book cover

The Girl with the Shark’s Teeth

by Cerrie Burnell

Interest age: 9 to 11
Reading age: 9+

Published by Oxford University Press, 2019

  • Adventure
  • Fantasy

About this book

Minnow’s life is full of magic and wonder that she takes for granted: her ability to swim deeper and for longer than anyone else; the strange, intriguing but somehow menacing songs that her mother, Mercy, has sung to her since she was a child.

But she has always felt safe: Mercy has always seemed unbreakable. Until the day that three men board their boat, talking about catching a mermaid, and take Mercy away with them.

Suddenly, Minnow is on her own, with a desperate mission: to sail to Iceland single-handed. But the adventure is only just beginning… And mermaids are only part of the magic.

The lyrical, breathless prose and relentless onslaught of new characters and images – each more bizarre and wonderful than the last – make this a cross between China Miéville and Liz Kessler. Burnell’s imagination is marvellous and readers who enjoy Kiran Millwood Hargrave’s books, or are looking for a slightly more teenaged version of the Emily Windsnap series, should try this. 

About the author

Cerrie Burnell is an actress and writer best known for her work on CBeebies, a role that has earned her critical recognition and a devoted fan base. Alongside this, she works very closely with a number of charitable organisations linked to childhood and diversity, as Cerrie is passionate about these subjects.

In 2011, Cerrie was named in the Observer’s top ten children’s presenters and in the Guardian’s list of 100 most inspirational women. Cerrie is author in residence for Great Ormond Street hospital and a patron of Polka children’s theatre.

She trained at Manchester Metropolitan and her credits prior to CBeebies include Eastenders, The Bill, Holby City, and Comedy Lab for Channel Four and various plays, including Winged, an original play she wrote and starred in at the Tristan Bates theatre.

Cerrie’s one-woman show The Magical Playroom opened in Edinburgh in 2013 and she has published seven books for children with Scholastic. Harper and the Sea of Secrets was a World Book Day title in 2016. Cerrie recently adapted her picture book Snowflakes for the stage, which was performed at the Oxford Playhouse in December 2016. Harper and the Night Fox was published by Scholastic in 2017, and her novel, The Girl With the Shark’s Teeth, was published by Oxford University Press in January 2019. Her novel, The Ice Bear Miracle, was published in February 2020.

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