[fic] children'sfiction determinationingirls family familysecrets fantasy father-separatedchildren fatherlessfamilies fiction friendship history houseboats juvenilefiction mermaids neptune(romandeity) newyorktimesbestseller nineteenseventies nyt:series-books=2013-07-14 preteens relatives reunions separatedfriends seventies(20thcentury) spaceandtime swimming