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Fish Girl

David Wiesner (Illustrations),

Donna Jo Napoli (Goodreads Author)

3.70 · Rating details · 1,929 ratings · 432 reviews

Who is Fish Girl?
What is Fish Girl?

She lives in a tank in a boardwalk aquarium. She is the main attraction, though visitors never get more than a glimpse of her.

She has a tail. She can't walk. She can't speak.

But she can make friends with Livia, an ordinary girl, and yearn for a life that includes yoga and pizza. She can grow stronger and braver. With determination, a ...more

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Hardcover, 186 pages

Published March 7th 2017 by Clarion Books

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2018 Mock Caldecott

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Average rating 3.70 ·

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· 1,929 ratings · 432 reviews

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Nov 14, 2017 Lola rated it liked it

Shelves: middle-grade, abuse, graphic-novel, fantasy, mermaids, friendship

*This is my 1000th Goodreads review! Whoohoo!*

There is a mermaid imprisoned inside a house by a self-proclaimed Zeus. Every day, she plays with the visitors who come in the hope of getting a glimpse of her.

The mermaid does not realize something is wrong with the way she is living her childhood—does she even have one?—until a girl her age opens her eyes to her own situation.

This is a beautiful story. The narration is in short supply and simple… Not exactly poetic, though it is fitting for a ...more

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Sep 28, 2018 Calista rated it liked it

Shelves: i-misc, women, bage-middle-grade, 2017, comics-graphic-novel, genre-drama-tragedy, myth-folktale-fable, want-to-own, genre-coming-of-age, genre-fantasy

I’m not sure how I really feel about this book. I think I need to throw up a spoiler warning to speak about it so:

SPOILER Ahead

It’s an interesting tale. I believe this is David’s first graphic novel and he certainly pulled it off well.

We have the example of the little mermaid who was a mermaid that wants to be a human. There is precedent. The funny thing is that most children seem to want to be mermaids or something else. This Fish Girl is a mermaid and she doesn’t seem to desire to be human, I’m not sure how I really feel about this book. I think I need to throw up a spoiler warning to speak about it so:

SPOILER Ahead

It’s an interesting tale. I believe this is David’s first graphic novel and he certainly pulled it off well.

We have the example of the little mermaid who was a mermaid that wants to be a human. There is precedent. The funny thing is that most children seem to want to be mermaids or something else. This Fish Girl is a mermaid and she doesn’t seem to desire to be human, she simply desires to be free. In the end, she is completely human and she can’t go back. Maybe this is saying as we step into ourselves and stand up, we have to give something up. There are sacrifices needed to take our shackles off. I feel like he is speaking of growing up and getting out of our parents house and into our lives.

Fish Girl lives in an aquarium with some man calling himself Neptune. He has the girl convinced he is THE Neptune. She does find out he uses machines to do the things she thought we his power of the seas. The man is simply trying to pay bills and he is providing for the Fish Girl while also limiting her experience of life.

The girl gets out of the tank at night. She becomes more bold and eventually she finds out she has legs. When she gets back in the water, her tail comes back. At least until the end, when she gets her legs for the last time. She tries to go back in the water and her tail doesn’t come back. She can not ever go back to her home in the ocean. She has a best friend of an Octopus who seems to be able to change sizes and I wonder if he is the real Neptune??? The octopus must go back to the ocean and the girl finds a human family. We assume she is not going to be put in the foster home system, because that would be cruel after what she did.

The artwork is lovely in the giant building of an aquarium. The building must have been reinforced somehow to how that much weight. There was wonder in the story and the story has something to say. I go back and forth between 3 and 4 stars. After discussing it, I still don’t know how I feel. I thought the setting and characters were good and a great seed of an idea for the story. I thought it was a good story, but I don’t have a fully positive feeling after the story either and maybe that’s ok. Not all stories are to lift us up. This story left me feeling sad and unsatisfied over the story I think. THat is why I’m at 3 stars. I somehow feel unsatisfied.

