Mermaid School characters

Appears from the start

A new first-year pupil at Lady Sealia Foam's school. Marnie hopes to make friends, obey the rules, and establish herself without being judged by the reputation of her famous aunt, Christabel. She shares Christabel's powerful singing voice but not her enthusiasm for mischief.

Appears from the start

Marnie's famous aunt, a singer and radio presenter whose school years were marked by rule-breaking and unauthorized seahorse rides. Christabel has a strong voice like Marnie's, but her unruly reputation makes Marnie worry about how the school will receive her.

Appears from the start

Marnie's protective mother and Christabel's sister. Daphne warns Marnie that Miss Mullet is strict and that the East Lagoon rocks are dangerous because mermaids could be exposed to humans there.

Appears from the start

The head of the concealed mermaid school in Mermaid Lagoon. Lady Sealia Foam presides over the institution Marnie is about to enter, where secrecy from humans and adherence to school rules are central concerns.

Appears from the start

The school's deputy, known to Marnie before her arrival as a strict but fair authority figure. Miss Mullet helps enforce the rules at a school whose location and pupils must remain hidden from humans.

Appears from the start

Christabel's goldfish, with an established habit of carrying off shiny belongings. His tendency to collect attractive objects contributes to the disorder surrounding Christabel and her possessions.

First appears in chapter 2

A nervous but welcoming new pupil who quickly befriends Marnie. Pearl hopes to become a marine biologist and shares that ambition while helping her new classmate feel welcome.

First appears in chapter 2

A status-conscious first-year pupil who collides with Marnie, calls her a minnow, and treats her as an unwelcome rival. Orla also takes pride in her sister Sheila's singing work in the Gulf of Mexico.

First appears in chapter 2

The school's octopus music teacher, responsible for gathering Marnie and the other first-year pupils at the start of their school life. Her classroom places singing at the center of the new pupils' education.

First appears in chapter 2

A first-year pupil in Marnie's new class. Dora is among the classmates Marnie meets as she tries to settle into school and make friends.

First appears in chapter 2

A first-year pupil in Marnie's new class. Lupita joins the small group of classmates Marnie meets at the beginning of school.

First appears in chapter 2

A member of Marnie's first-year group, assembled with the other new pupils by Miss Tinkle. Mabel enters the story as part of the small class in which Marnie must navigate new friendships and tensions.

First appears in chapter 2

The cook at Lady Sealia Foam's school. Monsieur Poisson is one of the staff members who help maintain the concealed institution in Mermaid Lagoon as its new first-year pupils arrive.

First appears in chapter 4

A legendary former queen of the merfolk and an ancestor of Lady Sealia Foam. Her story tells how she saved Mermaid Lagoon by offering friendship to a lonely maker of weather, even though helping him placed her voice and tail at risk.

First appears in chapter 5

The lionfish librarian at Lady Sealia Foam's school. Len works in the library shown to the first-year pupils during their delayed tour of the school and its facilities.

First appears in chapter 5

Lady Sealia Foam's husband and the head of a separate academy for merboys elsewhere in Mermaid Lagoon. His school is presented as the counterpart to the institution attended by Marnie and her classmates.

First appears in chapter 5

The stable master responsible for the school's seahorses. Mr Splendid oversees animals that the first-year pupils have been forbidden to approach during the school tour.

First appears in chapter 6

An aggressive school seahorse whom Marnie accidentally alarms when she enters a stable against instructions. Typhoon's frightened reaction draws attention to Marnie's breach of the rules.

First appears in chapter 6

A difficult blue seahorse once ridden by Christabel. Urchin is known for accepting Christabel alone, yet he recognizes Marnie as another member of the Blue family and responds warmly when she approaches him.

First appears in chapter 7

The school's lobster oceanography teacher. Mr Scampi guides Marnie and her classmates through practical study of marine life, including a group exercise counting blue tang.

First appears in chapter 7

Orla's older sister, a singer working in the Gulf of Mexico. Sheila is missing after a powerful hurricane, and Orla is also distressed because a demo Sheila sent to Christabel was never played on the radio.

First appears in chapter 9

A comparatively manageable green seahorse from the school stables. Pearl chooses Andrew as her mount when she and Marnie take the seahorses without permission to search for the missing Orla.

Also known as Arthur

First appears in chapter 12

A human who has spent ten years watching the East Lagoon rocks. From his boat, Arthur studies the area through binoculars and thinks he may have glimpsed two differently colored tails, though he cannot rule out dolphins.