For me I found Julia and the Shark to be problematic. Yes there was mental health rep but some scenes where it is clear the Mum isn't well were a bit hard to read and this is coming from a reader who has suffered with mental health problems in the past.
Also some of Julia's actions were a bit out there like taking out a boat in bad weather on her own and to be honest I did not find her very likeable.
The Saviour of the book were the illustrations were amazing but I do question that Julia was described as being a bit chubby but that did not match the drawings.
For all the above reasons Julia and the Shark receives 3 stars