130,000+ Books, Games & Puzzles in-stock πŸ‡³πŸ‡Ώ 

The Girl Aquarium

3.57 goodreads logo

Ratings/reviews counts are updated frequently.

Check link for latest rating.
( 718 ratings, 109 reviews)
Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
The Girl Aquarium is Jen Campbell's first poetry collection that delves into the unsettling worlds of twisted fairy tales, body possession, and beauty's meaning. The poems weave between whispered science and circus spectacle, holding up a cracked mirror to society and probing who controls the distorted stories lurking behind the scenes.
Read More
Format: Paperback / softback
$5000

International Supplier

This title is in-stock with overseas suppliers. While it is not available locally, we fly books in weekly from the US and UK to our Auckland warehouse for immediate dispatch.

AVAILABLE WITH SUPPLIER Ships from our Auckland warehouse within 2-3 weeks

Found a better price? Request a price match

Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

This collection is ideal for readers interested in bold contemporary poetry that challenges societal norms, explores dark fairy tales, and examines themes of body, identity and spectacle. Fans of feminist literature, experimental verse, and arts & culture would find it compelling.

Book Hero thinking about your next read

Jen Campbell is already a bestselling author of children's picture books as well as a popular books vlogger with a big following on YouTube. Her debut poetry collection The Girl Aquarium explores the realm of rotten fairy tales, the possession of body and the definition of beauty.

Jen Campbell was Vlogger in Residence for the Poetry Book Society, and was a judge of the Forward Prize in 2018. She talks about books and fairy tales at youtube.com/jenvcampbell.

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

Jen Campbell's first collection, The Girl Aquarium, explores the realm of rotten fairy tales, the possession of body, and the definition of beauty.

Weaving between whispered science and circus, she turns a cracked mirror on society and asks who gets to control the twisted tales hiding in the wings.

Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

Praised for its originality and boldness, the collection has been described as "poetry of innocence and wonder, poetry of darkness and deformation" (Daljit Nagra). Reviewers highlight its daring exploration of girlhood through vivid, sometimes shocking imagery, blending themes of butchery, freak shows, and self-discovery (Melissa Lee-Houghton). Christopher Reid admires Campbell’s "boldness, close to wildness," and Elizabeth Macneal calls it a defiant, bold, brilliant work that "smashes" traditional tropes and reinvents the narrative surrounding disfigurement, spectacle, and exploitation.

Book Hero reading reviews

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9781780374499

Publisher: Bloodaxe Books Ltd

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 25 April 2019

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Bloodaxe Books Ltd

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 7.0mm

Width: 138.0mm

Height: 216.0mm

Weight: 250g

Pages: 72

About the Author

Jen Campbell grew up by the sea. She is a bestselling author and award-winning poet. Her most recent books include a short story collection, The Beginning of the World in the Middle of the Night, a series of children's picture books about a book-loving dragon called Franklin, and The Sister Who Ate Her Brothers (Thames & Hudson, 2021), a collection of gruesome tales illustrated by Adam de Souza. She won the Jane Martin Poetry Prize in 2013, received an Eric Gregory Award in 2016, is Vlogger in Residence for the Poetry Book Society, and was a judge of the Forward Prize in 2018. She talks about books, fairy tales and disfigurement at youtube.com/jenvcampbell. Her poetry pamphlet The Hungry Ghost Festival was published by The Rialto in 2012. Her first book-length collection, The Girl Aquarium, was published by Bloodaxe Books in 2019. It was shortlisted for the poetry category of the Books Are My Bag Readers Awards 2019 and was a semifinalist for the Goodreads Choice Awards 2019 (Best Poetry category). She lives in London.

