The Search for the Giant Arctic Jellyfish by Chloe Savage

Dr Morley is determined that somewhere out in the icy waters, 

they will find the elusive giant Arctic jellyfish.

They see narwhals; icebergs; beluga whales; seals; killer whales; and polar bears. The crew decorate their deck with a huge snow man. But there is no sight of the famed jellyfish.

"They wonder, just maybe, is the giant Arctic jellyfish really just a myth after all?"

Perhaps it is time to turn around and head home?

Meanwhile young readers have spotted something huge under the water - I can hear them calling out to Dr Morley - she is looking the wrong way!

This voyage may be fictional, but the frustrations—and joys—of scientific exploration are real indeed. Whimsical and wonderful. Kirkus Star review

This magical illustrated book sparkles with a seamless blend of scientific endeavour, magical adventure and passion for the wild. Chloe Savage’s enchanting debut is a journey to the end of the Earth that will charge the imaginations of younger readers with an appetite for adventure. Children's Book of the Month, BBC Wildlife

But enchanting as the story is, it’s only half of the feast. The illustrations are really stunning and tell a secondary story as the giant jellyfish trails the searching boat, artfully slipping out of sight at the crucial moment. Younger readers will be thrilled to see how the jellyfish outwits the scientists until it's ready to be found. There are more than a few echoes of the great Michael Foreman in Savage’s drawing style and her use of a wonderful range of blues only serves to underline the influence. I also loved the use of cross-sections of the boat to illustrate the dedication, order and dedication of the crew at work. Letter Press Project

There are elements of Where’s Wally? in the story as the jellyfish is shown hiding and watching the explorers, and children may well enjoy the sense that they know more than the characters. The small figures of the scientists contrast with the scale of the land and seascapes, ...  Some readers may also enjoy researching the history of real polar expeditions and identifying the facts and figures behind the largest jellyfish ever found. I enjoyed the combination of fiction and fact in this sparkling, playful story – highly recommended. Just Imagine

See inside this book here. My favourite pages are the ones showing the cross sections of the ship with all the crew engaged in different activities. I also love this title page:

This book has been short listed for the Yoto Carnegie award (formerly the Kate Greenaway Medal). The search for the Giant Arctic Jellyfish is a debut picture book for Chole Savage so that is a huge honour. This book is available in paperback here in Australia and at a great price.

Here are the judges' comments: The stunning use of blue and white to represent the cold contrasts with the burnt orange of the ship.  Humour and playfulness in the illustrations helps to create tonal variation from the text. Dr Morley is female and is shown to be confident and comfortable with her role, and whilst being shown as authoritative, she is also adventurous and curious. There’s an assured quality to the continuity in the smallest of details with bins filling up, boxes of provisions dwindling and body language becoming more despondent and tempers fraying as the search progresses. Every character is given expression and so has motivation and stories attached to them. The watercolour paintings are great, friendly and fun. It’s a vibrant and lively story. Despite being a non-fiction text, the illustrations provide stories as well as the opportunity to learn about deep water exploration. Readers not only witness Dr Morley’s search but can actively engage in hunting for the jellyfish on each page as we are given glimpses into other-worldly underwater environments in the Arctic.

Awards:

• Carnegie Medal for Illustration SHORTLIST 2024
• Waterstone Children's Book Prize BEST ILLUSTRATED BOOK WINNER 2024 
• The Sunday Times and Financial Times Books of the Year 2022 
• Stanford's Children’s Book of the Month November 2022 
• Starred Reviews from: Kirkus, Shelf Awareness, Publishers Weekly, School Library Journal 
• As Featured Wall Street Journal and BBC Wildlife Magazine
• Klaus Fugge Prize Long List 2023 

This book is fiction (it is a picture book), but I was interested to see that the library I visit each week have placed it in Non-Fiction [593.53] with other books about jellyfish. This actually seems like a good idea because hopefully the young students who browse the shelves and borrow this book will also take home one or two other books about jellyfish - they are such curious creatures.

Jellyfish - here in Australia we have several that cause problems and one that can even kill you! The Box Jellyfish can be found in the tropical waters of Northern Australia and their sting can cause serious symptoms or even death.

