The Shark Caller

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Oprhaned child Blue Wing is desperate to be a shark caller like Siringen, her waspapi, but he will not let her. The skill of shark calling is rooted in tradition and should only be passed down from uncle to nephew. Siringen also knows the reason for Blue Wing’s desperation to call sharks - to gain revenge on the shark that caused the death of her parents two years ago. At first, the girls are too angry to share their secrets and become friends. But when the tide breathes the promise of treasure, they must journey together to the bottom of the ocean to brave the deadliest shark of them all...

Many readers will delight in both of these but for anyone who is concerned that a fiction book in need of a glossary will be difficult to follow, there really is no need. Many of the terms are easily recognised (taim instead of time for example) and those that are less obvious are generally easy to understand from the context. I found their use by the author – who grew up in Papua New Guinea – added a layer of authenticity to the story which I really enjoyed, as I did the short section at the end of the book where she talks about her childhood experiences there and her transition to the UK. Blue Wing is desperate to become a shark caller, but instead she must befriend infuriating newcomer Maple, who arrives unexpectedly on Blue Wing’s island.This belittling of the Shark Caller does not however prevent the Bigman telling Siringen that he is to be given the responsibility of looking after a new visitor – an American professor of coral, who will be staying on the island together with his daughter. 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. As they arrive, she spies on them and talks to Chimera – the daughter of a witch doctor, who lives outside of the village – telling her of her resentment. Rumah bukanlah sekedar bangunan. Itu bukanlah sekedar kumpulan bata atau kayu dengan atap di bagian atasnya. Juga bukanlah sekadar semen atau paku yang menyatukan semuanya. Rumah adalah tempat dimana kau diinginkan. Tempat kau merasa aman dan dicintai. Itulah arti rumah yang sesungguhnya-bukan bahan pembuatnya atau bahkan lokasinya. Rumah adalah tempat kau diterima apa adanya. Tolong, jangan lupakan itu."

As the girls’ friendship develops, they find themselves caught up in a compelling mystery to uncover the secrets that Maple’s grieving father is hiding, secrets that uncover their family’s history and reveal a longing to change the past …What an absolutely stunning book. I fell in love with the cover - the vibrant rich deep of the ocean and the story just blew me away. Blue Wing wants to be a Shark Caller but her waspapi says she cannot be one. We follow Blue Wing's story as she meets and befriends Maple Hamelin. The sea is always there,” I say. “It always has been. It always will be. People are born and people die. All thetaim they are being born and dying, and all thetaim in between, the sea is moving up and down, up and down. All thetaim . It never ever stops. Never in alltaim .” You find out that this book is inspired by the author’s upbringing on the island of Papua New Guinea which is truly epic! Jumbled into the mix of the story a visiting professor and his daughter Maple arrive from the US and embody the westernisation that those that live on the island fear and Maple and Blue Wing have an instant dislike to one another. But as you would expect, overtime, they find that they have more in common than originally thought. The Shark Caller is a stunning and powerful story which wove its magic straight into my heart; an unforgettable tale set on the beautiful island of New Ireland in Papua New Guinea; a tale of two young girls from different worlds who find a bond of sisterhood that saves them both. This is an incredibly moving story that left me in floods of tears, but it also left me filled with hope and reassurance. An absolute masterpiece that I’m already confident will be one of my top reads of 2021! The story is set in New Ireland, Papua New Guinea where Blue Wing and her guardian Siringen are charged with caring for a visiting professor and his daughter. The girls take an instant dislike to each other, but slowly realise they have things in common and a voyage of both self-discovery and learning the ways of friendship begins.

Buku middle-grade yang tak ku sangkaa punya cerita sekeren dan sebagus ini, sekaligus memberi kesan dalam dan tak terlupakan di aku, hiks. Pertemanan Maple dan Blue Wing begitu menggemaskan, walau sering berdebat, mereka selalu baikan lagi. Aku bs merasakan perkembangan karakternya seiring berjalannya cerita, ikut hanyuut, ikut sayang sama semuaa karakternya. Begitu banyak pesan moral, begitu banyak humor, begitu banyak petualangan, yang bikin aku susah move on dari buku ini. Selesai baca, aku nangis sesenggukan. Endingnya surprising. Chimera’s appearance in the story, begins to change the way Blue Wing thinks about Maple. The daughter of a witch-doctor, Chimera has been cast out of the village by Bigman, to live in a cave. Blue Wing likes to visit her and talk. On one occasion, she takes along Maple, who wants to ask Chimera a very important and sensitive question. I love stories from other settings and cultures and this is one of the best I have read in quite some time. Lots of new books receive plenty of ‘book chat’ on social media but none more so than this one. It has been raved about on all social media platforms and I was excited to read it to see if it lived up to all of the hype. When do stars come out?” she asked, nodding to herself as if she’d already planned the whole escapade. Which she had…The Shark Caller jadi salah satu buku favorite gue di 2023 ini dan juga my first 5* in this year (lol, akhirnya). Ngelihat pembacanya kok dikit banget, jadi sedih deh. Karena buku ini menurut gue lebih daripada sekedar cerita pemanggil hiu. Buku ini bakal bikin hati merasa tersayat - sayat tapi juga hangat pada akhirnya. Recommended!! I’m doing fine – busy during the week, but make sure I have the weekend off (or most of it). Just got our test kits from school so will be testing twice every week – I’ve not had a test yet, so something to look forward to! 😂 Hope you’re keeping ok too. xx The novel is a technicolour, cinematic delight. There are highly vivid, intense scenes; wide-screen viewing in 4D could not be more impactful. 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. Blue Wing is desperate to become a shark caller, but instead she must befriend infuriating newcomer Maple, who arrives unexpectedly on Blue Wing's island. Membaca The Shark Caller mengingatkanku pada masa kecil yang penuh rasa penasaran dan kejujuran—bagaimana kita berharap banyak dengan orang dewasa. Ternyata, pas sudah dewasa kita itu hanya anak kecil yang membesar :))

Word got around our village once that a film star was hiding out on a bikpela boat beyond the coral reef. This provoked much discussion about what a film star was. My goodness, what a truly beautiful book. I really didn't expect to finish it crying, but here we are, it was so moving. The book is about friendship, grief and being outside of your comfort zone, but it's also about the beautiful country of Papua New Guinea, it's people and it's stunning scenery. I just loved the setting, and the little lesson in the pigeon English that the residents might use. I felt as though I had been spirited away to the island, and immersed fully in life there. Desperate to become a shark caller to avenge the death of her parents, Blue Wing is instead charged with befriending infuriating newcomer Maple. At first they are angry and out of sync with the island and each other. But when the tide breathes the promise of treasure, can they overcome their differences and brave the deadliest shark in the ocean?

There are many fascinating characters, (Waspapi, and the witch doctor’s daughter, herself an old woman: Chimera) excellent uses of pidgin in this book, which adds an authentic flavour to the dialogue and rich culture of PNG