The Boy Who Met a Whale

by Nizrana Farook

Overview

A Sri Lankan fisherboy is swept up in a thrilling seafaring adventure, complete with kidnapping, missing treasure, and a huge blue whale! From the author of The Girl Who Stole an Elephant.

Razi, a local fisherboy, is watching turtle eggs hatch when he sees a boat bobbing into view. With a chill, he notices a small, still hand hanging over the side.

Inside is Zheng, who's escaped a shipwreck and is full of tales of mutiny, sea monsters, and hidden riches. But the villains who are after Zheng are soon after Razi and his sister, Shifa, too. And so begins an exhilarating escapade in the shadow of the biggest sea monster of them all.

Author Nizrana Farook has crafted another briskly paced, action-packed quest that swells with empathetic heroes, peril on the open sea, and a great beast lurking beneath. Set against a vibrant landscape inspired by Sri Lanka, this delightful caper will thrill young fans of adventure and fantasy.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781682635223
Publisher:	Holiday House
Publication date:	03/14/2023
Pages:	224
Sales rank:	151,620
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 7.90(h) x 0.80(d)
Age Range:	8 - 12 Years

About the Author

Nizrana Farook was born and raised in Colombo, Sri Lanka, and the beautiful landscapes of her home country find their way into the stories she writes. She graduated from Bath Spa University with an MA in Writing for Young People and lives in England with her husband and two daughters.

Editorial Reviews

"It's a thrilling, old-fashioned treasure hunt, and the Sri Lankan setting makes familiar arcs feel fresh. Short, action-packed chapters keep things moving at a fast clip, while lush descriptions and flashes of beauty (including an astonishing encounter with the titular whale) will keep readers absorbed. A proper adventure story with a tender heart."—Booklist

"Sea monsters, murderers, hidden treasure, a raging storm, and a fast-paced plot full of twists and turns and clever cliffhangers will pull readers into a tale that is also a moving family story. . . . A lively reading experience."—The Horn Book

"Farook draws from Sri Lankan geography, ecology, and culture, punctuating the text with vivid descriptions. . . . a fantastical, fresh take. . . ."—Publishers Weekly

"An exciting and appealing page-turner."—Kirkus Reviews

"Farook invokes the beauty of her native Sri Lanka with sparkling descriptions of island and sea. . . . This lyrical story, reminiscent of Salman Rushdie 's Haroun and the Sea of Stories will be appreciated by all lovers of adventurous fairy tales."—School Library Journal

From the Publisher

02/28/2022

In Farook’s (The Girl Who Stole an Elephant) second outing set on the beautiful, Sri Lanka-inspired island of Serendib, the lives of grieving fisher boy Razi and his sister Shifa are further upended by the arrival of Zheng, a loquacious seafaring child who claims to be on the run from two villainous thieves after escaping a shipwreck. The siblings are skeptical of Zheng’s tales but soon find themselves on a maritime adventure featuring an ancient dagger, a sea vessel chase, and an encounter with the titular whale. Farook draws from Sri Lankan geography, ecology, and culture, punctuating the text with vivid descriptions of Indian Ocean port city Galle, marine life, Razi’s fishing village, and delicious Sri Lankan foods. Razi’s wonder at the natural beauty and fauna of the island never fails “to amaze him and lift his spirits,” brightening this treasure hunt tale, which offers a fantastical, fresh take on familiar tropes. Ages 8–12. Agent: Joanna Moult, Skylark Literary. (Feb.)

Publishers Weekly

12/01/2021

Gr 3–5—When Razi slips down to the beach early one morning to watch the hatchling sea turtles scurry to the safety of the sea, he finds a boat drifting near shore. In the boat, he discovers a boy, unconscious, parched, and covered with salt. Just as Razi pulls Zheng to safety and places him in the shade of the coconut trees, he encounters two nefarious-looking men searching for the boy, whom Razi quickly misdirects. When the beguiling Zheng regains consciousness, he quickly charms Razi into the adventure of his life. The two 12-year-old boys, along with Razi's twin sister, Shifa, set off to recover buried treasure ahead of the pair of villainous crew members from Zheng's storm-sunk ship. The story unfolds like a luminous fairy tale, enhanced by the ebullient Zheng, whose stories the twins find almost too outlandish to believe. Farook invokes the beauty of her native Sri Lanka with sparkling descriptions of island and sea. The intrepid trio manage to outwit their enemies with some quick thinking and a few assists from sea creatures, including the titular whale. Along the way, the three find more than the jeweled Dagger of Serendib; they find themselves. Each youngster ends up a wiser, better person: orphan Zheng finds a family, Razi rediscovers his love of the sea, and Shifa learns to trust. Like the sea turtles Razi loves, each child experiences growth on the sea, but also a pull back to the island. VERDICT This lyrical story, reminiscent of Salman Rushdie's Haroun and the Sea of Stories will be appreciated by all lovers of adventurous fairy tales.—Nancy Nadig, Penn Manor S. D., Lancaster, PA

School Library Journal

2021-11-16
Two siblings become embroiled in a dangerous adventure after meeting a mysterious young boy.

In her sophomore novel, Farook returns to Serendib, her fictionalized version of Sri Lanka. When readers first meet Razi, he’s watching baby turtles as they venture out to sea. Moments later, a foreign rowboat appears with a sunburned, barely conscious, and desperately hungry boy named Zheng inside. A former deckhand, polyglot Zheng just narrowly escaped an attempted poisoning and shipwreck through sheer good luck. It becomes apparent that he’s keeping a dangerous secret and that it’s related to a package he’s hiding. Razi and his sister, Shifa, will need to help him if he is going to survive. However, Razi and Shifa are dealing with grief, and Razi, despite being a member of a tightknit fishing community, has avoided the water since a recent family tragedy. But when he realizes that reacquainting himself with the ocean is necessary in order to save Zheng, he and Shifa set sail. Zheng’s secret alludes to the harm of colonization in a way that middle-grade readers will understand. Additionally, the scenes where the trio is dodging danger are just the right amount of scary. Razi’s love and connection with animals lead him to meet the whale of the title, who serves as a wonderful protector that readers will be drawn to.

An exciting and appealing page-turner. (map) (Adventure. 8-12)

Kirkus Reviews