Image source: A to Z animals

Paper Dragon - The Fight for the Hidden Realm by Siobhan McDermott

 

"There are twelve skills needed to become a Cyo B'Ahon. Six to protect those you will watch over and six to achieve immortality. Each question you answered on your entrance exam was linked to one of these skills. Having a natural ability for one over the others is not enough. Without the twelve you will never make it as a Cyo B'Ahon."

Students need a natural aptitude in six areas: climate, calligraphy, concealment, flora, fauna and folklore. And they also need to be able to combine the skills essential for ageshifting - perception, prediction, perseverance, recall, reasoning and rapport.

Ageshifting - "This is one part of being a Cyo B'Ahon that we don't tend to broadcast. We're immortal yes, but not because our bodies are frozen in time. Instead we maintain immortality by ageshifting."

Harry Potter fans might have fun making links between this text and their favourite Harry Potter characters and plot twists.

• Harry Potter = Zhi Ging - she has a special magical and powerful gift and she has no idea where this came from. There is also a mystery surrounding the fate of her mother.
• Hogwarts = Hok Woh, the underwater realm of the immortals - a training school run like a boarding school with a cafeteria, classrooms, dorms, eccentric teachers, and range of classmates - some friendly some not. The first-year students are learning to become Silhouettes - many will fail.
• Quidditch = Dragon boat races 
• Draco Malfoy = Iridill - we discover she cheated the entrance exam and at every turn she is utterly despicable towards Zhi Ging. 
• Voldemort = Fui Gwai - and he/she has an army of thralls.

Readers who have strong reading stamina and who enjoy complex stories with lots of characters and dangerous situations might enjoy this book - I suggest age 11+. This first installment does end on a cliff hanger so readers will need to wait for book 2. You will also need reading stamina because this is a long book with a huge cast of characters and to my eye the print size is a little too small, so I found it hard to read for extended periods. The US cover looks more sophisticated and I think better matches the tone of, and audience for, this book. Huge thanks to Three Sparrows for the advance copy of this book which is due for release in February 2024. 

Sadly, I didn't find Paper Dragons: The Fight for the Hidden Realms entirely captured my attention but I found these media reviews:

• 'A soaring, luminous new world ... An absolute delight!' Jessica Townsend
• 'An absolute feast for the senses!' Nizrana Farook
• 'A thrillingly immersive story of courage, self-discovery, and magic' Sinead O'Hart 

The US cover

Publisher blurb: An outsider in her village above the cloud sea, 12-year-old orphan Yeung Zhi Ging’s only hope of escape is to win the single invitation to train as a Silhouette: an apprentice to the immortals. After her ill-fated attempt to impress the Silhouette scout leads to a dragon attack on the jade mountain, Zhi Ging is sure that her chances, and her life, are over. But the scout spots her potential and offers her protection and a second chance. She’s in. In her lessons in Hok Woh, the underwater realm of the immortals, Zhi Ging must face the challenging trials set by her teachers to prove that she’s worthy of being a Silhouette—despite her rivals’ attempts to sabotage her. But as Zhi Ging’s power grows, so do the rumours of the return of the Fui Gwai, an evil spirit that turns people into grey-eyed thralls. When the impossible happens and the Fui Gwai attack the Silhouettes, can Zhi Ging use her newly uncovered talents to save her friends and the world beyond? Or will the grey-eyed spirit consume them all?

About the author: Siobhan McDermott was born in Hong Kong and grew up on a steady stream of stories filled with Chinese legends and Irish folklore from her Chinese mother and Irish father. She now lives in the UK and continues to order dim sum in Cantonese tinged with a distinctly Dublin lilt. She worked in publishing for six years, during which she took part in every event imaginable: from a ‘yoga with your dog’ session in a bookshop to running around Isle of Man in a full unicorn onesie. She is now the PR Lead at BBC Maestro. Paper Dragons is her debut novel and was inspired by moments across her life: from childhood ferry trips between Lantau Island and Hong Kong, to traveling around Taiwan, Italy and Spain.

The publisher suggests Paper Dragon will be enjoyed by fans of Amari and the Night Brothers, Dragon Mountain, Skandar and Eragon.

I didn't finish reading The Lost Ryu by Emi Watanabe Cohen but this could be another book to look for if you enjoy Paper Dragon: The fight for the Hidden realm

Kirkus review