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Shark Girl

  • Is it age appropriate?

    About our ratings

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    Not age appropriate for kids under 10, age appropriate for kids over 12; suggested age 12.

  • Is it any good?

    3.0

  • Common Sense says

    Introspective look at a teen's road to recovery.

Themes in this book include:   body image, loss
updated 02.23.10

Why We Rated This on for Ages 12 and Up

The good stuff

  • Messages:

    A thoughtful, but at times distressing, examination of the challenges faced by a girl who loses her arm in a vicious shark attack.

  • Role models:

    Meaningful adults play a large role in her recuperation, including mother, brother, extended family members, therapist, doctors, nurses, counselors, friends. But it's up to Jane to accept who she is.

What to watch out for

  • Violence:

    Teen attacked by shark in water, massive amounts of blood, major injury to arm that is amputated. After waking from coma, the girl is in incredible pain.

  • Sex:

    Fantasies described of kissing a boyfriend. Crushes on boys in school. Older brother watches girls in bikinis at beach.

  • Language:

    Mild use of profanity such as "bastard," "damn," "hell," "s--t."

  • Consumerism:

    Not an issue.

  • Drinking, drugs, & smoking:

    Not an issue.

What Parents Need to Know

This review of Shark Girl was written by Pam Gelman

Parents need to know that there is graphic description of the physical, mental, and emotional trauma of a 15-year-old girl being attacked by a shark and having her arm amputated. Profanity is present but fairly mild, and there is discussion of having boyfriends, kissing them, etc.

Families Can Talk About

Talk to your kids about the media in their life. We have more tools and tips that can help
  • Families can talk about the challenges Jane faces when she loses her arm. Can you imagine how this would make your own life more difficult?
  • Also, parents can ask their teens about the person who videotaped the attack and then had the film shown on TV.
  • Was this appropriate, and was there anything positive to be gained by showing the footage?
Did this review help you decide?

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More on Shark Girl

Book Summary

Jane is an award-winning, 15-year-old artist who joins her mother and brother on a routine trip to the beach one summer afternoon. A few hours later, she's attacked by a shark while swimming only four yards from the shore. Her right arm is amputated above the elbow, and her life is changed forever.

Jane is acutely aware of boys and how they'll respond to her with an artificial arm back at school. People reach out to her though, including a "popular senior boy" that stirs some school gossip and tension with a girl friend. Volunteering at the hospital and helps her on her slow journey of self-discovery and acceptance.
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Is It Any Good?

This is an emotional book that's best for the tender-hearted reader ready for some soul-searching. Written using narrative, poems, and letters to Jane from strangers moved by her story, the story follows Jane's slow progress to accepting her traumatic experience. The sadness, hopelessness, and depression felt by the main character, along with emotions of meaningful people in her life, are honestly depicted through dialogue and plot and will be quite moving to the right kind of introspective reader.
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Publisher’s Details

Publisher: Candlewick Press, Publication date: 4/19/2007
Number of pages: 288, Price: $16.99 (hardcover)
Read Aloud: 12, Read Alone: 12

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Most Recent Reviews

  1. Teen Reviewer Age 16
    sbabesxo
    I rate this title on for age 12 and give it 5.0
    • My highlights are:
    • Positive messages

    This review...

    Helped me decide | Had useful details | Read my mind
    Flag as inappropriate
  2. Teen Reviewer Age 14
    Gioia4u
    I rate this title on for age 13 and give it 5.0
    • My highlights are:
    • Positive messages

    LOVED IT!

    This review...

    Helped me decide | Had useful details | Read my mind
    Flag as inappropriate
  3. Teen Reviewer Age 14
    walkingtalkingli ...
    I rate this title on for age 14 and give it 4.0
    • My highlights are:
    • Positive messages

    Best Rebecca Caudill Nominee!

    A great portrayal of how hard loss is no matter what you lose, whether it be an arm or a loved one. Insight on how some families deal with extreme tragedy.

    This review...

    Helped me decide | Had useful details | Read my mind
    Flag as inappropriate
  4. Teen Reviewer Age 14
    walkingtalkingli ...
    I rate this title on for age 13 and give it 4.0
    • My highlights are:
    • Positive messages

    A truly fantastic novel about a young girl dealing with huge problems. An eye-opener about what it is really like to be a teenage outcast in every sense of the word.

    This review...

    Helped me decide | Had useful details | Read my mind
    Flag as inappropriate
  5. Teen Reviewer Age 14
    waynebehere2yaho ...
    Lives in New York
    I rate this title on for age 13 and give it 5.0

    wayne boke

    This review...

    Helped me decide | Had useful details | Read my mind
    Flag as inappropriate

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