I remember we kind of danced around the shoe. I don’t know why but we did. For a few weeks we took turns limping about in it and when we got fed up of that, it came in very useful for digging up sweet potatoes. 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? The most incredible story...tender and wise, with themes of friendship, love, grief, revenge and acceptance.' Michelle Harrison, author of A Pinch of Magic Supporting schools and early years settings with literacy teaching resources to help enrich your lessons linking to literacy moments and awareness days throughout the academic year. The Shark Caller tells the story of Blue Wing who lives with her waspapi Siringen, who is a Shark Caller. She loves going to see and learning more about the majestic, old magic which is used by him to catch sharks. Once, this was a way to feed the island, but now it is a way of keeping tradition alive as other parts of the island become modernised. Blue Wing hides a secret though. She wants to be a Shark Caller for vengeance, to kill a shark who took everything from her.

The story’s characters are solid and interesting – moneymen, spiritual healers, visitors and seekers. They represent the past, present and future of Papua New Guinea, altered over time by outside influence and Western ‘progress’. The sea, beach and mountains all play their parts in this, too. But it’s Maple and Blue Wing who steal the show. The girls are adventurous and intuitive, innocent victims of misfortune who are unafraid of the unknown. They are ready to face their demons head on, and learn the truth of their place on earth. I think the Victorians invented new ways of seeing – the microscope and the kaleidoscope for example. Apparently, when the kaleidoscope was invented, people kept bumping into each other on the street, their attention diverted from real life to a device creating illusions with mirrors, beads, coloured glass. I’m interested in what tempts our visual attention: advertisements, of course, posters, movement, graffiti. I like graffiti because it interacts with the cityscape yet comments on it at the same time. I think there was an American graffiti artist who drew silhouettes and shadows ready to pounce round corners, making fear an art form to an extent. When I first came to the UK, my reflection in shop windows kept taking me unawares, and I saw a girl who looked like me trapped behind glass.

By the shores of Papua New Guinea, Blue Wing argues desperately with Siringen, her waspapi, that she should be a shark caller. It is a tradition that the shark caller position is passed down from uncle to nephew, but Siringen is the last of his family. Instead, Blue Wing is roped into looking after Maple, a visitor to her island. However, Blue Wing and Maple soon learn the importance of friendship, forgiveness and learning to live with grief in this beautiful and moving story.

This is a gorgeous read – one suitable for Year 5 upwards and one that reminded me very much of When Life Gives you Mangoes in its depiction of friendships and the changes that affect girls in their transition from childhood towards being an adult. While – as I said when I reviewed that title – I know that many of my boys will sadly see that as a girls’ book because of its predominantly pink cover, I am hoping that the blue tones of the cover art and the prospect of sharks will entice all of my class, including the boys, to read this. They will be in for an enormous treat when they do. Occasionally a book comes along that draws me in entirely with its compelling story and characters. This is one of those stories. It evoked images of some of my favourite writers, Sophie Anderson, Kiran Millwood Hargrave and Eva Ibbotson in it's style and themes. The way Zillah Bethell created a sense of place in this was stunning and skilful writing. Zillah’s writing is full of hope and wisdom, it’s tender and moving and perfectly balanced with humour and adventure. Drawing on her childhood experiences of growing up in Papua New Guinea, Zillah creates an authentic setting with beauty and depth.Books can help children to understand sad feelings. We’ve suggested some books that are excellent reads and can help children cope with tough emotions. The characters stand out in the tale! Blue Wing and Maple shine on their own in the story. Both of them grieve for the loss of a loved one and try to move on. I also loved the way the author wrote Blue Wing and Maple’s friendship. The two of them don’t precisely get along well in the beginning. However, after spending time with each other, they start to see common traits that bond them. Even Siringen warmed my heart, and I loved the life messages he imparts on Blue Wing. Similarly, I also liked Mr. Hamelin. He was an unpredictable character and made the story more interesting.

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. You also had to be quiet. When you were on the water, you were listening to the wind, the waves and the fish. There was no place for idle chat. From this, I think I discovered that the unspoken words are as beautiful as the spoken ones, sometimes more so. That the gaps between words, like rests in a musical score, are where meaning passes and is felt and understood. Each section refers to important events and discussion points in the story, suggests cross-curricular activities, and includes a ‘spotlight’ extract taken from the text. Extracts are accompanied by corresponding questions that encourage children’s reading skills. The Shark Caller bercerita tntg Blue Wing, ank yatim piatu yg diasuh bapak angkat (istilahnya 'waspapi') bernama Siringen yg adalah satu"nya pemanggil hiu di desa itu. Blue Wing pngn bljr manggil hiu jg, tp selalu ga dibolehin krn ada alasan tersendiri. suatu saat desa itu kedatengan profesor Hamelin sm anaknya, Maple, yg ternyata punya maksud tertentu jg.The Shark Caller is absolutely stunning and covers a wide verity of topics that naturally occur in the human life. You have life and death, friendship, family and trust all wrapped up in one beautifully written tale that leaves you surprised. Gue membaca ini hanya dalam waktu singkat, walau harus dibaca dalam beberapa hari karena kesibukan kerja. Alur ceritanya memang tidak terlalu cepat dan bisa dibaca santai, tapi memang unsur misterinya cukup bikin penasaran. Ditambah dengan ilustrasi - ilustrasi didalamnya yang cukup menarik, pun covernya juga sangat catchy. Menyembunyikan fakta kalau ceritanya bikin pengen nangis endingnya, hahaha. Apakah sad ending atau happy end? Bagi gue mah happy yah, karena kan tema utama ceritanya lebih tentang memaafkan diri sendiri dan melanjutkan hidup. Minusnya mungkin masih ada beberapa typo yang cukup kelihatan, pun penggunaan bahasa Tok Pisin cukup nanggung karena hanya sepatah - dua patah kata walaupun tetap ada catatan kaki dan glossary untuk artinya. Tapi untuk terjemahannya, menurut gue luwes dan enak dibaca, terlepas dari typonya yang lumayan. Oh ya, di bagian belakang buku juga ada sharing dari Bethell tentang kehidupannya dulu di Papua Nugini dan trivia tentang hiu dan info untuk konservasi hiu. Selain itu kalau kamu baca ini sama temen atau klub buku ada list pertanyaan untuk jadi bahan diskusi. This book tells the story of Blue Wing and Maple, a native and new comer to the small island where Blue Wing has lived all her life. Both have suffered the loss of a parent. Although at first they are not able to get along, they soon learn to trust and love each other as best friends/sisters. Slowly they share their experiences of loss, and work together to help Maple’s father on his personal quest to find out an ancient secret. There are explanations about the skills of shark calling ( a genuine tradition) and lots of descriptions of sharks and local wildlife. I don't know where to start with this review. This book is a beautiful story based in Papua New Guinea and tells the tale of young girl, Blue Wing, navigating the world after the loss of her parents. Her waspapi is the local shark caller, and the descriptions of the location and the ocean completely transported me into that world. Novel middle grade seringkali dianggap sebagai “hanya untuk anak kecil”, tapi The Shark Caller mematahkan anggapan tersebut. Mulai dari persahabatan, balas dendam, sampai bagaimana berdamai dengan kehilangan dibahas di novel ini dengan ringan & penuh makna.