Fish Girl
by
David Wiesner ,Donna Jo Napoli
Edition
Hardcover edition
Publisher
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Imprint
Clarion
ISBN
9780544815124
Awards and Honors
YALSA 2018 Best Graphic Novels for Teens
MSL Cream of the Crop - 2018
Spring 2017 Kids’ Indies Next List, Ages 9 to 12
VOYA’s Top Shelf Fiction for Middle School Readers 2017
The New York TimesNotable Children’s Books of 2017, Middle Grade
New York Public Library Best Books for Kids 2017
POTENTIALLY SENSITIVE AREAS
None
Fish Girl, a young mermaid in a boardwalk aquarium encounters an ordinary girl. Their growing friendship inspires Fish Girl’s longing for freedom and independence. Full-color illustrations.
POTENTIALLY SENSITIVE AREAS
None
Details
Format
Page Count
192
AR
2.3: points 1
Lexile
GN460L
Genre
Fiction
Scholastic Reading Counts
0
JLG Release
Mar 2017
Book Genres
Topics
Graphic novels. Mermaids. Self-actualization (psychology). Sideshows. Marine animals. Fantasy and magic. Friendship.
Standard MARC Records
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Cover Art
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Praise & Reviews
Starred or favorable reviews have been received from these periodicals:
Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books, Booklist*, The Horn Book Magazine, Kirkus Reviews, Publishers Weekly, School Library Journal
Praise & Reviews
School Library Journal
Children’s literature powerhouses Napoli and Wiesner have teamed up to create a striking graphic novel. On the boardwalk, visitors flock to Ocean Wonders, a tank filled with a shark, fish, an octopus, and a turtle—and the star attraction, the elusive Fish Girl. Though kids stare into the water, they catch only a glimpse of the mermaid’s fin or arm. Fish Girl’s owner and protector, who calls himself Neptune, exerts a Svengali-like control over his mute ward, claiming that he once ruled the ocean and forbidding her from fully revealing herself. But when the young mermaid befriends a girl who visits the tank, she begins to question Neptune’s stories about her past and to dream about escaping. Employing inspired composition, a masterly sense of perspective and angles, and a palette dominated by vivid blues and greens, Wiesner submerges readers in Fish Girl’s world, conveying both her affection for her home and her companion Octopus and her desire to know life outside her constricting tank. The realistic images and controlled linework hint at a sense of magic below the surface. However, the narrative may stymie readers. Many questions go unanswered (for instance, how does Fish Girl trade her scales and fins for legs when she leaves the water?), and the book ends on a somewhat ambiguous note. VERDICT A gorgeous though cryptic offering; hand this modern-day fairy tale to those who appreciate folklore-influenced fiction.—Mahnaz Dar, School Library Journal
Horn Book
“Welcome to Ocean Wonders,” a three-story building by the shore that is a novelty aquarium made up of large interconnected tanks that provide an immersive experience to visitors. The real attraction, though, is Fish Girl: a mermaid whose job is to be glimpsed by visitors but never fully seen. The proprietor of Ocean Wonders, and Fish Girl’s caretaker, is Neptune. With his magical trident, he conjures waves and calls up storms during their daily spectacle. Life has always been this way, until Fish Girl is seen and befriended by Livia, a human girl who calls her Mira (short for Miracle). Brash Livia tells Neptune she knows his secrets: he must be using machines and remote controls to create the wave and storm effects. Is what Livia said true? How did Mira really come to be Neptune’s ward? And what would happen if she got out of her fish-tank prison? Wiesner and Napoli create an intriguing original tale, narrated almost entirely through Mira’s thoughts, allowing for the gradual revelation of truth as the protagonist begins to uncover it. Wiesner’s first foray into graphic novels features his trademark clean lines and studied details in watercolor panel illustrations interspersed with a few powerful double-page spreads. The panels are mostly uniform, reinforcing Mira’s feeling of confinement; however, some variation in the presentation might have helped reflect Mira’s chaotic emotional state even better (it would have been less puzzling, too, if readers could see Mira’s gills, which are mentioned in the text but not pictured throughout the book). Quibbles aside, this gorgeous volume is definitely a welcome addition for any graphic novel collection. roxanne hsu feldman
Grades 5-8
Graphic Novels Middle Plus
For Grades 5-8
Book-length narratives presented in comic book style, graphic novels foster both visual and verbal comprehension skills while exposing readers to interesting dialogue and satire, as well as affirming diversity.
JLG's selection of these unique books, some of them only published in softcover, are ideal for attracting reluctant readers and introducing them to literature they might not encounter otherwise. You may find that the 12 books in this category will turn your reluctant readers into eager readers.
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Interests
Diversity,ESL,Fiction,Graphic Novels,Reluctant Readers,Transitional Readers,Funny/Humorous
Grades 5-8
Graphic Novels Middle Plus
14 books per Year
$293.02 per Year
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