2010 Caudill Award Nominee. Really good book about a girl who is an artist who is attacked by a shark. She lives but her right arm is amputated. It is written in journal/free-verse poetry style that is very effective. It is about grieving, living, managing and accepting. The only part I would criticize, of course, is that Physical Therapy gets all the credit! But she explores new careers and is really interested in Occupational Therapy. Good read. ( )

While I felt sorry for Jane for the challenges she had to face after an encounter with a shark, I never emotionally connected with her. The storyline was slow and rather bland although I did enjoy how the book was written in various formats including poems, letters and phone conversations. "Shark Girl" was a quick read but not an inspirational one. ( )

rec in aussie readers

This is my review as it appeared in the November, 2013, issue of School Library Journal. The review is of the audiobook version.

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.

Copyright © 2013 Library Journals, LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. Reprinted with permission. ( )

ACTUAL RATING 2.5 Kelly Bingham's debut novel Shark Girl had so much potential, but I personally felt it was thrown away. The writing and characterization were okay, but my main concern regards the plot.

I truly wanted to like this book, it was great - and truly inspirational - but I didn't. The main reason is because I felt the plot lacked originality. Basically the whole story is a retelling of the life of Bethany Hamilton! Shark Girl practically follows the year in Bethany's life when she lost her arm to a shark - while changing a few minor details (most specifically surfing --> art) to make the story seem more original. Personally - I don't know why! - this really bothered me!
        The pace of Shark Girl seemed slow at some points; particularly during the moments where there was strong emotions involved. However, it generally was fine in terms of pacing - and the writing was fairly solid as well.

[bc:Soul Surfer: A True Story of Faith, Family, and Fighting to Get Back on the Board|542712|Soul Surfer A True Story of Faith, Family, and Fighting to Get Back on the Board|Bethany Hamilton|http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1303566817s/542712.jpg|530037]
(^Bethany's autobiography)

The characterization seemed average. I didn't truly empathize with any of the characters - which was a surprise to me because there were so many opportunities for an emotional connection. The characters seemed stereotyped and not very well developed, which was also another low-light of the story.

All in all, Shark Girl was an overall disappointment - but I'd highly recommend it to fans of Bethany. ( )