A Whale of the Wild

by Rosanne Parry, Lindsay Moore (Illustrator)

Overview

“A spellbinding, heart-stopping adventure.” —Booklist (starred review)

“A dreamily written, slyly educational, rousing maritime adventure.” —New York Times Book Review

In the stand-alone companion to the New York Times–bestselling A Wolf Called Wander, a young orca whale must lead her brother on a tumultuous journey to be reunited with their pod. This gorgeously illustrated animal adventure novel explores family bonds, survival, global warming, and a changing seascape. Includes information about orcas and their habitats.

For Vega and her family, salmon is life. And Vega is learning to be a salmon finder, preparing for the day when she will be her family’s matriarch. But then she and her brother Deneb are separated from their pod when a devastating earthquake and tsunami render the seascape unrecognizable. Vega must use every skill she has to lead her brother back to their family. The young orcas face a shark attack, hunger, the deep ocean, and polluted waters on their journey. Will Vega become the leader she’s destined to be?

A Whale of the Wild weaves a heart-stopping tale of survival with impeccable research on a delicate ecosystem and threats to marine life. New York Times-bestselling author Rosanne Parry’s fluid writing and Lindsay Moore’s stunning artwork bring the Salish Sea and its inhabitants to vivid life. An excellent read-aloud and read-alone, this companion to A Wolf Called Wander will captivate fans of The One and Only Ivan and Pax.

Includes black-and-white illustrations throughout, a map, and extensive backmatter about orcas and their habitats.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780062995926
Publisher:	HarperCollins Publishers
Publication date:	09/01/2020
Pages:	336
Sales rank:	33,884
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.20(h) x 1.30(d)
Age Range:	8 - 12 Years

About the Author

Rosanne Parry is the author of the novels Heart of a Shepherd and Last of the Name, among other acclaimed titles. She lives with her family in an old farmhouse in Portland, Oregon, and writes in a tree house in her backyard. www.rosanneparry.com

Lindsay Moore is an artist and writer with roots in Northern Michigan. She studied marine biology and fine art at Southampton College on Long Island and figure drawing at the Art Students League of New York, and earned her master of science in medical and scientific illustration from Medical College of Georgia, now Augusta University. Lindsay Moore lives with her family in Bowling Green, Ohio.

Editorial Reviews

09/01/2020

Gr 3–7—Vega is a young orca whale being trained by her mother to one day be the group's Wayfinder—the whale who navigates their extended family toward food and away from danger. Vega is reckless and impulsive, but when she and her young cousin are separated from the pod by an earthquake and the resulting tsunami, Vega must use her wayfinding skills to reunite them with their elders. In the style of A Wolf Called Wander, Parry tells the story through the animal voices of both Vega and Deneb, weaving a great deal of information about orcas and their habits (and the negative effects that both humans and climate change are having on the orca population) into the narrative. The back matter contains resources for those interested in learning more. VERDICT Purchase where animal adventure stories are in demand.—Elizabeth Friend, Wester M.S., TX

School Library Journal

2020-07-01
After a tsunami devastates their habitat in the Salish Sea, a young orca and her brother embark on a remarkable adventure.

Vega’s matriarchal family expects her to become a hunter and wayfinder, with her younger brother, Deneb, protecting and supporting her. Invited to guide her family to their Gathering Place to hunt salmon, Vega’s underwater miscalculations endanger them all, and an embarrassed Vega questions whether she should be a wayfinder. When the baby sister she hoped would become her life companion is stillborn, a distraught Vega carries the baby away to a special resting place, shocking her grieving family. Dispatched to find his missing sister, Deneb locates Vega in the midst of a terrible tsunami. To escape the waters polluted by shattered boats, Vega leads Deneb into unfamiliar open sea. Alone and hungry, the young siblings encounter a spectacular giant whale and travel briefly with shark-hunting orcas. Trusting her instincts and gaining emotional strength from contemplating the vastness of the sky, Vega knows she must lead her brother home and help save her surviving family. In alternating first-person voices, Vega and Deneb tell their harrowing story, engaging young readers while educating them about the marine ecosystem. Realistic black-and-white illustrations enhance the maritime setting.

A dramatic, educational, authentic whale of a tale. (maps, wildlife facts, tribes of the Salish Sea watershed, environmental and geographical information, how to help orcas, author’s note, artist’s note, resources) (Animal fiction. 8-10)

Kirkus Reviews

Parry creates a spellbinding, heart-stopping adventure for middle-grade readers—this time about a pod of orca whales and their plight in today’s Salish Sea. . . . Parry’s thorough research, observation, and creative writing combine to share the marvelous matriarchal familial world of orcas . . . Her descriptive narrative rises in intensity to match each new danger and resolves with a bittersweet yet hopeful finish. . . . Excellent.

Booklist (starred review)

"Vega, a late-adolescent orca whale . . . lives in the Salish Sea, an area of stunning ecological richness and diversity . . . When there’s an earthquake with its resulting tsunami, Vega and Deneb become separated from their pod. Parry does a convincing job of presenting orca life in fresh language that rings true. . . . [and] becomes increasingly heartbreaking as the characters try to deal with the fracturing of their world. The story contains gracefully integrated information . . . Detailed black-and-white illustrations beautifully support a powerful portrait of nature under threat."

Horn Book Magazine

A story about two young orcas, Vega and her little brother, Deneb. . . . When Vega acts impulsively, the siblings become separated from their pod. In searching for their lost family, they discover friends — and grave danger.

Washington Post

[An] enthralling new novel . . . Parry writes in a tradition of animal adventure novels that address environmental issues from the animals’ point of view . . . A Whale of the Wild is a dreamily written, slyly educational, rousing maritime adventure.

New York Times Book Review

After just a few pages, readers will be completely immersed in the underwater world of Rosanne Parry’s A Whale of the Wild . . . [Parry] skillfully incorporates details about orcas as well as the many threats to their existence. . . . A Whale of the Wild offers brisk drama alongside insight and wisdom, demonstrating the vital importance of taking care of each other and the world we live in—above and below the surface.

BookPage.com

Read More