I love David Wiesner as a storyteller. I guess this has to do with where I’m at this moment. The story does ask questions and provokes thought, so it does its job. It’s a story on in the middle on.
...more

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Jun 14, 2018 David Schaafsma rated it it was ok

Shelves: gn-children

Fish Girl joins the talents of popular novelist Donna Jo Napoli and popular children’s picture book maker David Weisner. Neither had done graphic novels before, but clearly Napoli is as established a storyteller as Weisner is an illustrator. I think it’s okay on a kind of basic level, with a pretty bland theme of empowerment for the Fish Girl, who finally gets to stand (literally) on her own. But I have to say it has some creepy elements to it, and maybe it has a good point to make for middle Fish Girl joins the talents of popular novelist Donna Jo Napoli and popular children’s picture book maker David Weisner. Neither had done graphic novels before, but clearly Napoli is as established a storyteller as Weisner is an illustrator. I think it’s okay on a kind of basic level, with a pretty bland theme of empowerment for the Fish Girl, who finally gets to stand (literally) on her own. But I have to say it has some creepy elements to it, and maybe it has a good point to make for middle grade girls in this respect. Maybe, too, I should say spoiler alert here since I can’t discuss the story much at all and say anything of significance about it without revealing the plot. So readon at your own risk!

Fish Girl is a mermaid who works (and this is the point, that she works for a living, as child/mermaid labor, with all the other creatures there) for Neptune at his seaside aquarium-for-profit. They’re not rich, but the Fish Girl is for some reason asked not to show herself very clearly to visitors; they look in the aquarium and sometimes think they spot her. I was never sure what the point of this hiding-the-main-feature-of-the-exhibit really is, actually.

Anyway, Fish Girl grows up, trusting Neptune, loving him as he also loves his “treasure” (her; and this is really true, financially, because he makes no money without her cooperation). He’s not her father, but a strong and somewhat overbearing father figure to her. At one point Neptune tells Fish Girl of her origins, as a reward for her working hard one day; when she doesn’t work hard she is ignored by him; he gets very angry when she does not do what he wants, when she violates his rules. Think of King Triton with his trident angrily keeping Ariel from the human world; Neptune’s trident operates as the same symbol here to separate Fish Girl from the human world.

Fish Girl has an octopus for a best friend, and she loves her home, under water in the tank. But one day a girl named Livia sees her and over time befriends her, in secret, until they are angrily discovered by Neptune. But the clandestine friendship continues. And, as with The Little Mermaid, this mermaid Fish Girl suddenly becomes interested in all things human and gradually ventures more and more into the human world; in the evenings she literally goes out, because she finds she can wear human clothes, and . . . uh, she discovers she has legs. There’a big ol’ world out there, she sees, and she wants her piece of it. Cue Mary Tyler Moore music here. "She's gonna make it after all . . ."

So Fish Girl finds that Neptune is not Neptune, but just a guy who has made her and kid visitors of the exhibit think he has mythological powers. "Neptune" has in fact abducted this young girl, binding her legs, and has imprisoned her. She is not a mermaid; she was lied to! The origin story he has told her is a lie! He is using her to make money. Are there echoes here of Pinocchio? Pygmalion? Maybe. Or maybe this is Brothers Grimm mean adult territory.

So if we see this story as a kind of parable for growing up, well, maybe it is okay--girls need to break from their fathers, make their own way, make their own friends; this can be seen as a coming of age story, of empowerment and connecting with friends instead of lovers (as with Ariel). And it's feminist, in the #metoo moment; girls need to break free from domineering men who use them for their own purposes. And it's not a romance, to get free from Dad to marry out of species, as with Little Mermaid, so that's different. And when the aquarium is finally destroyed, by a sudden convenient storm (?!) all the fish and sea animals also become free to live in their natural habitat, so free-to-be-you-and-me is the useful point, I guess; this dude is imprisoning sea creatures for his own profit!

We live in a time of true crime abductions and abuse of young girls by domineering men and this bears real resemblance for me to those stories. So I am glad she is free to live with her friend in the end, or I think that is what we are meant to think will happen, but. . . it feels pretty creepy for a middle grades book. There's no hint of sexual assault here, just to be clear, but the abduction, the lying, the imprisonment: It's got the creep factor here.

