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)
“After a tsunami devastates their habitat in the Salish Sea, a young orca and her brother embark on a remarkable adventure. . . . Vega and Deneb tell their harrowing story, engaging young readers while educating them about the marine ecosystem. . . . A dramatic, educational, authentic whale of a tale.” — Kirkus Reviews
"Vega is a young orca whale being trained by her mother to one day be the group’s Wayfinder . . . But when she and her young brother are separated from the pod . . . Vega must use her wayfinding skills to reunite them with their elders. . . . Parry weav[es] a great deal of information about orcas and their habits into the narrative.” — School Library Journal
“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 BookPage.com
“[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
“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
"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
“Two young orcas search for lost family, meet unique friends and deal with the dangerous impact of pollutants and global warming on their undersea world, which is vividly rendered in this novel through words and pictures.” — Washington Post
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.
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)
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.
[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
"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."
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.
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
Hope Newhouse narrates this captivating adventure of an orca family’s journey for survival. She employs a unique timbre and tone to distinguish each character: Vega, a young female destined to become the pod’s Wayfinder; younger brother Deneb, who will follow Vega anywhere; and their relatives, particularly elders, who embody a timeless shared wisdom. The connection with these whales is almost immediate as listeners are immersed in the drama, thanks to Newhouse’s rendering of the story through their eyes. The dialogue includes educational references to the ecosystems of the Pacific Northwest and fascinating orca idiosyncrasies. Written for middle graders, this audiobook will appeal to anyone who cares about conservation, ecology, and the value of family and diversity in the survival of Planet Earth. S.A.A. © AudioFile 2020, Portland, Maine
DECEMBER 2020 - AudioFile
Hope Newhouse narrates this captivating adventure of an orca family’s journey for survival. She employs a unique timbre and tone to distinguish each character: Vega, a young female destined to become the pod’s Wayfinder; younger brother Deneb, who will follow Vega anywhere; and their relatives, particularly elders, who embody a timeless shared wisdom. The connection with these whales is almost immediate as listeners are immersed in the drama, thanks to Newhouse’s rendering of the story through their eyes. The dialogue includes educational references to the ecosystems of the Pacific Northwest and fascinating orca idiosyncrasies. Written for middle graders, this audiobook will appeal to anyone who cares about conservation, ecology, and the value of family and diversity in the survival of Planet Earth. S.A.A. © AudioFile 2020, Portland, Maine
DECEMBER 2020 - AudioFile
2020-07-01
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)
