Plain Jane is feeling overwhelmed when her parents die. Her distant cousin is set to inherit her home and plans to kick her to the curb. (Women can't inherit!) Her plan is to marry handsome Peter the fisherman's son. However before he can agree to this and they can get married (thereby saving her home) a mermaid steals him away to her underwater lair. Jane is determined to get him back and seeks the help of a woman believed to have knowledge of such things. Brosgol combines several watery folk tales as Jane becomes the hero of her own story - breaking from the expectations set on her by society and in the end needing no one other than herself to rescue her.

I love pretty much everything First Second Books publishes. My relationship with them started with the excellent <a href="https://bookshop.org/a/15382/9781596439269">Sailor Twain</a> by Mark Siegel, and while I haven't had the time to cover as many of their books as I'd honestly like to, I couldn't pass up the opportunity to review their latest title that also features an alluring mermaid.

Interestingly, before I could dive (ha) into this latest digital ARC, my favorite bookstore mentioned that they'd be having Vera Brosgol in to sign copies one Wednesday morning. Since I'd been planning to go lead an orchestra rehearsal afterwards anyway, I figured I'd stop by, if the digital read turned out to be good enough to warrant buying a physical copy. So I cracked open the ARC... and was full out sobbing by page 37.

So! Off to <a href="https://peoplesbooktakoma.com/">People's Book</a> I went the next morning, to buy a copy and get it signed and hopefully not make too much of a fool of myself in front of the author. Who is an absolute delight, btw! I loved the experience so much, I wrote about it during the bookstore's Zine-Making Workshop a few nights later. Ms Brosgol and I chatted and laughed, and I cried a little bit, and I taught her how to mew, thanks to lessons from my Gen Alpha thirteen year-old. It was one of the loveliest author meetings I've ever had, which is saying a lot since I've genuinely had so many lovely author meetings in my lifetime.

What I wish I had more of, tho, is time to read! It took me a little while to actually be able to sit down and read the (signed) book, but I was so glad I'd bought it, because physical copies of graphic novels are so far superior to digital, ime. And oh, what a lovely, tender fable of learning to see your own value past the expectations society has of you! In Jane's case, the expectations revolve around her physical attractiveness as a woman, a lesson that's echoed and refracted in several different ways throughout the narrative.

As Plain Jane And The Mermaid begins, Jane is learning that the recent death of her parents is about to leave her homeless, as she cannot inherit their estate and fortune due to being an unmarried woman. Thus she decides to take her fate into her own hands and propose marriage to handsome Peter, the fisherman's son she's long been crushing on. He hates working under his fisherman father's abusive thumb, so getting married should be a win-win. When he's kidnapped by a mermaid, however, Jane will have to risk everything in order to retrieve him.

Filled with unexpected plot twists and deeply sympathetic character portrayals -- along with a highly realistic acknowledgment of the many perils of the sea -- this is a terrific, tender and often hilarious book about finding your own happiness and understanding that character is far, far more important than superficial attractiveness (a lesson I keep trying to reinforce to myself as I wean my brain from a very hot guy I have no business liking given the absolutely shocking number of red flags he displays. In my defense, I only noticed how astonishingly hot he was after he did a brave and wonderful thing with no thought of reward, and I only discovered all the many and myriad red flags afterwards. Help me. Ahem.)

Jane's parents are shockingly cruel to her in a manner that will unfortunately resonate with far too many young women. Fortunately, Jane is smart and steadfast and compassionate and courageous. Will that be enough, however, when she faces a mermaid who would rather kill than give up her human prize?

This extremely charming graphic novel flows beautifully, likely due to Ms Brosgol's background in animation. Alec Longstreth's colors are absolutely gorgeous, and the Notes section in the back provides so much valuable insight into the creation process of this book. I also bought a copy of Ms Brosgol's prior work, Anya's Ghost, and got it signed, tho still need to find that elusive time I need to read it! I can't wait tho, because this graphic novel itself was so great, and Vera herself so delightful, that I've become a huge fan of both.

Plain Jane And The Mermaid by Vera Brosgol was published May 7 2024 by First Second Publishing and is available from all good booksellers, including <a href="https://bookshop.org/a/15382/9781250314864">Bookshop!</a>

In the author's note that follows the story, Vera Brosgol states that, "Authors often write the books we wish we had as kids, and little me would have really loved this one."

Little ME would also have LOVED this book, and big, cranky old me absolutely adored it.