But another thing, how can she suddenly can talk in the end? If we see this as a coming of age myth, and this is allegory, well, okay, she "finds her voice," but how does it suddenly happen? Why couldn't she literally speak any time before this? We do see her trying, too. I guess the point is Fish Girl breaking free from her abductor, which frees her to speak and be the person she wants to be, be herself. So I have a few questions, and concerns. I liked the art a lot, of course, very much. But maybe the thing I seem to be objecting to in this book is the very point of it? ...more

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Dec 15, 2016 Rebecca Shelton rated it liked it

Shelves: graphic-novels, juv-fiction, arc-copy

Review of an ARC.

I'm not sure how appropriate this subject matter is for middle grade readers. Just because the author sugarcoats it into a nice mermaid story doesn't hide the fact that this is about abduction and abuse. On the other hand, it may be a good thing. To show how strong and resilient the human (haha) spirit is. I don't know though, I was pretty angry most of the way through.

Update 12-16-16:
I've had a day to think about this book and my reaction to it. It's not often that a book ...more

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May 31, 2017 Charles Lint rated it really liked it

I would have given this five stars but the prose just doesn't sing the way the art does. It's a touch too simplistic. But oh the art is gorgeous. And the narrative hits all the right notes.

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Mar 14, 2017 Kazia rated it liked it

Shelves: gn-comics

I'm a huge fan of Napoli, but this did nothing for me and it didn't feel anything like the rest of her fairy tale work, which is what I was anticipating. Weisner's art felt completely flat and emotionless to me. What a disappointment.

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Mar 24, 2017 Sesana rated it liked it

Shelves: comics, fantasy

The art is gorgeous, and I love the idea of a mermaid with an octopus for a best friend. But the story just fell flat for me.

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Apr 10, 2017 Erin Cataldi rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 2017

As a child I was obsessed with David Wiesner's gorgeously illustrated children's novels (Jumanji, The Polar Express, Zathura, etc.) and as a teenager I was completely taken with Donna Jo Napoli's young adult books, especially since the majority of them were fairy tell retellings. I re-read Sirena (a book about a mermaid coincidentally) soo many times in middle school. When I saw that these two literary power houses had teamed up to write a graphic novel I knew I HAD TO READ IT! Fish Girl is by n ...more

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Mar 26, 2019 Jerry rated it really liked it

From a young age, I've been fascinated by mermaids. Even though one of my earliest nightmares was about Ursula, I still found those fish people enthralling...and I still do. I even willingly watched the entire series of H2O: Just Add Water; all it took was a television grid listing to make me want to check it out.

So, as you'd expect, something like this is right up my alley. Did I enjoy it? Yes; it felt like a Disney Channel Original Movie. The artwork was great, and the story was touching.

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May 19, 2017 Agnė rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: sequential-art, middle-grade, fiction, children, fantasy

I LOVE David Wiesner's picturebooks and Donna Jo Napoli's fairy tale retellings, but this graphic novel is nothing like their previous works (unfortunately).

Wiesner's artwork in Fish Girl is mostly flat and rather boring:

...with the exception of a few spreads, which hint at the illustrator's full potential:

Although the theme of abduction and Stockholm syndrome did capture my attention, the story in Fish Girl is rather simplistic and seems rushed, the dialogue (and monologues) feels unnatural, ...more

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Jan 08, 2017 MaryLibrarianOH rated it it was ok

Shelves: 2017-pub, z2017-read, kids-graphic-novel

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Jun 04, 2018 Jason rated it it was amazing

Shelves: all-ages, girls-are-awesome, comics-and-graphic-novels, ocean, coming-of-age

It's about TIME Wiesner did a proper graphic novel, since he's been making them as picture books for the past twenty-odd years. I loved this so much--the singular location kept the story simple and allowed the creators more time and space to develop the characters, Mira in particular--she really is the whole story. And she is enough for the whole story, too. Her growth from naivete to empowerment is exciting to witness, and should provide inspiration to many young boys and girls who are ...more

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May 08, 2017 Colona Public Library rated it it was amazing

