Ingo

Story

Sapphire’s father fold her a story when she was small. Once there was a man who fell in love with a mermaid. He swam into the sea to be with her, and was never seen again…

When her father is then lost at sea, she thinks about the myth and is convinced he’s still alive.

The next summer, Sapphy meets Faro, a Mer boy. With Faro, she dives into the underwater world of Ingo, a world she never knew existed. But while Sapphy is intoxicated by the new world, she also wishes to see her father again. She’s convinced she can hear him singing across the sea…

Why we chose it

Based on the Cornish legend of the mermaid of Zennor, Helen Dunmore creates a compelling underwater world of magic and mystery.

Where it came from

Helen Dunmore was a teacher of creative writing and poetry. She was inspired to write the book by a deep love of the stunning Cornish countryside and a wonder at the mysteries of the sea.

Where it went next

Ingo was nominated for the 2008 Booktrust Teenage Prize.

Helen Dunmore then went onto write four more books in the same series, including The Tide Knot which won the Nestle Children’s Book Prize Silver Medal and was followed by The Deep and The Crossing of Ingo.

Associated stories

Helen Dunmore wrote a number of other books for children and young adults, including The Islanders, the Zillah and Me trilogy, The Lonely Sea Dragon, and Going to Egypt. She has also written short stories and poetry collections.