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The Shark Caller

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Book Synopsis

Dive beneath the waves with this spell-binding adventure of friendship, forgiveness and bravery, set on the shores of Papua New Guinea, perfect for fans of Katherine Rundell and Eva Ibbotson.

“I want to be able to call the sharks. Teach me the magic and show me the ways.”

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.

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…

Our Review Panel says...

Shark Caller is a stunner of a story – rich with the sights and sounds of its Papua New Guinean setting. It reflects sagely on universal themes of life and death, family, friendship and time and is also full of thrills and surprises. An excellent story to challenge readers in Year 6.

Inspired by the author’s upbringing in the islands of Papua New Guinea, The Shark Caller tells the story of Blue Wing and her guardian Siringen. As the village’s shark caller, Siringen practices an ancient spiritual tradition of taming sharks out on the ocean in his canoe. It’s a dying tradition that Blue Wing longs to be part of, and is set at sharp odds with the waves of Westernisation sweeping over the island.

When a visiting professor and his daughter Maple arrive from the US, Blue Wing realises that she’s not the only one with a deep longing for something, and begins to see ways that she and the visitors might help each other to find the treasure they seek.

The author’s love of her native island’s landscape shows through beautifully in the writing, and the setting has a real sense of authenticity and depth. This is outstanding storytelling that is at once moving, heart-stirring and life-affirming.