Dolphin Song - Hardcover

St. John, Lauren

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0803732147 ISBN 13: 9780803732148

Publisher: Dial Books, 2008

Synopsis

The heart-pounding companion to the #1 Children?s Book Sense Pick The White Giraffe.

Just as Martine is settling into life at Sawubona, the wildlife game reserve, with her grandmother and Jemmy, her white giraffe, she must leave for two weeks on a school trip off the coast of South Africa. What begins as an exciting sea adventure quickly turns perilous when Martine and five of her classmates are thrown overboard into shark-infested waters. They are saved by a pod of dolphins only to end up marooned on a deserted island. The castaways, at odds with one another, must figure out not only how to survive, but how to save the dolphins that have mysteriously beached themselves on the island?s shore.

In a gripping tale of courage, friendship, and survival, Martine uses her healing gift and her bushcraft to help humans and animals alike. Look for Martine on the big screen?The White Giraffe will soon be made into a major motion picture from Walden Media and Twentieth Century Fox, starring Anna Sophia Robb.

About this title

About the Author

Lauren St. John lives in London, England. A well-respected biographer and sports journalist, she grew up in Zimbabwe, Africa, where she had a pet giraffe, as well as numerous dogs, horses, and warthogs. This setting inspired The White Giraffe as well as her recent memoir, Rainbow’s End.

Reviews

Grade 4–7—Continuing the story begun in The White Giraffe (Dial, 2007), St. John throws 11-year-old Martine into another dangerous situation in which she must depend on her relationship with animals to survive. The child, recently orphaned and sent to live with her grandmother on a game reserve in South Africa, has had trouble adapting to her new school. She reluctantly embarks on a class trip to study nature at sea, and, before long, she and six of her classmates are tossed overboard during a storm. Rescued by dolphins, they survive shark-infested waters and are stranded on a deserted island. Five of the kids tormented Martine and her lone friend, Ben, in the first book, and they are no kinder here. But Ben, while mostly silent, has a lot of survival skills, and Martine has her powers of prophecy and healing, and the two of them prove to be self-sufficient and even content with their situation. As Ben teaches Martine how to find food, water, and shelter, he also guides her toward compassion as their desperate classmates begin to accept them. Not every plot point holds water, but this is an action-packed story with a strong environmental message and an admirable heroine. It brings the cultures of native and colonial South Africa together in the form of a young girl who is discovering that she is part of both. Talk this one up to your adventure buffs and animal lovers.—Susan Oliver, Tampa-Hillsborough Public Library System, FL
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Fans of St. John’s The White Giraffe (2007) need to fasten their seatbelts for this rip-roaring sequel. Martine’s class sails the South African coast to view the Sardine Run. When a cyclone strikes, dolphins shepherd the shipwrecked kids to a mysterious deserted island. And that’s only the beginning. Can Martine’s secret, magical healing powers help rescue beached dolphins, ward off the evil threatening the island, and speed her longed-for reunion with her giraffe companion, Jemmy? The strong connections between humans and wildlife celebrated in Martine’s first adventure will continue to engage readers here. Grades 5-8. --Anne O'Malley

Edition details

• Publisher: Dial Books
• Publication date: 2008
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0803732147
• ISBN 13: 9780803732148
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 256