The Boy Who Met a Whale

Nizrana Farook's The Boy Who Met a Whale is a sun-soaked, edge-of-your-seat treasure hunt for 10 year olds set on the island of Serendib.

What happens

Razi is twelve and a fisherboy who doesn't fish. His father died in an accident at sea eight months ago, and Razi hasn't set foot in the water since. (That's backstory, told early on, not something that happens later.)

One morning, watching baby turtles scurry down to the sea, he spots a boat drifting in. Then he sees a hand draped over its edge! Lying in the bottom is Zheng, a sunburnt ship's boy with something hidden in his shirt.

Minutes later two men row ashore looking for him. One of them, Marco, promises to find Razi and kill him if he's lying. He is lying!

Zheng is a brilliant character. He boasts nonstop (was he lost at sea for a month, or was it a week?) and he's carrying a treasure map. Razi's twin sister Shifa is the sensible one who wants the whole truth. And the treasure turns out to be a thousand-year-old dagger that was stolen from their own island.

It's full of warm sunshine, coconut water, roti and sambal. It's funny too. Razi loses his temper at the fish market and slaps a man across the face with an actual fish! And the twins' bickering feels very real (Shifa is younger, by eleven minutes, but she's always the big sister).

Out at sea there's the biggest creature of all waiting, an enormous blue whale.

Be aware that the danger here is real. The opening shows a ship going down with its whole crew, drugged by the first mate so he can steal the map. The villains talk openly about killing children, and Razi's grief and guilt about his dad sit at the heart of the story.

A reader who has lost a parent may find Razi's feelings very close to home. But they're handled with care, and his courage in facing the sea again is what the whole adventure turns on.

What to read next

Want to stay on Serendib a bit longer? The Girl Who Stole an Elephant is set on the same island. Chaya steals the Queen's jewels right out of the palace, then escapes by diving underneath the King's own giant elephant.