The Shark Caller

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I think I was a little hysterical because I remember pushing the blade down in a very dramatic fashion, spraying us both with salty drops. It was lovely to see their friendship develop (and the strength they drew from each other once it had), thanks in no small part to Blue Wing’s begrudging efforts, which felt so believable and true. Blue Wing will not give up her quest to avenge the death of her parents and soften the pain she feels inside. I think the Victorians invented new ways of seeing – the microscope and the kaleidoscope for example. When an American professor arrives to study coral, Blue Wing is asked to show his daughter, Maple, around the island.

Just as I thought the book was about to take a turn in focus - it twists back with a stunning finale. Blue Wing is used to her own company, the other children in the village don't pay any attention to her and since her parents deaths, Siringen is the only person she spends any time with. Yet this is the joy of reading and particularly the joy of Zillah’s writing – she somehow makes us feel the expansiveness of the landscapes alongside the intimate thoughts and deep emotions of the characters close-up.As a result of this, when Maple and her father arrive from America, Blue Wing experiences a whole range of emotions which she struggles to understand and control. Siringen has always refused, because Blue Wing has a dark motivation for learning – it was a shark that killed her parents, a huge beast named Xok by the locals, and she wants her revenge.

When new girl Maple arrives on the island with her father all the way from America, Blue Wing is less than thrilled, especially as the newcomers have moved into her family's old home. The author lived in Papua New Guinea as a child and has used her childhood memories beautifully to give us an insight into life on the island. Perfect for a middle grade or YA audience, or indeed an adult book club, with themes of grief, loss and moving on from trauma. I'd been hearing a lot of wonderful things about this book before I requested the ARC on Netgalley and it truly lived up to the hype. This is marketed as a children’s middle-grade book, but (as with many children and teen books) I believe that anyone would enjoy it, and I highly recommend it to everyone.Blue Wing releases the trapped shark each time (on Siringen’s command) and the tourist is left empty handed - much to Bigman’s annoyance. Blue Wing is not happy that they are to be housed in the hut that used to belong to her family and decides that she hates them before she has even met them. No matter how many times she asks her guardian, Siringen, to teach her the ways of the water, his answer is always, “No”.