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clairevlinney's review
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
millie_blue's review
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings
Minor: War and Abandonment
mikahmae's review
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
lintonen's review
emotional
informative
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
smeets_books's review
adventurous
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
betsyhaberl's review
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
missbookiverse's review
3.0
I adored [b:Julia and the Shark|57951862|Julia and the Shark|Kiran Millwood Hargrave|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1650722518l/57951862._SX50_.jpg|90802606] and got really excited when I realized that Hargrave and Feston had teamed up for another illustrated middle grade adventure. Unfortunately Leila didn't quite live up to the greatness of its predecessor.
Overall the story feels very similar to Julia and the Shark. There's a complicated mother-daughter relationship, traveling to a far off place and trying to find a specific animal. While these are great ingredients you can use to tell many different stories, this one does not feel fleshed out enough. I wanted more moments between Leila and her mother, more insight into her inner turmoil, more background on her life in the UK. Instead everything happens quickly and easily, including the big talk between Leila and her mother, Leila adapting to the cold in Norway and also to living on a ship. Is she not annoyed by the lack of privacy or proper showers? That she can't just go for a walk or to the supermarket? She just goes along with everything so easily, it makes her a little bland. I wanted more depth and complexity. I appreciate that Hargrave wrote Leila as a character of color, who had to flea from Syria when she was young and who is traumatized by this. I respect that she probably did not want to make this the most important thing about Leila, but it also feels like this actually is the character's most interesting aspect because we aren't given much else.
To end on a positive note: The illustrations are fantastic again; they underline and expand the written narrative. I especially love how Miso's paw prints keep crossing through the text, making it feel like she is walking on and on while the human characters are going through their daily business.
Overall the story feels very similar to Julia and the Shark. There's a complicated mother-daughter relationship, traveling to a far off place and trying to find a specific animal. While these are great ingredients you can use to tell many different stories, this one does not feel fleshed out enough. I wanted more moments between Leila and her mother, more insight into her inner turmoil, more background on her life in the UK. Instead everything happens quickly and easily, including the big talk between Leila and her mother, Leila adapting to the cold in Norway and also to living on a ship. Is she not annoyed by the lack of privacy or proper showers? That she can't just go for a walk or to the supermarket? She just goes along with everything so easily, it makes her a little bland. I wanted more depth and complexity. I appreciate that Hargrave wrote Leila as a character of color, who had to flea from Syria when she was young and who is traumatized by this. I respect that she probably did not want to make this the most important thing about Leila, but it also feels like this actually is the character's most interesting aspect because we aren't given much else.
To end on a positive note: The illustrations are fantastic again; they underline and expand the written narrative. I especially love how Miso's paw prints keep crossing through the text, making it feel like she is walking on and on while the human characters are going through their daily business.
wickedwitchofthewords's review against another edition
1.0
No no no
The fox sections were adorable but the rest of it? Nope.
The fox sections were adorable but the rest of it? Nope.
thelibraryofklee's review
5.0
"It makes us other … Same as when they call us migrants when we come here, and themselves expats when they go elsewhere. Like they have some ownership. Like they belong in a way we can’t."
Oh my heart, this story made me sob, what a beautiful wee novel. We meet Leila, a refugee from Syria living with her grandmother and cousin in London. She is on her way to snow covered Norway to visit with a mother she hasn't seen for many years. Her mother is part of a research team tracking a wee arctic fox (based on a real story of a fox who traveled from Norway to Canada in 67 days, over 2000 miles). Leila finds herself dealing with unanswered questions amidst the stark cold of the Arctic Circle.
This book looks at the changing world; the affect humanity has on the physical world, and the impact of human borders. Leila, at 12 years old, has lived a life that is unimaginable, but through the eyes of our wee fox Miso, she is able to see the broader picture and the power for forgiveness and the power to invoke change. This book is advertised for readers 9+ but this is most definitely one for adults too.
Full of brilliantly gorgeous black and blue illustrations, I highly recommend getting your hands on a copy of this. I need to get a copy of Julia and the Shark now!
"What Miso did, why she did it … it’s incredible, yes, but it’s also a warning. We had to leave our home, because of war. But what if it was because of water, or lack of it? Or the weather? Patterns are changing. Miso’s journey proves that migration is necessary for survival. What Miso did, what we did, was leave home to find something better."
Oh my heart, this story made me sob, what a beautiful wee novel. We meet Leila, a refugee from Syria living with her grandmother and cousin in London. She is on her way to snow covered Norway to visit with a mother she hasn't seen for many years. Her mother is part of a research team tracking a wee arctic fox (based on a real story of a fox who traveled from Norway to Canada in 67 days, over 2000 miles). Leila finds herself dealing with unanswered questions amidst the stark cold of the Arctic Circle.
This book looks at the changing world; the affect humanity has on the physical world, and the impact of human borders. Leila, at 12 years old, has lived a life that is unimaginable, but through the eyes of our wee fox Miso, she is able to see the broader picture and the power for forgiveness and the power to invoke change. This book is advertised for readers 9+ but this is most definitely one for adults too.
Full of brilliantly gorgeous black and blue illustrations, I highly recommend getting your hands on a copy of this. I need to get a copy of Julia and the Shark now!
"What Miso did, why she did it … it’s incredible, yes, but it’s also a warning. We had to leave our home, because of war. But what if it was because of water, or lack of it? Or the weather? Patterns are changing. Miso’s journey proves that migration is necessary for survival. What Miso did, what we did, was leave home to find something better."