Synopsis: When disaster strikes a school trip, Martine and her classmates are left fighting for thier lives in shark-infested waters, until dolphins guide them to a coral-ringing island. Here the castaways at odds with each other, must learn to survive. Will Martine's secret gift allow her to help both animals and humans when a deadly peril threatens them? And will those powers be with her when she needs them most?

Review: I absolutely loved this story. It is set in Mozambique and has a environmental theme as well as being an adventure story. There is a strong female lead character in Martine and the relationship between her and her best friend both who exist on the outside of the 'cool gang' is also very central to the plot. The children get saved and transported by dolphins to an island and although this seems as though it would be too unbelieveable to work well within the book it has a sense of the magic and mystery.

This is the second book in a series and the plot is recapped in parts so you could understand it without having read the first book. It did however make me want to go and read 'The White Giraffe' because I enjoyed this one so much. It is well read by Ruth Wilson and it is refreshing to come across a book that is original in it's theme, has vivid description of it's setting and a stirring message throughout. I shall definately be listening to this with my year 6 class when we undertake our habitats topic.

2008-09-18