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oceanxbluess's review
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Grief, Dementia, Suicide attempt, and Mental illness
2busyreading's review against another edition
emotional
medium-paced
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness and Bullying
Moderate: Racism and Suicide attempt
Minor: Abandonment, Death of parent, and Dementia
xangemthelibrarian's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
This book is the story of a girl watching her world unravel over the course of one short summer.
Julia, her parents, and cat Noodle travel to far North Ireland for her parents jobs. Her dad is a programmer tasked with automating a lighthouse and her mom is feverishly researching a Greenland Shark and ways it could cure dementia.
All seems well at first, but Julia's mom starts acting weird. And with every research grant rejection, she becomes more desperate to prove she can find the shark. How will Julia manage to help her mom when she isn't even allowed to go on the boat with her?
I was completely ready to go on a nautical adventure with this book. I was expecting a little bit of magic, and a journey of self-discovery alongside a quest to find the impossible.
I was not expecting the clear portrait of a parent struggling with Bipolar Disorder. Reading this as an adult, it is very very clear that Julia's mom is going through a manic episode, followed by the crash of a depressive episode. To Julia, who is only ten years old, she struggles to understand what is happening. She wonders if it's her fault because her mom gets irritable with her. Julia worries about her parents. She gets anxious when they fight and when they stress over money. And when she finally goes on her epic adventure to find the shark? It nearly kills her.
Where I was expecting a magical realism story, I got a very real and tender portrayal of a family trying to hold it together when one member is struggling with their mental health. It's a bittersweet ending and wonderfully wholesome.
Julia, her parents, and cat Noodle travel to far North Ireland for her parents jobs. Her dad is a programmer tasked with automating a lighthouse and her mom is feverishly researching a Greenland Shark and ways it could cure dementia.
All seems well at first, but Julia's mom starts acting weird. And with every research grant rejection, she becomes more desperate to prove she can find the shark. How will Julia manage to help her mom when she isn't even allowed to go on the boat with her?
I was completely ready to go on a nautical adventure with this book. I was expecting a little bit of magic, and a journey of self-discovery alongside a quest to find the impossible.
I was not expecting the clear portrait of a parent struggling with Bipolar Disorder. Reading this as an adult, it is very very clear that Julia's mom is going through a manic episode, followed by the crash of a depressive episode. To Julia, who is only ten years old, she struggles to understand what is happening. She wonders if it's her fault because her mom gets irritable with her. Julia worries about her parents. She gets anxious when they fight and when they stress over money. And when she finally goes on her epic adventure to find the shark? It nearly kills her.
Where I was expecting a magical realism story, I got a very real and tender portrayal of a family trying to hold it together when one member is struggling with their mental health. It's a bittersweet ending and wonderfully wholesome.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Suicide attempt, Dementia, and Mental illness
kirstym25's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness
Moderate: Racism, Suicide attempt, and Bullying
Minor: Dementia
bravereads's review
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
I will read literally anything Kiran Millwood Hargrave writes at this point, and I've only read two things. This book is truly incredible. I am speechless. I would like to come back and write a more coherent review but just know that I cried and I laughed and it was relatable in MANY ways. I, too, was a young girl obsessed with collecting facts about things, obsessed with the natural world, and often feeling like I was the whale who sang at a different frequency. I also both love and am terrified of the Greenland shark, so I am STOKED that a book exists about one of those!! The experience of reading the physical book was unmatched. Highly recommend. (Also, bipolar rep! I feel like I don't see enough of that in any fiction, but I'm glad to see it in middle grade fiction!)
Content Warnings
Moderate: Suicide attempt
Minor: Dementia
totallyshelfaware's review
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Julia and the Shark is a lyrical, beautiful exploration of family and belief in the strength of the bonds that tie us together. Kiran Millwood Hargrave's gorgeous writing and Tom de Freston's stunning illustrations are going to be floating around my head, haunting me with their beauty for a long, long time.
Such an important book about balancing hope and optimism with reality, finding friends on your wavelength and fighting to keep that bond alive, and the imperfect ways in which we cherish things we deeply care about. Highly recommend!
Such an important book about balancing hope and optimism with reality, finding friends on your wavelength and fighting to keep that bond alive, and the imperfect ways in which we cherish things we deeply care about. Highly recommend!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Suicide attempt
Minor: Dementia
happysami's review
challenging
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Suicide attempt and Mental illness
Minor: Dementia
josieruby1's review
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness and Child abuse
Moderate: Suicide attempt
Minor: Dementia and Death of parent
tigerlilliereads's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
I received this book from Netgalley for an honest review.
So I have been hearing so much about this book and seeing it everywhere! After my favourite this year I had to pick this one up, plus the illustrations and the cover are irresistible.
This book is about a girl called Julia and her family who move over the summer to Unst, in the Shetland Islands. Her mum is on a mission to find a Greenland shark and her dad has a got a job fixing the light in the lighthouse they are temporarily living in. Whilst there Julia befriends a boy called Kin in the village and begins to learn about space, as well as the ocean.
Now this book was utterly beautiful, enchanting and heartbreaking all at the same time. The illustrations and poems add to a very magical read that talks about some really difficult topics. I don’t have much to say because it is still so fresh in my mind. But I was gripped throughout, this story had moments where your heart felt like it was falling, the books does such a great job at making you feel all the emotional of the characters and the atmosphere of the island. You are so draw into the story that the real world dissolves around you.
So I have been hearing so much about this book and seeing it everywhere! After my favourite this year I had to pick this one up, plus the illustrations and the cover are irresistible.
This book is about a girl called Julia and her family who move over the summer to Unst, in the Shetland Islands. Her mum is on a mission to find a Greenland shark and her dad has a got a job fixing the light in the lighthouse they are temporarily living in. Whilst there Julia befriends a boy called Kin in the village and begins to learn about space, as well as the ocean.
Now this book was utterly beautiful, enchanting and heartbreaking all at the same time. The illustrations and poems add to a very magical read that talks about some really difficult topics. I don’t have much to say because it is still so fresh in my mind. But I was gripped throughout, this story had moments where your heart felt like it was falling, the books does such a great job at making you feel all the emotional of the characters and the atmosphere of the island. You are so draw into the story that the real world dissolves around you.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying
Moderate: Mental illness and Suicide
Minor: Dementia
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