Parents' Guide to Mermedusa: Legends of Eerie-on-Sea, Book 5

Parents need to know that Mermedusa by Thomas Taylor is the fifth and last installment in the Legends of Eerie-on-Sea fantasy series, which began with Malamander. Twelve-year-old orphans try to learn their origins and thwart a villain who's hungry for power. Fantasy violence includes kids in danger from a venomous creature drawn and described with long fangs and sharp claws; falling into an ocean vortex; people, including kids, held captive by a tentacled fantasy creature; and creepy atmospheres with eerie noises and mysterious green swirling mist. Real-world violence and scariness includes ominous sounds, talk about committing murder and bringing the dead back to life, and a creepy drawing of an evil-looking man picking a pocket, holding a dagger aloft, stretching out a length of rope as someone approaches, etc. Bloody injuries and seeing blood are mentioned but not described or illustrated. An extended passage has an adult drinking whiskey to excess, slurring his speech, knocking over the bottle, and passing out in the middle of a story. Adults have mulled wine at a party for a child, and there's mention of a broken wine glass. A tween thinks about using magical powers to make two adults fall in love. There's also mention of getting the "birds and bees" talk and that mating is "icky business." The only strong language is "dammit," and "fat" is used negatively a few times like "a big fat" slap in the face. Loss of parents and siblings is a strong theme.