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A review by missbookiverse
Leila and the Blue Fox by Kiran Millwood Hargrave
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.