Julia and the Shark

March 28, 2023April 20, 2024 by onemoreexclamation

Spring just doesn’t want to make her appearance yet – a perfect opportunity to snuggle with a warm drink and dive headfirst into this jewel, Julia and the Shark.

Welcome to my spot on the JULIA AND THE SHARK by Kiran Millwood Hargrave & Tom de Freston Blog Tour hosted by Rockstar Book Tours.

Check out my full post and review. Be sure to enter the giveaway! Link in Bio

About The Book

Title: JULIA AND THE SHARK

Author: Kiran Millwood Hargrave

Illustrator: Tom de Freston

Pub. Date: March 28, 2023

Publisher: Union Square Kids

Formats: Hardcover, Paperback, eBook

Pages: 224

Buy it here: Amazon

Find it: Goodreads

“Deep beautiful, and true–a classic from cover to cover.”
–#1 New York Times bestselling author Eoin Colfer

There are more secrets in the ocean than in the sky…

Ten-year-old Julia loves the mysteries of the ocean and marine biology, just like her scientist mother. Her family is spending the summer on a remote island where her mom is searching for the elusive Greenland shark, a creature that might be older than the trees, and so rare that it’s only been seen a few times.

But the ocean is reluctant to give up its secrets, and Julia tries not to worry as her mother returns disappointed at the end of each day.

Determined to prove that the shark is real, Julia sets off on a quest to find it herself, armed with a set of coordinates, a compass, and her trusty rain jacket.

She soon realizes that there are some journeys you shouldn’t go on alone. As Julia comes face to face with the dark and wondrous truths of the sea, she finds the strength to leave the shark in the depths and kick up towards the light.

Through a unique blend of poetic prose and stunning illustrations, Julia and the Shark tells an unforgettable story full of dark depths and starry skies, courage and hope.

This lyrical, deeply moving middle grade novel about one family’s fierce love and resilience is perfect for starting conversations about mental health and how it’s okay to not be okay.

Review for Julia and the Shark

I truly enjoy reading middle-grade books and this fought hard for the top of my faves. What pushed it over the top was – the family stayed in a lighthouse! Dream come true! The book is chock full of information about the Greenland shark, something I knew nothing about. The illustrations are straight-up beautiful. The author did a fantastic job weaving the story together to not only put you into the scenes but to feel them too. (insert grab tissues)

The story is about relationships; the good, the bad, and the not-so-great parts. It deals with mental health, a tough subject for middle graders. Please make sure they are mature enough to handle it. By no means am I trying to warn you off, quite the opposite in fact. I will read this book again and have no doubt I will find more in the depths of these words. I almost forgot to add – but I’m sure you can figure this out by yourself – the cover is amazing!

About the Author

Kiran Millwood Hargrave is a poet, playwright, and author. Her books for children and young adults include the bestselling The Girl of Ink & Stars, The Island at the End of Everything, The Way Past Winter, and A Secret of Birds & Bone (2020). The Deathless Girls was her first YA novel. Her debut novel for adults is The Mercies (February 2020).

Between them, her children’s books have won numerous awards including Children’s Book of the Year at the British Book Awards, the Waterstones Children’s Book Prize, the Historical Association Young Quills Award, and the Blackwell’s Children’s Book of the Year. They have been shortlisted for the Jhalak Prize, the Little Rebels Prize, the Branford Boase Award, the Blue Peter Best Story Award, Costa Children’s Book Prize, and Foyles’ Children’s Book of the Year, amongst others.

The Mercies debuted at number one of the The Times bestseller list, is a Sunday Time bestseller, and was selected for the BBC Radio 2 Book Club. It is listed for the prestigious Prix Femina in France, and was called ‘unquestionably the book of the 2018 London Book Fair’ by The Bookseller.

Kiran lives in Oxford with her husband, the artist Tom de Freston, and their rescue cat, Luna.

About the Illustrator

Tom de Freston is an artist based in Oxford with his wife, Kiran Millwood Hargrave. His practice is dedicated to the construction of multimedia worlds, combining paintings, film and performance into immersive visceral narratives.

Website | Instagram | Goodreads

Giveaway for Julia and the Shark

1 winner will receive a finished copy of JULIA AND THE SHARK, US Only.

Ends April 4th, midnight EST.

Good luck to you – enter here.