Shelves: graphic-novel-young-adult, graphic-novel-junior, ashley

I've been thinking about this book even after I finished reading it. This is a story about a mermaid who is the secret main attraction in a aquarium, Her mystery is what keeps the costumers coming back to try and find her. Her closest friend and guardian is an octopus, until a girl spots her and says she is beautiful and makes friends with her quickly. The mermaids friend starts to question why she is treated the way she is and wonders how Neptune does his act. The mermaid has only ever know ...more

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Apr 15, 2017 Nancy Kotkin rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2017-reads, stars-4, fav-graphic, graphic-novels-children, fantasy-children, 2017-graphic, mock-caldecott-2018, pub-hmh-clarion

Story: 4 stars
Art: 5 stars

Fish Girl is a middle grade graphic novel about a mermaid who is held captive in a boardwalk sideshow by the owner, a former fisherman who impersonates Neptune the King of the Seas to entertain paying audiences. But Fish Girl is the main attraction of the aquarium, and she believes her captor really is Neptune the God. At least at first.

But Fish Girl is clever and observant in her search for truth, freedom, and humanity. She has help along the way by an octopus, who has ...more

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Mar 08, 2017 Sarah rated it it was amazing

Shelves: childrens, 2017, ya, graphic-novels

Oh I loved this! I adore David Wiesner's illustrations, and have just come off of reading aloud many of his books, including my favorites-Flotsam and Sector 7- to a few classes. His incredible sea creatures and octopi take center stage here, along with a mermaid. And speaking of mermaids-Donna Jo Napoli is also an author I like.
I was charmed by this imaginative story and I loved the pictures. Wiesner and Napoli were an inspired pairing and perfect for this book. I'm looking forward to sharing it ...more

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Mar 04, 2017 Alia rated it it was ok

Pretty big let down for me. The writing and dialogue felt unnatural & the story wasn't super interesting/slightly disturbing. I went in with high hopes (Donna Jo Napoli!!) and came out just meh. It's just okay.

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Nov 09, 2016 Dylan Teut rated it it was amazing

A must read. A grand slam graphic novel.

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Feb 20, 2017 Sam rated it really liked it

Shelves: arc-reviews, books-i-own

Huge thank you to Raincoast for this ARC!

I'm going to be completely honest: I wasn't sure I was going to like Fish Girl. In fact, when I received it in the mail I did that dreaded thing you sometimes shouldn't do: judge a book by it's cover. I wasn't sure I was going to like the artwork, and the story sounded merely all right. I was colourfully surprised by how much I enjoyed Fish Girl

However, I say this with an air of caution: Fish Girl is a misleading book. While it's aimed at middle grade Huge thank you to Raincoast for this ARC!

I'm going to be completely honest: I wasn't sure I was going to like Fish Girl. In fact, when I received it in the mail I did that dreaded thing you sometimes shouldn't do: judge a book by it's cover. I wasn't sure I was going to like the artwork, and the story sounded merely all right. I was colourfully surprised by how much I enjoyed Fish Girl

However, I say this with an air of caution: Fish Girl is a misleading book. While it's aimed at middle grade audiences, it does shed light on themes of abuse and abduction in a way that is creepy, and seeing it from that point of view can make it a tough read. On the other side of it, this book reads like a fairy tale as well, sharing both consequences and the potential for a positive outcome. It's a rough read all around, and I think it definitely offers some interesting discussions that can be had with younger readers on these topics.

I actually do think Mira, our Fish Girl, is a wonderful character. She longs to not be an aquarium attraction and wishes to be like the people on the land who come to see her. She wants legs, and adventures, and yet she's trapped in a fish bowl by a man who wants nothing more than to gain profit from her existence. It's a solid story, and it shows that people can take destiny into their own hands. Or in this case, also escape abuse. I like the message that this book presents, and I think the ending does a great job of highlighting ways in which people need to stir a course towards what they truly want from life.

