Welcome to the Homepage of
Susan L. Read
We Need Diverse Books!
New Zealand
Susan was born and raised in New Zealand, where she lived until she was 43. During that time she was an Elementary School teacher and Principal, a writer (with several of her poems being published in anthologies), and an avid reader of any books she could get her hands on. She had close personal relationships with three dogs (Sheba, Sheena, and Gemma), a bird (J.T.), eleven goats (Picard, Spock, Katie, Buttons, Betty, Starlight, Penelope, Lily, Peter, Fudge, and Chocolate), two goldfish (John and Glen), and twenty three mice (who all had names but there were too many to remember).
Massachusetts
Susan moved to Massachusetts six days after 9/11. She left New Zealand on the first flight after airspace reopened. Since then she has been a wife, an educator, a dog rescuer, a reader, and a writer. She lives in Massachusetts, where she has a close personal relationship with her spoiled rescue dogs.
Books
MERMAID TEARS
(Ordering links below)
MERMAID TEARS: A MICHAELS MIDDLE SCHOOL STORY
There's no such thing as normal.
Sarah has always been a hard-working student, even if she has felt that her grades don’t reflect her efforts. She is a good friend, a kind daughter, and she loves being creative. But lately she is struggling with school and friendships, and nothing brings her much joy. Her family doesn’t seem to understand what’s happening, and neither does Sarah. Everyone keeps telling her to do better, and Sarah is trying her hardest, but when her first year of middle school begins, what was supposed to be a fresh start turns into a disaster that quickly spirals out of control. Sarah, who can’t understand why she is feeling this way, begins to seriously wonder if the world would be better off if she was no longer alive. Sarah has always felt a connection with mermaids—and she now wishes she was a mermaid herself, so she could just slip under the ocean and swim away, disappearing from everyone’s lives forever.
Finally, Sarah reaches her breaking point, and in desperation, seeks help from a trusted teacher. Everyone in Sarah’s life reaches in to pull her from her own drowning emotions, and with the help of her family, friends, teachers, and mental health professionals, Sarah learns there is a name for what she is feeling. She develops tools, not only for coping, but for thriving. In learning about her condition and gaining the support she needs for managing it, she begins the long journey back to her life.
ALYSSA'S WISHES
(ordering links below)
Reviews
Praise For MERMAID TEARS:
MERMAID TEARS has been listed as one of the best books of 2021.
https://redtri.com/best-childrens-books-2021/slide/4
“Mermaid Tears by Susan L. Read is a beautiful book…I relished watching Sarah evolve, and I hope she keeps at it. This novel is excellent and a must-have for everyone who’s in charge of a child!” - Jennifer Ibiam for Readers' Favorite
“Mermaid Tears is a touching middle grade story about the hard work of self-acceptance in the face of challenges.” – Vivian Turnbull, Foreword Reviews
“An engaging and sympathetic exploration of a girl’s struggles with mental illness and recovery.” – Kirkus Reviews
“Middle grade readers will find her story compelling, realistic, and hard to put down as they journey through Sarah's life, her dive down the rabbit hole of depression, and view the light at the end of a long, unpredictable, winding tunnel.” – Midwest Book Review
"I was impressed with the thoughtful way the author addressed the subject of mental health from the point of view of a young person." - middlegradebooks (Instagram)
When Sarah reaches her breaking point she turns to a trusted teacher, Mr. Douglas for help. The character of Mr. Douglas was inspired by a "real" Mr. Douglas, seen here enjoying a prepublication copy of Mermaid Tears.
Resources for teachers and librarians.
Alyssa's Wishes - coming soon!
Mermaid Tears
A reader's response: Sophia P. (Grade 4)
Books Make Great Holiday Gifts!
Sisters as readers
These sisters received Mermaid Tears for Christmas, after their mother, Vice-Chair of a local library Board of Trustees, read and enjoyed a copy of the book.
Mermaid Tears
A Michaels Middle School Story
Prologue
Metamorphosis
of a Mermaid Tear
Ejected from the Earth.
Weathered
by wind, rain, time.
Dormant for millennia.
The crashing of the ocean waves
my only companion.
Soothed
by the rhythmic pulse,
the ambient sounds
of my never resting friend.
Witness to
the beginnings of life.
Evolution
and natural selection
creating my new playmates.
Then the machines came,
shattering my peace,
and my world.
Bulldozers loaded
billions and billions of us.
Trucks took us away.
Forged in fire.
Three thousand degrees Fahrenheit.
Poured into a mold.
Shaped.
Solid.
Transparent.
Now I can hold things.
Blackberry jelly
gives me a new purpose.
Proud to protect this treasure.
Crop after crop.
Year after year.
A favorite of this family.
Passed down,
mother to daughter.
But I am not immortal.
A cracked jar cannot be sterilized.
A new purpose.
Carrying candy
in the picnic basket.
Today’s excursion
takes me back
to an old location.
A fun beach day.
Watching the children.
Then they dropped me.
Shattering me to pieces.
Abandoned now.
Useless.
Dormant for years.
The crashing of the ocean waves
my only companion.
Content.
Soothed by the rhythmic pulse,
the ambient sounds
of my never resting friend.
Witness to
the extreme power of a hurricane.
Swept out to sea.
Worn by waves.
Recycled by the sea.
Ejected from the ocean.
Abandoned.
Useless.
Dormant.
Then the family came.
Adults under their sun umbrella.
Calling to the children.
“Sarah, Adam, Daniel,
It’s time for lunch.”
Surprised, later that day,
to be plucked from the shore.
“You are beautiful!”
she cried.
“I am going to put you in my bottle
of mermaid tears.
I am going to keep you
forever!”
______
Why is it so hard
to be like other people?
Why is it so hard
to be normal?
Perhaps it would be better
if I wasn't even here.
_____________________________________________________