A review by mat_tobin
Fish Girl by David Wiesner, Donna Jo Napoli
5.0
With prolific writer, Napoli, along for the ride, Wiesner turns his hands to the graphic novel format and succeeds in spades. Riffing on the Anderson fairy tale, it is a story of self-discovery and rite of passage that sees a young mermaid seeks to find the truth to her past. In doing so she discovers the adult world in which she is trapped is full of lies and deception for the gain of others; it is for her to take charge and seek her own destiny.
Set within a sea-front aquarium that is a converted, three-storey building (I loved this concept), a man claiming to be Neptune, king of the oceans, calls the general public to his odd and magical setting. There, visitors get to see sharks and starfish as well as submerged bedrooms and schools of fish. This is the world of an unnamed young girl who must show brief glimpses of herself to the captive audience but never reveal her full self and risk of being taken away. When one inquisitive girl stays behind at the end of the show and discovers her, the mermaid's life changes forever.
With a water-tight plot and riffing on male/parental domination and control, Fish Girl is a fascinating insight into retellings of fairytales through the graphic novel format. Wiesner's eye for pace and perspective throughout is excellent and I enjoyed reading it in a single sitting. Would be a fascinating read for Y5+
Set within a sea-front aquarium that is a converted, three-storey building (I loved this concept), a man claiming to be Neptune, king of the oceans, calls the general public to his odd and magical setting. There, visitors get to see sharks and starfish as well as submerged bedrooms and schools of fish. This is the world of an unnamed young girl who must show brief glimpses of herself to the captive audience but never reveal her full self and risk of being taken away. When one inquisitive girl stays behind at the end of the show and discovers her, the mermaid's life changes forever.
With a water-tight plot and riffing on male/parental domination and control, Fish Girl is a fascinating insight into retellings of fairytales through the graphic novel format. Wiesner's eye for pace and perspective throughout is excellent and I enjoyed reading it in a single sitting. Would be a fascinating read for Y5+