This book is a work of fiction. Any references to historical events, real people, or real locales are used fictitiously. Other names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the authorâs imagination, and any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
ALADDIN
An imprint of Simon & Schuster Childrenâs Publishing Division 1230 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020
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First Aladdin paperback edition May 2012
Text copyright © 2012 by Debbie Dadey
Illustrations copyright © 2012 by Tatevik Avakyan
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Designed by Karin Paprocki
The text of this book was set in Belucian Book.
The Library of Congress has cataloged the hardcover edition as follows: Dadey, Debbie.
Trouble at Trident Academy / by Debbie Dadey ; [illustrations by Tatevik Avakyan]. â 1st Aladdin hardcover ed. p. cm. â (Mermaid tales ; [bk. 1])
Summary: Mermaids Shelly and Echo are excited to begin third grade at the prestigious Trident Academy, but snooty Pearl, jokester Rocky, brilliant Kiki, grumpy Mr. Fangtooth, and an argument over their first project challenge the best friends. Includes facts about marine plants and animals and words to The Mermaid Tales Song .
ISBN 978-1-4424-4978-7 (hc)
[1. SchoolsâFiction. 2. MermaidsâFiction. 3. Best friendsâFiction. 4. FriendshipâFiction.]
I. Avakyan, Tatevik, 1983â ill. II. Title.
PZ7.D128Tro 2012 [Fic]âdc23 2012000130
ISBN 978-1-4424-2980-2 (pbk) ISBN 978-1-4424-2981-9 (eBook)
To my wonderful family:
Eric, Nathan, Becky, and Alex.
I look forward to many
more ocean trips together!
Acknowledgments
Thanks to Fiona Simpson, Karen Nagel, and Bethany Buck for letting me swim with the mermaids!
Trident Academy
I CANâT BELIEVE IT!â ECHO SAID. âITâS finally happening.â
Shelly took a small sip of her seaweed juice before pushing a lock of red hair from her face. Usually she didnât care if her hair stuck straight up, but today was special. âWeâre so lucky to get an invitationto Trident Academy. I didnât think it would happen to me.â
Echo and Shelly both lived in Trident City, not far from the famous Trident Academy. They had been friends since theyâd played together in the small-fry area of MerPark. The eight-year-old mermaids were celebrating their first day of school with breakfast at the Big Rock Café, a favorite hangout. The place was packed with students proudly wearing their Trident Academy sashes. The two mergirls didnât see a third mergirl swimming up behind them. Her name was Pearl. Echo and Shelly usually tried to avoid the bossy mergirl from their neighborhood.
âOh my Neptune!â Pearl snapped whenshe saw Shelly. âI canât believe you , of all merpeople, got into Trident.â Usually only very wealthy or extremely smart students were accepted. Pearl was rich. Echo was a quick learner. Shelly was neither, but she knew more about ocean animals than both of them put together.
Echo came to her friendâs defense. âOf course Shelly got into Trident. She is very talented.â
âAt what ?â Pearl asked. âDigging for crabs?â
Shelly glanced at her dirty fingernails and immediately hid them under her blue tail fin. âAt least I know how to hunt crabs. I bet youâd starve to death if you had to do something