Pearl's Ocean Magic

Dolphin School #1

by Catherine Hapka

Pearl is a magical dolphin of the Salty Sea, and today is her first day of school. Her classmates Echo and Splash make great new friends! Together they start learning dolphin skills like magic, music, and jumping.
But another student, Flip, just won't stop bragging. And when he accepts a dare from an older student, he ends up in terrible danger from a shark! Can Pearl and her friends save him? It's an exciting first day at Dolphin School!

Genres: Childrens, Chapter Books, Juvenile, Animals

67 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2015

About the author

Catherine (Cathy) Hapka has written more than one hundred books for children and adults, as a ghostwriter for series as well as original titles, including the Romantic Comedies Something Borrowed, The Twelve Date of Christmas, and Love on Cue. She lives in Pennsylvania.

Reviews

[Steven R. McEvoy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Catherine Hapka has over 30 distinct works and 10 series of books. She has books written under Catherine Hapka, Cathy Hepka, C.A. Hepka and also ghost written other books. And under those three names has over 100 books to her credit. But To be honest I had not really heard of her, prior to reading this book and this series with my youngest daughter.

Now to be honest my daughter loves these books. I was a little less impressed. They were in a section at the book store with numerous books my daughter can read. But these books were way beyond her capabilities. I do normally enjoy reading with my children. But I found this book in particular and the series in general a little lacklustre. There was nothing in the story or characters I could hold onto. My daughter loves the covers but the illustrations in the actual book are pretty sparse.

The story is OK. It is about a young dolphin heading off to school for the first time. Pearl is heading to Coral Cove Dolphin School. She soon hooks up with a group of 3 friends. In the series the dolphins use telepathy to guide other ocean animals to help protect them. But there is a school bully Mullet and he tries to intimidate Pearl's friend Flip to do dangerous dares. The plot got a little scary for the intended age. But in many ways it was a typical school story.

When an author is cranking out 10 books a year maybe it is hard to keep up the standards. Or maybe this book was more flash in the cover than substance in the book. From where I sit as a parent it was disappointing even if my daughter enjoys them. I was hesitant to buy this one but my daughter had her own gift card I really wish I had encouraged her in a different direction. It feels like it is trying to capitalise on the popularity of Finding Nemo and just doesn't pull it off.

I give the book 3 of 5 stars because my daughter wanted to see it through but if I had been reading it to review it would have ended up in the 'did not finish pile'.

Read the review on my blog Book Reviews and More.

[Samantha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dear readers, this is a good book for grade(s) 1-3

[michelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a sweet book for young readers. Young Pearl and friends are getting ready for Sea Solstice Day, kind of like Christmas but with no religious overtones and non-commercial. In dealing with trying to prepare for the big parade with school, Pearl and her friends are trying to come up with gifts to get their teachers, and specifically for their music and magic teacher, Bay. This is Pearl's favorite teacher and she really wants to give her something special, but each time she comes up with something, one of her friends has already came up with a similar and slightly more impressive version. Pearl has to learn to believe in herself and her personal talents. Somewhat repetitive, but my 6 year old enjoyed it and at least it didn't feel like the same formulaic Rainbow Magic style books.

[Renate Deutsche Oma · Rating 4 out of 5]

Purchased this delightful story for my first grade granddaughter, who is interested in dolphins. A good mix of marine research, magic, helping others, and being kind even to the classmate who brags. Fitting read with discussion for 2020. As a retired teacher and grandma, I enjoyed the story. Wished the chapters were a little shorter - more breaks for a read aloud and for young readers.

[Maggie Maxfield · Rating 3 out of 5]

Actually, a good mix of marine research and magic. The story brought up quite a few talking points for me and my 5-year-old about what makes a good friend and what to do if someone does stuff better than you. I will read more of these without falling asleep.

[Alexandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this with my 6 year old son and her really enjoyed it. We have the whole series and he is looking forward to reading the next book.

[Saphira Boozenny · Rating 5 out of 5]

loved it pearls magic is cool 😎

[SheReads · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pearl's Ocean Magic is a fun story that will keep the early reader engaged and moving forward throughout the book.
Pearl is about to start her first day of dolphin school. She's nervous, but excited at the same time. She's grown up in a family that uses their dolphin magic to protect baby sea turtles and other animals from the dangers in the ocean. So when she starts school, she already has a head start. The reader follows her through magic class, music class, ocean lore, and swimming and jumping, but the real excitement starts when school is over and one of their own accepts a dare that places them in danger.
Can a group of brand new students use their combined skills to save the day?
I can't wait for my niece to reach the reading level of this book. Ocean themes, especially dolphins are big hits with kids. From about six or seven on up to around ten, they'll love it. The kid dolphins are sweet, brave, and a little spunky. The adults are on the peripheral, letting the action revolve around the younger ones. They don't interfere and the danger is taken care of.
This is a very well-done story with equal parts excitement and wonder that is sure to be an instant hit with every kid that picks it up.

[Katie Fitzgerald · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pearl, her parents, and her little sister, Squeak make up a small pod of dolphins who use telepathic magic to "guide" and "push" other sea creatures out of danger. Pearl has just started at Coral Cove Dolphin School, where she meets a dolphin named Mullet, who is not very friendly and seems to cause a lot of trouble. When Mullet challenges a classmate named Flip to complete a dangerous dare, Pearl and her new friends must step in to save his life. This book is a really gentle fantasy story that will appeal strongly to sensitive kids. The setting and characters are reminiscent of Finding Nemo, which will draw in readers, and the adventurous plot, though clearly dangerous and a bit scary for the characters, is resolved quickly and comfortingly. The writing is stronger than in a lot of other fantastical school stories, and the rules of Pearl's magic are well-explained and easy to follow. Though the pink dolphin on the cover is probably looking to reach girl readers, the story itself is appealing to all kids, especially those who are fascinated by the ocean and/or who are already fans of the Shark School books.

[Jetta · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think that this book should include some mermaids. But, other than that, the book is pretty good. Another thing is that even if the things are true, Flip should not brag about himself. And pnly tell the true things about yourself when it comes to making friends. So that you make good friends that don't care what you can do and can't do.

[Nicole · Rating 5 out of 5]

C and I had so much fun reading this together !

[Monica · Rating 4 out of 5]

A little scary for my 5 year old.

[Maysam · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cute and awesome for all ages

[Rebekah Wagner · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book and so did my daughter. I loved the lesson of "Never do anything that could put you in harms way."

[Jaime · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this with my six year old daughter. She enjoyed it and wants to read the next one!