Meet Jane. Thanks to a ridiculous law barring women from owning property, she's about to lose her ancestral home unless she finds someone willing to marry her. But who would want to marry plain, dumpy Jane? Surprisingly, the village pretty boy is willing, IF it will get him away from the smelly life of a fisherman. Too bad he falls for the siren song of an underwater temptress before the wedding can take place.

Now it's up to Jane to rescue the fool. Armed with a good witch's spell for breathing under the sea, and accompanied by a surly seal, she braves the depths to save her intended. Kudos to Brosgol for daring to portray mermaids for the nasty, carnivorous beasts they really are, AND for dreaming up this wonderful, enchanting tale of " . . . an ordinary looking girl having an extraordinary adventure, learning to love herself for who she is rather than what she looks like . . ."

Another winner by Brosgol, this is certainly one of my favorite books of the year.

This book was a delight to read with a great message. Jane finds herself in a serious predicament when the unexpected happens in her family. Having been told all her life that she wasn't beautiful and couldn't be married off, she turns to Peter, who is beautiful, but doesn't fit in with his family. After Peter is kidnapped by a mermaid, Jane goes on an adventure to save him. Along the way she meets a few characters and also finds out some things about herself. A fun story with a great message, Plain Jane and the Mermaid is a great read!

4.5/5

A story of learning to love yourself, trust yourself and save yourself. Jane goes on a journey to help save the boy she loves from a mermaid, and ends up finding herself and people who were missing from her life.

I really liked this story and how Jane persevered and learned that she was enough and didn't have to listen to the shallow people of her village. She found those that love her for herself and that's what truly mattered.

This terrific fairy tale graphic novel is about Jane, a girl who isn't much to look at. She lives in a society that values beauty and men, so when her parents die, Jane is forced out of her home and tries to marry a handsome man from the village. Except that he's taken by a mermaid before they can marry. Jane decides to go after him, with the help of a crone, who knows all about mermaids. This is a really fun story to read and I think the kids are going to love it.

This was such a great story! It involves kidnapping by mermaids, selkies, crones, and magic. I loved all of the characters and the artwork is fantastic. I would highly recommend checking this book out!

In addition to the clear Hans Christian Andersen "The Little Mermaid" retelling elements, Plain Jane and the Mermaid has a strong sense of other fairy tales like Charles Perrault's "Toads and Diamonds," but with the additional benefit that the virtuous protagonist is a) not conventionally beautiful and b) has to process issues of self-doubt. I also very much appreciated that while the majority of the characters were able to see the value of a life beyond the superficial, not every character embraced the philosophy or found redemption. Sure to resonate with both old school fairy tale fans and readers of contemporary retellings.

I fear I just might not be the right target demographic for this. It just fell completely flat to me. It was extremely simple, extremely surface level, and repetetive. I did really like art, and the concept was decent as well, but the execution was just lacking for me.

A great, slightly spooky fantasy graphic novel! When Jane's parents die and her cousin inherits the house, she has to find a new home but her prospective fiancé gets taken by a mermaid and she must go venture to save him. A good mix of both adventure and character development, with lots of conversations about inner vs outer beauty and self-worth. I also really enjoyed the art as I always do with Brosgol's books.

I think this will appeal to readers 10+ and well into the teens since it deals with some mature topics (but still at an appropriate level).

Jane Brown is used to people not giving her the time of day. In her small fishing village, the townspeople make fun of her plain appearance, her freckles, and her weight. Even her own parents taunt her for her appearance and rarely give her the time of day. After her parent's sudden death, Jane faces eviction from her family home unless she can marry and then inherit her dowry. She proposes marriage to the beautiful but shallow fisherman Peter, who is promptly kidnapped by a mermaid. Desperate to save Peter, Jane journeys to the bottom of the ocean where she encounters dangers and trials around every turn. Rescued from death (again and again) by a delightfully cranky seal, Jane is determined to continue on in her quest to save Peter even when her own future seems uncertain.

This reimaging of 'The Little Mermaid' is a delightfully tongue-in-cheek graphic novel for upper middle grade readers. Jane is a protagonist that readers will cheer for, especially as she gains confidence in herself and becomes a capable hero. Filled with underwater monsters both terrifying and hilarious, the fantasy world of this book is sound and is brought to life by Brosgol's excellent panel work.