I admit, at times I did have a heart time with the artwork, but it did grow on me as I read on. There's a lot of very realistic looking artwork, the use of pastel colours is really pretty, and there are moments where the artwork is breathe-taking. There are also moments where it doesn't fit either, which I found somewhat disappointing. That being said, once I got over my initial feelings, I found myself really digging the art style and coming to the consensus that it actually does a great job fitting the story that is being told.

Fish Girl is definitely not for your average middle grader, and that is okay. I think it teaches a lot to the reader, and it doesn't feel heavy handed in its approach either. I will say I don't think the art style will be for everyone, but I do believe there is a very special story being told in this book. ...more

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Nov 21, 2017 La Coccinelle rated it really liked it

Shelves: graphic-novel, middle-grade

This is a nicely illustrated graphic novel with a sort of fairy tale flair. At first glance, one might think that The Little Mermaid would be the obvious tie-in. But I actually saw more similarities with Disney's Tangled, a "Rapunzel" story. Poor Fish Girl (she doesn't even have a proper name at the beginning of the story) has a bad case of Stockholm Syndrome. She's kept in a fanciful aquarium on a boardwalk in an old house that's been converted to display all sorts of marine life. Neptune is ...more

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Apr 21, 2017 Ekaterina rated it liked it

Shelves: fantasy, children-books

I really liked this! It was almost like "A Little Mermaid", but more realistic and happier than the original fairy tale. I couldn't guess what would happen next in the book, so I liked that part of the story. I don't really read graphic novels, except I did this time for a book challenge. I think I will try to read more graphic novels in the future because reading this was a really enjoyable experience.

The only reason why this rating is a 3 star is because it just doesn't compare to some other ...more

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Jun 05, 2018 Marianne rated it really liked it

A book about what it is to be free.

It was exceptionally well-timed in my life, also. I found it deeply comforting on an allegorical level. (warning to sis, might be triggering for related reasons).

And the art is beautiful and sensitive.

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Feb 22, 2017 Abby Johnson rated it liked it

Shelves: 4th_grade, 3rd_grade, 5th_grade, 6th_grade, graphic_novel, fantasy

I love the visuals of a house converted into an aquarium. This is a palatable mermaid story that will please legions of young mermaid fans and works for a wide range of ages. If the story's a little slight, that's okay; kids will still check this one out.

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Nov 04, 2017 Dolly rated it really liked it

Recommends it for: people who enjoy reading graphic novels

Shelves: childrens, middle-grade, 2017, read-but-not-finished-reviewing, scifi-fantasy, ocean-seashore, graphic-novels-comics

This is an entertaining and dramatic tale of a young mermaid on display at a seaside attraction.

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Apr 03, 2017 Edward Sullivan rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: graphic-comic-narrative, middle-school

Great illustrations, of course, and an absorbing story.

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Sep 10, 2018 Nadine rated it liked it

Shelves: graphic-novels, fantasy, panda-books

"Mermaid" discovers who she really is and how she's been exploited all her life.

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Mar 03, 2017 Allison Davis rated it liked it

Shelves: children-s-lit-2017

Fish girl is a fantasy story about a mermaid called Fish Girl, (Mira), who is trapped inside of an aquarium and her only friend is an octopus. Soon she meets a human named Livia who inspires Mira to seek for her own independence outside of her boardwalk aquarium. As the two grow a friendship, Mira seeks for her own freedom with many challenges along the way. This book is aimed towards intermediate grade levels, while the book could still be read by slower readers, some words are more advanced, Fish girl is a fantasy story about a mermaid called Fish Girl, (Mira), who is trapped inside of an aquarium and her only friend is an octopus. Soon she meets a human named Livia who inspires Mira to seek for her own independence outside of her boardwalk aquarium. As the two grow a friendship, Mira seeks for her own freedom with many challenges along the way. This book is aimed towards intermediate grade levels, while the book could still be read by slower readers, some words are more advanced, such as “spectacle” and “fortunate” that may be more difficult for a slower reader to comprehend.

