Kiran's writing is always an utter delight to read, and to read out loud, and this one is no exception.

Filled with adventure, family dynamics and so wonderfully atmospheric as Kiran navigates mental health, bullying and grief. Delicately and sensitively done.

Just beautiful. This book, and its illustrations remained with me. So many messages wrapped up in the story. As other reviewers have said, it is a book to have in your hand rather than electronically for the illustrations.

This book is a lyrical masterpiece, both Kiran and her husband are a creative duo who work wonders in this book. Compared to some of Kiran's other works this certainly lives up to the others with the beautiful language and imagery. A perfect gift book for this year!

This absolutely STUNNING book has to be among my absolute favourites of this year. "Julia and the Shark" is, on the surface, a beautiful story about nature and animals, and a girl and her mother who love both. The small island and the light house are described in such a wonderful way that you can see everything in front of you as if you were right there. The sheer beauty of the language is enough to have made my heart hurt at times, and it is only amplified by the gorgeous illustrations. The entire book is a piece of art!
However, this is not just a story about a shark. It is about family and mental health, and about love, kindness and understanding. This book talks about subjects that are very difficult to explain, especially for children, and it does so gently and beautifully. I had tears in my eyes more than once, and smiled broadly at even more parts.
"Julia and the Shark" does discuss some heavy subjects (including suicide). None of it is graphic or explicit, but I would recommend potentially reading it together with smaller children and offering to talk about discussed subjects after finishing the book.
"Julia and the Shark" is an incredibly lyrical, gorgeously written and illustrated story, that I can wholeheartedly recommend to not only children, but every single adult as well!

What an amazing book. Definitely one to get a hard copy of (rather than digital) because of the wonderful production and illustration.

Julia's family move from Hayle, Cornwall all the way to a remote island in Shetland There, her scientist Dad is going to repair a lighthouse light and her Mum is excited about the possibility of finding the rare Greenland shark which is reputed to live for centuries.

On the island , Julia befriends stargazing Kin who has been bullied by other children because of his ethnic background. Her Mum gets very excited and buys a boat to find the legendary shark although the university isn't funding her.

The story then gathers energy and rushes towards you like a storm.

The text is beautifully enhanced by the black and white illustrations with splashes of yellow, with some pages being nearly transparent overlays. There are extracts from Julia's notebooks, a shape poem and many other features which accompany the main text.

This is a very special book. Books like this are really extraordinary and memorable and stand out in the wide field of children's fiction books.

This is a wonderful story about a shark, family and mental illness. The story that unfolds finds Julia dealing with being uprooted for the summer to Shetland where she struggles to fit in with the locals and her mother's increasingly strange behaviour. It's this element that is done particularly well, her mother's bipolar is realistic and sensitively done as is Julia's confusion and difficulty dealing with it. Blended within this is the search for the ancient Greenland shark, the magic of murmurations, the wonder of the night sky. and some beautiful illustrations that truly enhance the story.

Just finished Julia and the Shark. It has honestly blown me away and I'll be imminently purchasing a hard copy from a local Indy bookshop. A breathtaking and stunningly illustrated read. Tom de Freston's artwork adds incredible depth to the story. All the more poignant having followed KMH's story since The Girl of Ink and Stars via social media. Incredible messages about Mental Health, Bipolar in particular but also a reminder to be your own person. I adore the nods to to other authors (slight smugness when I know of and/or have read them too!)

This book was truly beautiful. A perfect marriage of writing and illustrations. I loved taking my time reading this one. This book was a visual and a lyrical feast. I truly didn't want it to end. The descriptions were incredible and were the sort that you wanted to read over again to take it in fully. And the plot itself was intriguing. As an adult reader I could see where it was going, but from a child's point of view, it will keep them guessing and wondering. It provides a very careful and gentle understanding of mental illness and grief. And also provides an understanding of bullying and what causes some people to become bullies. It is a relatively short book but I felt I got so much out of it. I now need to go back and read Kiran's other books.

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.

A really beautiful book, with wonderful lyrical language, and honest (albeit magical) relationships and views of mental illness, families, people's own lives and issues

I received an ARC of this book from Orion Children's Books and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Having read many of Kiran Millwood Hargrave's historical and more fantastical novels, I was intrigued to see what a more contemporary story by her would be like. The answer is that while it definitely has a more modern and real-world feel to it than her other books, it is still just as lyrically and beautifully written as the rest. As well as gorgeous writing, the illustrations (by Tom de Freston) and clever use of colour throughout this story make it a magical reading experience.

The story centres around Julia and her family. One summer holiday, she and her parents temporarily move from their Cornwall home to Unst, one of the remote Shetland Isles. Her father is there to work on the lighthouse; her mother wants to find the Greenland shark and discover its secrets. However, the longer she searches for the shark, the more distant she becomes to Julia. Will her mother ever find the shark and if she does, what will be the cost?

This was a fantastic adventure story with just the right amount of mystery and intrigue. Seeing things from Julia's point of view allows the reader to gradually see that something is not ok, and as the story progresses there are more and more clues as to what this is. When all is revealed at the end, the topic is handled sensitively and some important messages are shared.

