon signs. Anyone who has spent much time in Florida will recognize the kinds of places that are described in this story. Finally, I really liked the last action scene in the story. It really lets the characters shine to their full potential.
It's not a perfect story though. There are a few things that could be improved. First, there is a lot of exposition in the first two or three chapters. While the mythology is interesting, it is just explained by one person to another. It would have been better if those scenes were shown rather than told. It's not too bad though. Once the story gets past those first few chapters, the story picks up pace. Second, there is almost no interaction between the mermaids and the outside world. It would have improved the tension in the story if there were more chances for mermaids to interact with humans in a meaningful way, which would lead to some situations where their secrets might be revealed. As the story is written, you never feel that the mermaids are in any danger.
Overall, this is a fun read with an interesting premise. I hope that the authors continue the series, and as they gain experience in writing young adult fiction, I'm sure their skills at writing for the genre will improve.
I really enjoyed the world that was created in this story. The explanation of the relationship between humans and mermaids was a different take on the mythology. Also, all of the mermaid characters are lifeguards, so you learn a lot about the job of being a lifeguard such as how to do the work, how to train to be a lifeguard, and how to rescue people in certain situations. Jessica Steele-Sanders was previously a lifeguard, so the details about this line of work serve to ground this fantasy story. Lastly, I loved the setting. The story takes place in Miami, and you can tell the authors really love the pre-Disney era of Florida tourism. The mermaids themselves live in an old art-deco motel complete with pastel stucco and neon signs. Anyone who has spent much time in Florida will recognize the kinds of places that are described in this story. Finally, I really liked the last action scene in the story. It really lets the characters shine to their full potential.
It's not a perfect story though. There are a few things that could be improved. First, there is a lot of exposition in the first two or three chapters. While the mythology is interesting, it is just explained by one person to another. It would have been better if those scenes were shown rather than told. It's not too bad though. Once the story gets past those first few chapters, the story picks up pace. Second, there is almost no interaction between the mermaids and the outside world. It would have improved the tension in the story if there were more chances for mermaids to interact with humans in a meaningful way, which would lead to some situations where their secrets might be revealed. As the story is written, you never feel that the mermaids are in any danger.
Overall, this is a fun read with an interesting premise. I hope that the authors continue the series, and as they gain experience in writing young adult fiction, I'm sure their skills at writing for the genre will improve.
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