Also by Jen Campbell

View all
  • The Sister Who Ate Her Brothers: And Other Gruesome Tales
    Fourteen of the most gruesome fairy tales from around the world are re-told for contemporary readers and restored to their original, grisly versions. Jen Campbell's collection of terrifyingly gruesome tales lends a modern edge to fairy tale collections for young readers. Drawing on her extensive knowledge of fairy tale history, Campbell's stories undo the censoring, gender stereotyping and twee endings...
    Hardback
    $3699
    Available
    Ships in 4-6 weeks
  • Franklin and Luna go to the Moon
    Luna and her best friend, Franklin the dragon, love stories and want to visit all the places they've read about in books. But for all their reading, they still don't know where dragons come from. And Franklin is now so oldβ€”605 to be exactβ€”that he can't remember himself! They search high and low, but to no avail. Until one evening,...
    Paperback
    $1699
    Available
    Ships in 4-6 weeks
  • Please Do Not Touch This Exhibit
    Please Do Not Touch This Exhibit explores disability, storytelling, and the process of mythologising trauma. Jen Campbell writes of Victorian circus and folklore, deep seas and dark forests, discussing her own relationship with hospitalsβ€”both as a disabled person, and as an adult reflecting on childhood while going through IVF. Please Do Not Touch This Exhibit is Jen Campbell's second collection....
    Paperback
    $3499
    Available
    Ships in 4-6 weeks
  • The Sister Who Ate Her Brothers: And Other Gruesome Tales
    Fourteen of the most gruesome fairy tales from around the world are re-told for contemporary readers and restored to their original, grisly versions. Jen Campbell's collection of terrifyingly gruesome tales lends a modern edge to fairy tale collections for young readers. Drawing on her extensive knowledge of fairy tale history, Campbell's stories undo the censoring, gender stereotyping and twee endings...
    Paperback
    $2499
    Available
    Ships in 4-6 weeks
  • The Beginning of the World in the Middle of the Night
    WHAT A BOOK. IT'S SO STRANGE AND MAGICAL AND THE WRITING IS JUST BEAUTIFUL. I LOVED IT. - Louise O'Neill ENCHANTING AND ILLUMINATING - Carys Bray, author of A Song For Issy Bradley LIKE WALKING THROUGH A MIRROR. - Rachel Joyce, author of The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry THIS BOOK IS FULL OF CHARACTER AND MAGIC, AND I FOUND...
    Paperback
    $2799
    Available
    Ships in 4-6 weeks
  • Weird Things Customers Say in Bookshops
    β€˜Can books conduct electricity?’ β€˜My children are just climbing your bookshelves: that's ok... isn't it?’ A John Cleese Twitter question [β€˜What is your pet peeve?’] first sparked the Weird Things Customers Say in Bookshops blog, which grew over three years into one bookseller's collection of ridiculous conversations on the shop floor. From β€˜Did Beatrix Potter ever write a book about...
    Hardback
    $2999
    Available
    Ships in 4-6 weeks
  • Franklin and Luna Go to the Moon
    From the creators of the bestselling Franklin's Flying Bookshop, Jen Campbell and Katie Harnett, comes another charming tale about two book-lovers, Franklin and Luna. Franklin and Luna Go to the Moon is a delightful story featuring Luna and her best friend, Franklin the dragon, who both share a love for stories and an eagerness to explore the places they've read...
    Hardback
    Sold Out
  • The Bookshop Book
    Every bookshop has a story We're not talking about rooms that are just full of books. We're talking about bookshops in barns, disused factories, converted churches, and underground car parks. Bookshops on boats, on buses, and in old run-down train stations. Fold-out bookshops, undercover bookshops, this-is-the-best-place-I've-ever-been-to-bookshops. Meet Sarah and her Book Barge sailing across the sea to France; meet Sebastien,...
    Paperback
    Sold Out
  • Franklin's Flying Bookshop
    'I LOVE it. It is so touching and original and delightful. Katie's illustrations are a perfect match for the text, too' Jacqueline Wilson Franklin's Flying Bookshop tells the enchanting story of Franklin the dragon, who is passionate about stories and loves reading them to people. Unfortunately, everyone is too scared to even glance at him. That is, until he meets...
    Paperback
    Sold Out