The descriptions of the setting are brilliant and the author captures the remoteness of life on the island as well as the raw power of nature in the sea and the storms. She also creates believable and engaging characters. Kin and Adrian are great additions to the story. The exploration of how it feels to be bullied, why people might become bullies and how (and how not) to deal with them are covered very well.

I'm so pleased to have read this book as there is always a need for well-written books covering topics like this, which definitely need to be talked about more. As far as reading level is concerned, this book would be appropriate for most readers aged 9+. I would strongly recommend adults reading it themselves first to check it is appropriate for anyone they recommend it to as it does cover some hard hitting topics.

This book was a powerful read - from fairly early on I had a nagging feeling that something terrible was going to happen. Something that would change Julia’s life for ever.
The more I read the more I had to read - it was quite honestly an addictive read. Desperate to find out what was going to happen at the same time as willing it not to.

Julia has left Cornwall for the summer to live on a small island in a lighthouse. Her dad is there to fix the light but her mum is on a research project to find a shark that she hopes will hold the answers to helping others avoid the pain of dementia. Obsession takes over and Julia finds herself watching her mother slowly slip away from her. Convinced she can save her and make things better for her family Julia embarks on a dangerous trip to find the shark that has been haunting her dreams.


This book touches on so many hard hitting subjects - it really is powerful.

The illustrations are outstanding- whole page spreads that pull you in to the depths of the ocean and place you vividly in to the dreams(nightmares) of Julia.

Trigger warnings: Mental Health, loss

Oh wow, what a story.
‘Julia and the Shark’ addresses mental health issues such as bipolar disorder, unapologetically and truthfully in order to be more real, but at the same time is sensitive to a younger target audience.
The characters, the relationships between Julia and her parents as well as the other children on the island are portrayed with such considered detail. Also Adrian’s bullying due to his own life experiences and Julia’s parents struggles with their own relationship all helped to examine life around struggle and mental health.

Julia and Kin, innocent bystanders, had been affected directly by the storm of mental health issues around other characters as well as their own.
Maura’s obsession with the shark as well as her own mental health issues as told from the perspective of her daughter is so powerful. And the green shark, the depth of the sea and the sky above is symbolic of all of their emotional ups and downs.
All of this is so well balanced and supported with the kindness of all the other characters in the book.

Kiran’s descriptions of the sea and the sky are exquisitely detailed. Her atmosphere of place intertwining almost empathetically with a character’s given mood is both poetic and beautifully mastered.

This deeply emotional and beautifully painted book took me to places I have experienced during dark times and took me back out again so gently and compassionately. I will treasure this book and never let it go.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read and review ‘Julia and the Shark’.

What a beautiful book. Lyrical prose, complimented beautifully by stunning illustrations in black and white with yellow accents. Julia travels to a remote island off the coast of Scotland with her parents; her dad will be fixing the lighthouse and her mum, a marine biologist, will be searching for the illusive Greenland shark. The isolated island is the setting for the story, where Julia meets new friends and potential enemies, where her relationship with her parents is tested and where her world suddenly comes crashing down. But can Julia find the strength to believe in herself and the bravery to pull her family together?
Under the stars, beneath the deep water, remote and brooding, the shark is creeping closer.
Mental health is very sensitively discussed in the book, and some Hindu beliefs are referenced also.

The opening chapters of this book are close to perfection. The title character, Julia, has a really effective voice which wooed me in and gave me laugh out loud chuckles. I particularly liked the traffic light coats!
Julia, her mum, dad and cat, Noodle go to spend the summer on the island of Unst, Shetland, Scotland. Her dad’s job is to automate the lighthouse and her mum, a marine biologist, plans to look for a rare whale shark in the cold northern waters. This search becomes an obsession which begins to affect all their lives. The setting of a wild Scottish island brings adventure to the story and the sea is as endless, beautiful and dangerous as ever. This book also has amazing illustrations, which add a dreamlike quality to the story.
But, it’s never just about the story. It’s about the friendship she forms with Kin, a local lad, his life there and the local bully. It’s about family, who we know so well and yet as children certain things are hidden from us, until we begin to see them for ourselves. It’s about people and how we fit into the world and how sharing how you felt can reach others who felt the same. Our different backgrounds but our shared experiences.
As an adult, who has experienced mental health challenges, I found that the story drifted between sadness and hope, but ultimately give the reader empathy for those who struggle.
I will be recommending this books to Y5 & Y6 in our primary school library.

An astonishing book from an astonishing author. Julia and the Shark is a beautiful tale for all ages and is made complete with stunning illustrations and design.

There is so much you can take from this story. Sometimes I think authors and publishers can overdo a book, making them longer than necessary. Julia and the Shark is pitch perfect in length and proves that a tale doesn't need to be overly long to be impactful.

A joy to read, I will miss being immersed in it.

