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Summary
Summary
"This engaging read will entice enthusiastic and reluctant readers; the drama of the shark attack will hook them, and Jane's inner journey will hold them till the end." -- School Library Journal (starred review)
On a sunny day in June, at the beach with her mom and brother, fifteen-year-old Jane Arrowood went for a swim. And then everything -- absolutely everything -- changed. Now she's counting down the days until she returns to school with her fake arm, where she knows kids will whisper, "That's her -- that's Shark Girl," as she passes. In the meantime there are only questions: Why did this happen? Why her? What about her art? What about her life? In this striking first novel, Kelly Bingham uses poems, letters, telephone conversations, and newspaper clippings to look unflinchingly at what it's like to lose part of yourself -- and to summon the courage it takes to find yourself again.
Author Notes
Kelly Bingham is a children's author and illustrator. Her early professional life began with a degree in animation from Cal Arts. She went on to work at Walt Disney Feature Animation for several years. She worked on films including Atlantis, Hercules, The Emperorer's New Groove and Tarzan. She then proceeded to earn a MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults from Vermont College. After that she left animation and decided to write full time.
Her title Circle, Square, Moose made The New Zealand Best Seller List in 2015.
(Bowker Author Biography)
Reviews (5)
School Library Journal Review
Gr 6-10-In her hometown of Santa Clarita, California, 15-year-old Jane Arrowood's life changes in just a few moments when a shark attacks her. Near death, she's rescued by her older brother and spends months in the hospital-first in a coma and then undergoing painful operations and therapy to deal with the amputation of her drawing arm. Peppered with letters, text messages, and newspaper clippings, this first person account offers themes of fate and rebirth as Jane, a talented artist, strives toward recovery and self discovery. The callous nature of social media is a subtext, as the shark attack was filmed by a beachgoer and went viral on the Internet and in newscasts. A young amputee helps Jane as she battles doubts and depression. Listeners will not likely recognize that this is a novel in verse because Kate Reinders's reading does not reflect the poetic structure of the text; instead, it comes across as a stream of consciousness. Reinders's vocal dynamics guide listeners easily in the frequent transition between spoken word and thought. Though it has obvious similarities to Bethany Hamilton's nonfiction memoir, Soul Surfer (Paw Prints, 2008), Bringham's novel (Candlewick, 2007) is bursting with raw emotion and is a powerful story in its own right. Short and affecting, this would be a great choice for a book discussion group.-Lisa Taylor, Ocean County Library, NJ (c) Copyright 2013. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
Written in a series of poems, letters and journal entries, Bingham's debut novel strikes a delicate balance between shock story and emotive rant, and delivers a provocative portrait of one girl's journey following a near-fatal accident. Before the attack, 15-year-old Jane's life was filled with the trappings of any normal teenage girl: trips to the mall with her girlfriends, art projects, crushes on boys at school. But when she loses her arm to a shark over the summer, Jane's life (and perspective) changes forever. She can't draw like she used to, open cans or crack eggs for dinner, or button her own pants. Everyone at school whispers about her (the pity stare is debilitating), and she has reached the breaking point when it comes to condolence letters from strangers and interview requests from reporters. Jane must find a way to move beyond her wounds-both physical and psychological. Powerful without being maudlin or preachy, the book explores hurdles that are bound to follow a physical disfigurement, and readers will come to empathize with and respect Jane for her strength and brutal honesty. They'll also appreciate the slight (but realistic) lift at the story's conclusion. Ages 12-up. (May) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Horn Book Review
(Middle School, High School) Conversations, letters, and prose poems tell the story of fifteen-year-old Jane's recovery from a shark attack and her adjustment to life as an amputee. Two newspaper articles provide the basic facts of the accident, but the remaining entries are an intimate and heartfelt narration of Jane's personal journey. On awakening from a coma, Jane struggles with pain from her missing arm and grief for her former self, especially her abilities as an artist. She is overwhelmed by flowers and gifts from strangers; a callous bystander's video of the gruesome tragedy is continually televised. We read the letters from sympathizers and fellow amputees and feel the sting of pity and high expectations that Jane feels. ""Everyone wants me to be brave, / to impress them with dazzling fortitude,"" Jane says. ""Some days, I hate everyone I see. / Even babies. / How's that for inspirational?"" Once home, she is repeatedly frustrated with relearning simple tasks; much worse is the dizzying fear of embarrassment, of the stares she gets in school, at the supermarket, everywhere. Her eventual progress and growing comfort with herself is realistically portrayed. Nicely drawn relationships with family and friends round out the involving, affecting story. Copryight 2007 of The Horn Book, Inc. All rights reserved. (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
This debut novel, written primarily in poetry form reminiscent of Sonya Sones's Stop Pretending (1999), follows a 15-year-old girl after she loses her right arm to a shark. Jane was a promising artist, and contends with the loss of her drawing ability along with the emotional shock and fear of returning to school. As she struggles to cope with her new disability, along with her depression and anger, she also clashes with family, friends and the irritating kindness of strangers who write to her. The poetry format often appeals to young readers and works to reflect Jane's anger and despair, as well as her climb back to a normal, even joyful life. Jane's roiling emotions come across more strongly and clearly within the spare but free-flowing poetry than might have been possible with a straight prose treatment. A promising start for Bingham. (Fiction. YA) Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
Jane Arrowood wonders if she will forever be known as the Shark Girl, who survived a shark attack on a golden California June day. A popular 15-year-old with true artistic talent and a strong circle of friends, Jane suddenly feels extraordinarily different with a prosthesis where her arm should be, and, worse, pain and itching where it used to be. Why shouldn't she feel sorry for herself? Sometimes she almost wishes that she hadn't survived. Why shouldn't she feel different? In carefully constructed, sparsely crafted free verse, Bingham's debut novel offers a strong view of a teenager struggling to survive and learn to live again. Her metaphors are authentic, visual, and lovely, and she uses spacing between words to telegraph the pauses in awkward conversations when family and friends try but fail to address the real conversation--her missing arm. It's a familiar story line written in a fresh voice, one that will be justifiably popular. --Frances Bradburn Copyright 2007 Booklist