More from Arts & Culture

View all
  • Dylan's Pick
    Bold Types
    A tribute to 32 truly independent bookshops throughout Aotearoa New Zealand, from north of Auckland down to Dunedin, and coast to coast. Jane Ussher's photographs show every bookstore in its unique nature - including behind the counter, smoko rooms, the mess which tells the hardworking story behind the joy of matching books with customers. Jemma Moreira's careful editing has crafted...
    Hardback
    $5999
    Elsewhere:
    $7000
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • New Release
    I’ll Believe in Anything
    From Jacob Tierney, the creator ofΒ Heated Rivalry, in partnership with Brendan Brady and AccentΒ Aigu, comesΒ I’llΒ Believe in Anything, an official and complete collection of annotated scripts for the biggest cultural sensation of the year, with all new exclusive behind-the-scenes content.Based on Rachel Reid’s blockbuster Game Changers book series,Β Heated RivalryΒ premiered on Crave and HBO in late 2025 andΒ immediatelyΒ took the world by storm.Β I’ll...
    Hardback
    $5499
    Elsewhere:
    $6000
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • On Sale
    16% off
    New Release
    Home Again
    Join rock-legend, former Shihad frontman and lead singer of The Adults, Jon Toogood in this unflinching and no-holds-barred memoirΒ Home Again.This is more than a rock story.Β Toogood looks back on a 37-year career that helped define New Zealand rock music, and the personal cost that came with it.Β From a music-obsessed childhood in Wellington to the deafening roar of international stages, this...
    Paperback
    $2700
    Elsewhere:
    $3999
    (1)
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • On Sale
    20% off
    The Odyssey
    Composed at the rosy-fingered dawn of world literature almost three millennia ago, The Odyssey is a poem about violence and the aftermath of war; about wealth, poverty and power; about marriage and family; about travellers, hospitality, and the yearning for home. This fresh, authoritative translation captures the beauty of this ancient poem as well as the drama of its narrative....
    By Homer
    Paperback
    $2400
    Elsewhere:
    $3599
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • On Sale
    21% off
    The Iliad
    When Emily Wilson's translation of The Odyssey appeared in 2017β€”revealing the ancient poem in a contemporary idiom that was "fresh, unpretentious and lean" (Madeline Miller, Washington Post)β€”critics lauded it as "a revelation" (Susan Chira, New York Times) and "a cultural landmark" (Charlotte Higgins, Guardian) that would forever change how Homer is read in English. Now Wilson has returned with an...
    By Homer
    Paperback
    $2600
    Elsewhere:
    $3799
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • Disney Moana: The Official Cookbook
    Embark on a culinary adventure with Moana of Motunui with Pacific recipes inspired by Moana and Moana 2! After a long day of sailing to see how far you’ll go or keeping the demigod Maui out of trouble with Te Fiti, catch a break with the delicious dishes in Moana: The Official Cookbook! Featuring more than 50 recipes spanning the...
    Hardback
    $4499
    Elsewhere:
    $5299
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • New Release
    A Life in Lyrics
    Freddie Mercury was one of the greatest showmen of the twentieth century. With his unparalleled voice and searing on-stage energy, he was a great pretender, a killer queen and a champion of the world. But behind the glamour lived a musician and lyricist talented beyond measure, and the creative force behind one of the most culturally significant and musically diverse...
    Hardback
    $5000
    Elsewhere:
    $6500
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • Birdlands Birdlands
    New Release
    Birdlands
    A rare, intimate journey into the wild islands where Aotearoa's birds live beyond the reach of most human lives. In the most remote outposts of Aotearoa, our islands are populated not with people, but with birds. From the storm-lashed Subantarctic Islands in the deep south to the scattered volcanic islands of Tikapa Moana/Hauraki Gulf in the north, Birdlands offers a...
    Hardback
    $4199
    Elsewhere:
    $5000
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • On Sale
    21% off
    This Angry Pen of Mine
    This Angry Pen of Mine by Layne Staley invites you to dive into the untold creative world of Layne Staley, the legendary voice behind Alice in Chains. This extraordinary collection showcases his handwritten lyrics, deeply personal poetry, stunning original artwork, rare photos, fan tributes, and so much more. Step into the world of Layne Staley like never before. For the...
    Hardback
    $5800
    Elsewhere:
    $8999
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • Beautiful Chaos
    New Release
    Beautiful Chaos
    Featuring five exclusive new poems, this stunning foil-embossed hardback edition is a collector's item and a gorgeous gift. The Instant Sunday Times Bestseller. Selected poems on motherhood from bestselling author and Instagram poet, Jessica Urlichs. 'Reading Jess's poems makes me feel like she's somehow reached into my own personal reflections and articulated them in a way I never could.' –...
    Hardback
    $3299
    Elsewhere:
    $4000
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • Split Enz
    New Release
    Split Enz
    'My favourite band. Ever! And certainly the best dressed.' Sam Neill Split Enz were never designed to fit. Emerging from art school mischief in early-1970s New Zealand, they turned pop into surreal theatre: costume, character and melody colliding in a rock band that refused to behave like one. At the centre of that vision was Noel Crombieβ€”percussionist, performer and the...
    Hardback
    $5199
    Elsewhere:
    $6500
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • Mah Jong Player's Companion
    Since the arrival on the market of Patricia Thompson and Betty Maloney's two previous books, The Game of Mah Jong Illustrated and Improve Your Mah Jong, a wide range of hands from many parts of the world has been sent to them. In this player's companion, the authors have put together a cross-filled reference guide where over 120 hands, illustrated...
    Paperback
    $1999
    Elsewhere:
    $2299
    (1)
    In Stock
    Ships today

Why buy from us?

Book Hero is not a chain store or big box retailer. We're an independent 100% NZ-owned business on a mission to help more Kiwis rediscover a love of books and reading!

Service & Delivery

Service & Delivery

Our warehouse in Auckland holds over 100,000 books, toys, board games and puzzles in-stock so you're not waiting for your order to arrive from overseas.

Auckland Bookstore

Auckland Bookstore

We're primarily an online store, but for your convenience you can pick up your order for free from our bookstore, which is right next door to our warehouse in Hobsonville.

Our Gifting Service

Our Gifting Service

Books make wonderful thoughtful gifts and we're here to help with gift-wrapping and cards. We can even send your gift directly to your loved one.