Text-to-Self: At the beginning of this story, Mira is comfortable within her aquarium tank, however over time she begins to realize that it is not as nice as she once believed it was. I think this is relevant to moments in my own life where I was comfortable or content in a particular friendship, job, or setting and later recognized that it was not as good as I believed or expected it to be. For example, I know there were times as I was maturing, (I still am), where I thought I had a great friend to seek advice from, however I later learned that maybe that person was not such a great friend, and instead I realized I had better friends who cared about me.

Text-to-Text: Fish Girl reminds me of The Little Mermaid as they are both similarly mermaids who are longing for some aspect of freedom. Fish Girl, (Mira), would wants freedom outside of her boardwalk aquarium and the chance to be independent, while Ariel from The Little Mermaid would like her independence as a human and not a mermaid. These books are very similar as they both display the same storyline message to the reader of independence and maturity.

Text-to-World: Just like this book has related to my own personal experiences, I know Mira’s character connects to others as well. During adolescence we begin to grow and adapt our view and try new things. Often times we are peer pressured by friends to try and do things others are doing, whether we like the idea or may be hesitant to it. Mira is a bright, young girl who faces several challenges while she is growing up, until she meets Livia who becomes her friend and pushes her to become independent out of a place that she has known her entire life. I believe that this book informs readers in an encouraging way to re-assess ones surroundings, to try new things even when it may be uncomfortable and to seek for independence.
...more

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Feb 18, 2017 Laura Harrison rated it liked it

No doubt this graphic novel by a great author and a Caldecott award winning illustrator will get a lot of praise. I wasn't so thrilled with it. Be warned it is definitely not a feel good story. A mermaid and her fish friends are kept in a tank at an amusement park. The mermaid can only show bits of herself to the audience. "Neptune" as he calls himself runs the exhibit. He is pretty darn creepy. Fish Girl kind of thinks of him as a father/God figure. But he is abusive and won't tell her stories No doubt this graphic novel by a great author and a Caldecott award winning illustrator will get a lot of praise. I wasn't so thrilled with it. Be warned it is definitely not a feel good story. A mermaid and her fish friends are kept in a tank at an amusement park. The mermaid can only show bits of herself to the audience. "Neptune" as he calls himself runs the exhibit. He is pretty darn creepy. Fish Girl kind of thinks of him as a father/God figure. But he is abusive and won't tell her stories at night if she doesn't do her job well during the day and earn enough change for him. A child about Fish Girl's age see's all of Fish Girl one day. They become friends which Neptune doesn't allow. Fish Girl gets out of her tank and discovers via a photo album that Neptune was a fisherman who abducted/stole/found (unclear) the mermaid as a baby and her friend Octopus and other creatures. She had believed Neptune was the person hugging her as a baby but it was the Octopus all wrapped around her lovingly. There is a side story where Fish Girl (who gets legs when she is out of water long enough) wanders through the amusement park and a guy wants to take off with her in his car. Ugh. There is also a pizza guy who wants to call the authorities to either help her or get her arrested. Not sure there. Fish Girl is pretty miserable throughout the whole story. Eventually there is a fierce storm that pummels the building the tank is in. Fish Girl tells her octopus pal to destroy the rest of the building. I don't know how an octopus could do that. All the creatures go back into the ocean. However, Fish Girl can't turn back into a mermaid. She doesn't think the ocean wants her and she would prefer being a human. She sees her friend on the beach who believes Fish Girl has died. They all walk off together with the girl's mom. That's it. I would have liked it better if Fish Girl went into the ocean and found her mermaid family. The human world didn't do Fish Girl many favors. Wiesner clearly did a lot of research for this book. It does stay with you. Not really in a happy way :( ...more

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Oct 30, 2016 Milliebot rated it liked it

This review and others posted over at my blog.

This is a light, middle-grade graphic novel focusing on Mira’s journey for the truth and independence. I love Donna Jo Napoli’s work (Zel anyone!? That’s one of my favorite middle-grade novels) and mermaids, so I was excited to receive a copy of Fish Girl.

Art style is a big factor for me when it comes to graphic novels (part of the reason why I don’t purchase too many of them) and unfortunately, Wiesner’s style wasn’t for me (in Fish Girl anyway. I ...more

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Apr 22, 2018 Kristine Hansen rated it it was amazing

Shelves: young-adult, graphic-novels

I opened this book and immediately felt a sense of wonder that I haven't felt in a long time regarding a book. I hope that you feel that too as you look at the first pages and discover what this story is all about.