Ever feel like a Plain Jane in our current culture of airbrushed and filtered images? Love to read about the mysteries under the sea? Jump into this new graphic novel from Vera Brosgol. Jane is faced with a classic Victorian-age dilemma. Her family estate goes to the male heir. She has nothing unless she marries well. And time is short. Her choice of husbands, Peter, is kidnapped by a mermaid in front of her eyes. With a little help here and there and a lot of moxie, Janes sets out to get her man. Along the way she just may discover that plain on the outside is irrelevant when compared to her breathtakingly beautiful inside. An exciting and enlightening read.

Thank you to First Second Books and NetGalley for a DRC in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this middle grade graphic novel about inner beauty and courage! It has a very fairy-tale-like vibe, but with a new spin and focus. There is a great sense of humor throughout, but also the grief of not being seen or appreciated. A great read for all ages and genders.

Oh my gosh, this book is absolutely brilliant! It takes some familiar fairytale tropes and flips them on their heads in a way that makes them both funny and thoughtful. The illustrations show such a broad range of expressions. I loved the seal’s faces! He’s got these dark eyebrows and grumpy expressions that hint at so much underneath.

I love that Jane is not the pretty girl, and she knows it, but she wants so much to believe that she has more value than how she looks, even when she keeps getting the opposite message from even the well-meaning people in her life. This is one of those stories that doesn’t feel immediately female-centered, but it really is. I liked the way that the story developed or used its female relationships to show how toxic relationships harm one another, but loving (nonromantic, in this case) relationships strengthen and empower us.


It also models loving relationships that protect one another without infringing on one another’s autonomy. I liked that the story didn’t depend on tropes about the handsome prince but left room for there to be more to that character, as well.

PLAIN JANE AND THE MERMAID takes all those great elements and puts them together in this magical way that allows it to become more than the sum of its parts. I loved the way it integrates modern and classic fairytale elements to create something utterly engrossing and not preachy about its message.

I’m trying to limit my graphic novel purchases this year because of space constraints, but this is one I really need to have on my shelf.

Post date: May 6, 2024

Loved the illustrations and the fairytale-like lore! Vera Brosgol created another great graphic novel that readers will love and cherish.

The artwork in this graphic novel would get five stars if that were all I was rating. I always appreciate the author’s notes that explain the genesis for books, and learning that Vera Brosgol wrote this book as a form of therapy for herself and her fear of the ocean was very interesting. I also liked the overall message that what lies on the surface is not all there is to see. However, the story itself fell a little short for me. I’m not exactly sure what I wanted, but ultimately, it just wasn’t for me.

Brosgol has done it again! Herre's another great book reminding all to love yourself, shortcomings and all.
It is a story thematically stressing the importance of resilience and independence. Readers will love the vivid and colorful artwork alongside the satisfying plot. Great addition to the author's body of works.

Vera Brosgol does it again!! I'm already such a huge fan of her work and this honestly might be my favorite of her books yet (though The Little Guys is a tough one to go up against). The art is lovely (I really loved the extra sketches and notes on the art in the back) and the story was one I immediately fell into. And then I gobbled up the whole book in one sitting because I could not put it down! Just a lovely book about looking past appearances, with some aquatic folklore thrown in.

Another winner for Brosgol. Her fans and new readers alike will find something here in Jane's extraordinary hero's journey. Her determination, heart, and adventurous spirit keep this graphic novel moving along. And the sass- the sass is phenomenal.

The plot features fairy-tale touchstones and blends of mythologies that make it feel fresh and different from your ordinary mermaid tale. A great read- and one I look forward to recommending.

Jane is a plain and plump young woman who most of the town looks down on even though her parents are wealthy. When they die in a freak accident, Jane is left with practically nothing since women cannot own property, and the only male heir (her little brother) died by drowning about 5 years prior. A nasty estranged cousin will inherit the property and he intends to kick Jane out of the only home she's ever known. Her only solution is to find someone to marry very quickly, though her parents had been trying to marry her off with no luck for quite some time already. Jane proposes to the pretty boy she has a crush on, telling him that if they marry, he won't ever have to work again because of her family fortune, and he agrees. Immediately after that, he is taken by a mermaid who intends to marry him, among other things, so that she can remain young and beautiful. Jane rushes off for help, but no one will listen except one eccentric old crone, who gives Jane everything she needs to follow the mermaid and save Peter. Of course, things don't go as planned, and Jane learns about herself and makes some new friends on her journey. Ultimately a story about loving yourself for who you are, rejecting silly rules made up and followed by society, and developing healthy relationships, this is a story that belongs on all library shelves. An author's note addresses society's obsession with superficial beauty and how impactful seeing a plain, average hero can be. The art is wonderful and delightfully expressive. Readers of all ages with adore Jane and her friends.