Julia and the Shark

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Although my expectations where high, I'm happy to say that this story met them head on! It's one of those stories that transcends its age-demographic and moves straight into instant-classic territory. It's emotional journey for all ages, and honestly the kind of book I hope to see parents read, by themselves, or preferable together with their child. The story is a wonderful starting-point for meaningful conversations, yet stands powerful enough on its own not to require explanation for its emotional resonance.

I could see this becoming a modern children’s classic. Julia and her parents (and not forgetting the cat, Noodle) are off on an island adventure to Unst, in the north of Shetland, where her father will keep the lighthouse for a summer and her mother, a marine biologist, will search for the Greenland shark, a notably long-lived species she’s researching in hopes of discovering clues to human longevity – a cause close to her heart after her own mother’s death with dementia. Julia makes friends with Kin, a South Asian boy whose family run the island laundromat-cum-library. They watch stars and try to evade local bullies together. But one thing Julia can’t escape is her mother’s mental health struggle (late on named as bipolar: “Mum sometimes bounced around like Tigger, and other times she was mopey like Eeyore”). Julia thinks that if she can find the shark, it might fix her mother. The themes around mental health were really well written and handled with so much respect and care. Een aantal teksten, haar dromen, zijn cursief en in de vorm van een haai. Haar dromen worden minder zorgeloos naarmate de dagen in de vuurtoren verstrijken.I appreciate the multicultural representation and I love the young characters so much. They seem so real! Their voices represent their actual ages quite accurately and I applaud the author for developing these characters so convincingly. Although the themes are very different, this reminded me a little about one of my all-time favourite books A Monster Calls, with its honest and heartwrenching exploration of a difficult theme through the eyes of a child, coupled with hauntingly beautiful illustrations. That comparison alone is some of the highest praise I can give a book, if you know my feelings on the former. Extra credit goes to Tom de Freston, who's credited as the secondary author, but whose illustrations add an integral level of depth to the story. My name is Julia. This is the story of the summer I lost my mum, and found a shark older than trees. Don't worry though, that doesn't spoil the ending." Truly extraordinary. Julia and the Shark is contemporary MG at its best but with a hint of the fantastic. It is the kind of book that you will want to have on your shelves and treasure - Katherine Webber Tsang

Julia and the Shark is deep, beautiful and true. The art shines and the writing soars. A classic from cover to cover. - Eoin Colfer

About Kiran Millwood Hargrave

The best parts for me would be the little facts and the amazing descriptions about what it is like to be out there exploring the oceans, the wildlife and that too with your family. It felt so good and I really wish it was me with my family there. There are so many quotable lines right from the first chapter. I was itching to spread some Kiran Millwood Hargrave magic lines but I was reading an advance reader copy so had to control myself. What starts out as an adventure and a few quirky weeks of living in a lighthouse soon turns dark. Why? Well, I don't want to spoil too much but her mother's obsession with the shark and mental health issues take center stage here. Though science and the importance of nature for us humans are also explored in a very nice (non-preachy) way.