The Girl With Gills – at a glance
The School Reading Lists’ five word review: Secrets, revenge, treasure, family ties.
Children’s book title: The Girl With Gills.
Children’s author: Becca Rogers.
Genre: Children’s fiction.
Published by: Zephyr.
ISBN: 9781035912377.
Recommended for children aged: 9+ year-olds.
First published: Paperback July 2025.
This children’s book is ideal for: looking at how world-building is achieved in children’s fiction, and how the introduction of tension and jeopardy means that middle grade stories are often more detailed and character-led than those written for younger readers.
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Our review:
Effra – Effie to her friends – is a Larker, which means she lives by the water and, as she has gills, scavenges for the treasures the river has taken and then, decades later, given back. Alongside her younger brother, Fleet, she lives aboard her grandfather’s houseboat. But her Boppa died six months ago, and life has become really hard. However, she has recently struck up a friendship with a lubber – someone with no gills – which has brightened her life a little.
A Larker who was landlocked and had their gills removed for an unspeakable crime thirty years ago has just been released, with vengeance the only thing on his mind. To Effra, the danger seems inconsequential – until her brother is seized by a dangerous foe and she is sent on a quest to free him. With danger at every turn, Effra encounters both difficult tasks and strong allies. But can she complete her quest before time runs out and she loses both her brother and her way of life to a foe determined to win at all costs?
Our verdict:
This original and exciting novel features a likeable main protagonist who will hold the reader’s attention throughout. The world-building here is so seamless it’s almost unnoticeable – rich with mental imagery. The reader’s imagination will allow them to slot easily into the narrative and add their own details to broaden the horizons of this story. As the action builds towards the end, there are moments of both enlightenment and satisfaction. This appears to be a standalone novel, with nothing left unresolved or unexplained once the story concludes.
Teaching points and book club discussion ideas:
- This is the author’s first published novel. How exciting would it be to have your first book available online and in bookshops?
- Effra is befriended by Bow, a lubber who assists her – and her pet rat, Clay – on their quest. Would Effra have been successful without their help?
- The description on the back of the book mentions it is set ‘in a time and place which might be now’. What did you notice that proves or disproves this statement?
- What would it be like to live by a river? Would you prefer to be a Larker or a lubber?
- Larker is a shortened version of mudlarker, while lubber stems from landlubber. What do these two words mean? Did you know either of them before reading this book?
- Effra and Clay communicate using Larker Bubble language, which the rat sometimes gets a little muddled up! If you could talk with one animal in a similar way, which would you choose and why?
Many thanks to Zephyr for the review copy.
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