Here author and artist have created a world where a house (what a clever amazing idea) as an aquarium, with one particular resident who is very shy and unsure. What I love is how Fish Girl finds herself in the course of the book, becoming more confident, more herself. This is a coming ...more

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Mar 10, 2017 Ms. Yingling rated it liked it

Public Library Copy

Fish Girl lives in a beach side attraction run by "King Neptune" who has a show that includes him causing the waves to roil, but also has kitschy t shirts. Fish Girl is part of the show, but she must only offer glimpses of herself to keep the public intrigued. When a girl visits the aquarium and strikes up a conversation with Fish Girl, she starts to wonder about life outside her tank, and she starts to investigate the museum. eventually wandering out of it when she realizes ...more

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About David Wiesner

David Wiesner

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During David Wiesner's formative years, the last images he saw before closing his eyes at night were the books, rockets, elephant heads, clocks, and magnifying glasses that decorated the wallpaper of his room. Perhaps it was this decor which awakened his creativity and gave it the dreamlike, imaginative quality so often found in his work.

As a child growing up in suburban New Jersey, Wiesner During David Wiesner's formative years, the last images he saw before closing his eyes at night were the books, rockets, elephant heads, clocks, and magnifying glasses that decorated the wallpaper of his room. Perhaps it was this decor which awakened his creativity and gave it the dreamlike, imaginative quality so often found in his work.

As a child growing up in suburban New Jersey, Wiesner re-created his world daily in his imagination. His home and his neighborhood became anything from a faraway planet to a prehistoric jungle. When the everyday play stopped, he would follow his imaginary playmates into the pages of books, wandering among dinosaurs in the World Book Encyclopedia. The images before him generated a love of detail, an admiration for the creative process, and a curiosity about the hand behind the drawings.

In time, the young Wiesner began exploring the history of art, delving into the Renaissance at first — Michelangelo, Dürer, and da Vinci — then moving on to such surrealists as Magritte, de Chirico, and Dalí. As he got older, he would sit, inspired by these masters, at the oak drafting table his father had found for him and would construct new worlds on paper and create wordless comic books, such as Slop the Wonder Pig, and silent movies, like his kung fu vampire film The Saga of Butchula.

Wiesner has always been intrigued by and curious about what comes before and after the captured image. His books somehow convey the sequence of thoughts leading up to and following each picture, and that quality explain why they are frequently described as cinematic.

At the Rhode Island School of Design, Wiesner was able to commit himself to the full-time study of art and to explore further his passion for wordless storytelling. There he met two people who would figure prominently in his life: Tom Sgouros, to whom Tuesday is dedicated, and David Macaulay, to whom The Three Pigs is dedicated. These two men not only taught Wiesner the fundamentals of drawing and painting but also fostered his imaginative spirit and helped him comprehend the world around him. Sgouros's and Macaulay's artistic influences were vital to Wiesner's development into the acclaimed picture-book author he is today.

David Wiesner has illustrated more than twenty award-winning books for young readers. Two of the picture books he both wrote and illustrated became instant classics when they won the prestigious Caldecott Medal: Tuesday in 1992 and The Three Pigs in 2002. Two of his other titles, Sector 7 and Free Fall, are Caldecott Honor Books. An exhibit of Wiesner's original artwork, "Seeing the Story," toured the United States in 2000 and 2001. Among his many honors, Wiesner holds the Japan Picture Book Award for Tuesday, the Prix Sorcières (the French equivalent of the Caldecott Medal) for The Three Pigs, and a 2004 IBBY Honour Book nomination for illustration, also for The Three Pigs. Flotsam, his most recent work, was a New York Times bestseller and was recently named winner of the 2007 Caldecott Medal, making Wiesner only the second person in the award’s long history to have won three times.

Wiesner lives with his wife and their son and daughter in the Philadelphia area, where he continues to create dreamlike and inventive images for books. ...more