Fish Girl is a mermaid living in captivity in a boardwalk aquarium. Her only friends are the other creatures in the aquarium, and the owner, who tells her stories at the end of each work day if she “behaves” – that is, she shows herself only in flashes, enough to excite an audience, but not enough for them to consider that she might be a real mermaid. Humans would hurt her if they knew the truth, she’s told. But one day she meets a young human girl who only wants to be friends. They meet in secret sometimes, and after awhile Fish Girl begins to wonder what it would be like to leave the aquarium.
But one day she meets a young human girl who only wants to be friends. They meet in secret sometimes, and after awhile Fish Girl begins to wonder what it would be like to leave the aquarium.
David Wiesner’s art is as gorgeous as ever – I love the images of rooms underwater, with the fishes swimming through. Considering that my most calming dreams have been when I’m dreaming I’m underwater or at sea, the art really resonated with me.
I love the story, even as I find it a little unsettling – the subject matter sometimes feel a little older than its middle-grade audience, but the way it’s told feels younger than a typical YA graphic novel. I like Donna Jo Napoli as a novelist and appreciate her fairy tale and mythological retellings, but I have to say that the writing here isn’t quite up to the same level. Perhaps because she’s writing for a middle-grade audience? I’m not sure, but it does make me think more about how difficult it is to strike the exact right tone for a good middle-grade book. Either way, it didn’t detract me from the beauty of the art, and the magic of the story – Fish Girl is a graphic novel I’ll be flipping through again and again.
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