There is something of Julia in all of us, and her voice, yellow notebook and observations of the Islands of Shetland will stay with me always. Elements of poetry, especially in the dream sequences, combined with stunning artwork from Tom de Freston, elegantly lift words from the page and envelop you in a mesmerising family dynamic. Kiran Millwood Hargrave never ceases to deliver and in this intensely personal and almost lyrical delivery she has produced a masterpiece.
The digital proof was simply beautiful and I cannot wait to share a hard copy with my KS2 students. This gorgeous book will inspire discussion around mental health, environmental awareness, family tragedy as well as profound hope in relationships. Interesting that in the appendix section the authors recommend The Red Tree by Shaun Tan, which we already study. I know they will compliment each other on my classroom bookshelf!

Julia is spending the summer on the remote Scottish island of Unst while her dad makes its old lighthouse automated. Her marine biologist mother plans to use the northern location to search for the Greenland shark. But a lack of funding, bullies and health problems mean the family risk losing more than they find. Meanwhile, the Greenland shark haunts Julia's dreams, warning her that something terrible is about to happen.

Millwood Hargrave's lyrical writing shines throughout this story, which includes poetry as well as prose. Every page is a treat to read.

Julia was a convincing character with a clear voice. Her bond with her mum is incredibly strong and adds to the emotional impact of the story.

Julia and the Shark offers an important and sensitive look at bipolar disorder and mental health. It makes for upsetting reading in places, and I think it would be a good book to discuss with children after they've read it, as there's a lot to unpack and think about. There is also a really useful list of resources at the back.

The illustrations work wonderfully with the text and make this an incredibly special book. The digital proof was beautiful, but I'm really looking forward to being able to buy a physical copy to look at the illustrations in more detail.

A beautiful and heart felt story dealing with friendship, family and mental health.
I think this book sends a really important message to kids that grow up in families where mental illness is present, that it's not their fault, they did not cause it and that it's also not their job to fix it.
There were some great scenes in this book which depicted this.

The atmosphere in this story was so strong, you could smell the sea air and envision the little village where everything is a little damp and salt encrusted.

This story was accompanied by some absolutely beautiful illustrations that carried so much emotion, I really loved the minimal colour palette used and felt it added so much to the story.

Prepare to ride waves of emotion in this hugely powerful and moving adventure with dark depths and a lighthouse full of hope…

Ten year old Julia, her mum, dad and cat Noodle have left their home in Hayle Cornwall to live on Unst, a remote Shetland island for the summer. Julia’s parents are two very strong-minded and slightly eccentric individuals, each the polar opposite of each other.

Dad works with numbers and is there to automate the lighthouse that is to be home for the summer. Meanwhile, Julia’s marine biologist mother is on a determined mission to find the elusive Greenland shark. Grandma Julia had suffered with dementia leading to her death and mum believes that the shark holds the key to slowing down the ageing of the mind and body.

Julia watches helplessly as her mother becomes totally fixated with finding the shark. It completely takes over, her behaviour becomes erratic and her mood swings from intense happiness one moment to feelings of enormous sadness and hopelessness the next.

When her mother’s obsession threatens to submerge them all, Julia finds herself on a dangerous and frightening adventure…

This is such a poignant and and touching tale. The words ebb and flow like the tide, lapping at your heart and brace yourself for some huge waves that will come crashing in and engulf you in some very hard-hitting and electrifying moments.

Tom de Freeston’s stunning illustrations will take your breath away. They capture beautifully the swirling seas and skies around the lighthouse and Julia’s churning subconscious mind. This is a shorter read than Kiran’s previous books but the illustrations speak a thousand words. I found myself lingering over them and returning to certain depictions later to ponder over them.


The shark takes on many meanings in the story and one of them is a powerful metaphor for mental health; lurking just below the surface in the murky depths until it crashes above the waves, unable to be contained any longer, drowning it’s helpless prey.

"The shark was beneath my bed, growing large as the room, large as the lighthouse, rising from unfathomable depths until it ripped the whole island from its roots. The bed was a boat, the shark a tide, and it pulled me so far out to sea I was only a speck, a spot, a mote, a dying star in an unending sky…"

Fearful, lost and confused by her mum’s worrying decline, the shark stalks Julia in her dreams; circling her, threatening to swallow her up. But where there is darkness, there must also be light and Julia’s light arrives in the form of Kin, a lonely island boy.

Star-gazer Kin is hunted by his own shiver of sharks. He and Julia are two misunderstood individuals who when they find each other, it’s like two whales on the same frequency, able to hear the hidden messages that others can’t.

This is Millwood Hargrave’s first collaboration with illustrator husband Tom de Freeston and what a captivating collaboration it is! It’s made all the more moving when Kiran references some of her and Tom’s own struggles with mental health in the author notes. It’s a book that will resonate with so many adults and children alike and allow conversations about mental illness to take place.

Kiran Millwood Hargrave can do no wrong! I’ve adored each and every one of her previous books and Julia and The Whale has earned it’s place in my heart alongside them.

With thanks to Orion Children’s Books and Netgalley for allowing me to read an advance copy of this stunning book.