"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. Starred Review. Grade 6–10—Jane, 15, is smart, good-looking, and the best artist in her school. After a shark attack at a local beach results in the amputation of her right arm, nothing is the same. Bingham's free-verse novel neatly accommodates the teen's loss; her dreams, anger, and frustration are explored as she rebelliously tries to adjust to her new circumstances. The main narrative is interspersed with news clippings, internal dialogue, and letters of support from other amputees, and even though Jane resists being part of that community, there are connections. Her voice is authentic and believable as both a teenager and victim. 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.— Janet S. Thompson, Chicago Public Library Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. 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 © American Library Association. All rights reserved A provocative portrait…powerful without being maudlin or preachy. —Publishers Weekly (starred review) 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) In Kelly Bingham's striking first novel, she takes an unflinchingly look at what it's like to lose part of yourself - and to summon the courage it takes to find yourself again. It is, at once, honest and insightful, wrenching and redemptive. Kelly Bingham  was a story artist and director for Walt Disney Feature Animation before obtaining her MFA in writing for children and young adults from Vermont College. This is her first novel. Kelly Bingham lives in Ellijay, Georgia. GHOST Sometimes I can still feel my right hand, like a best friend; weighted, warm. Sometimes Mom looks for a tissue or the book lying among my covers and I reach for it, then I remember I cannot reach with that hand ever again. Sometimes a prickle crawls across my cheek, and that right hand tries to rise from the grave, moved to scratch. The fingers, palm, wrist, and arm that I remember don't know enough to know peace. _______