Julia and the Shark

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What to expect

A captivating, powerful and luminous story from a bestselling, award-winning author about a mother, a daughter, and the great Greenland shark. Narrated beautifully with atmospheric sound effects, this is a perfect audiobook for 9+ fans of David Almond and Frances Hardinge.


'A truly beautiful book, with text and illustrations in perfect harmony. A book to treasure!' Jacqueline Wilson

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

'A rich, immersive and wondrous journey, through deep darkness to hope and light' Sophie Anderson, author of The House with Chicken Legs

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...

Julia has followed her mum and dad to live on a remote island for the summer - her dad, for work; her mother, on a determined mission to find the elusive Greenland shark. But when her mother's obsession threatens to submerge them all, Julia finds herself on an adventure with dark depths and a lighthouse full of hope...

A beautiful, lyrical, uplifting story about a mother, a daughter, and love - with timely themes of the importance of science and the environment.

(P) 2021 Hodder & Stoughton Limited

Critics Review

Captivating
The Telegraph
A tale of courage, understanding and compassion
The Observer
A triumph
The Daily Mail
Illustrated with dreamlike fluency
The Observer
Beautifully written, sensitive exploration of mental illness, fear and families
The Daily Mail
A truly beautiful book, with text and illustrations in perfect harmony. A book to treasure!
Jacqueline Wilson
Julia and the Shark is deep, beautiful and true. The art shines and the writing soars. A classic from cover to cover.
Eoin Colfer
There are no wasted words in this book. Like a seashell, or a flying bird, it is uncluttered and vital. The illustrations, by Tom de Freston, are mesmerising. I loved it.
Hilary McKay
Tom de Freston's stunning illustrations perfectly complement the poetry of Kiran Millwood Hargrave's story
Cressida Cowell
A rich, immersive and wondrous journey, through deep darkness to hope and light
Sophie Anderson, author of The House with Chicken Legs
What a gorgeous book - calm, funny, heartfelt, wise, full of the quiet and force of the sea
Ross Montgomery, author of The Midnight Guardians
I fell in love with the tale itself, the setting (I do love a lighthouse!), the characters and the little details - it's a beautiful, forceful storm of a book
Emma Carroll, author of Letters from the Lighthouse
INCREDIBLE. Poignant and lyrical and beautiful, it's my favourite of Kiran's books so far and that is saying something. Tom's stunning artwork just brings it to a whole other level
Cat Doyle
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
A beautifully written, moving exploration of family, friendship and mental health, with exquisite illustrations by de Freston
Irish Independent
Such rich and vivid prose ... with beautiful illustrations by Tom de Freston
New York Times
This beautifully illustrated book proves that picture books are not only for the youngest readers. The black and white sketches are deliberately highlighted with yellow accents that light up the pages in some places, and delicate tracing paper inserts make images shift when you turn them, emphasising the lurking shark. This is a powerful story of love, family and fighting to keep your head above water.
NATE

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