The landscape is beautifully portrayed and we are given a real sense of the geography of the country. A vista of small towns and mines is painted alongside the mountains, forests and shimmering Pacific seas. The flora and fauna of the island is an integral part of the book, not least the sharks, whales and dolphins that swim alongside Blue Wing and The Shark Caller. The Shark Caller is Zillah Bethell’s remarkable new book that leaves you completely stunned and totally in awe of the wonderful storytelling. Set in a rural village on the shores of Papua New Guinea, this is a remarkable tale of love, loss and friendship. Following the death of her parents, Blue Wing moves in with Siringen, a gentle village elder who becomes her waspapi, or guardian. Obsessed by his role as a shark caller, Blue Wing pleads with Siringen to teach her this ancient tradition, but he refuses, fearing that the anger in her heart will lead her to misuse the skills.

This is an astonishing book. An exceptional story from an incredibly talented writer. Read it open-mouthed in wonder at the storytelling, revel in the wisdom, the sage and salient thoughts of Blue Wing, the remarkable sensitivity and deftness of touch on essential human themes of life, death, love, family and friendship. More than anything, just read it. This is when Blue Wing tells Maple and her father about her parents died… and she may not have been crying at the time, but I surely was. And it wasn’t the only time tears rolled down my face either. This is a story about friendship, grief, forgiveness, moving on… and all of it is very raw yet beautifully handled. Both Blue Wing and Siringen have a wonderful affinity with the world they live in, respecting the natural environment and reluctant to let the modern world encroach on their idyll. They want to keep the traditions of their people alive, despite the changing times. However, change is forced upon them by the village chief who is intent on modernising the island and opening it up to the outside world. He has demanded that Siringen look after visitors to the island: an American professor who has come to study the coral and his daughter, Maple. Zillah’s fondness for her native island and its landscape is evident throughout and this really gives the setting for the story a sense of authenticity. It is a joy to witness the depths of Blue Wing’s character unfold as you read, and you feel every ounce of her frustration and longing as she works through her own issues and learns to both embrace and let go of different aspects of her life. My goodness, what a truly beautiful book. I really didn't expect to finish it crying, but here we are, it was so moving. The book is about friendship, grief and being outside of your comfort zone, but it's also about the beautiful country of Papua New Guinea, it's people and it's stunning scenery. I just loved the setting, and the little lesson in the pigeon English that the residents might use. I felt as though I had been spirited away to the island, and immersed fully in life there.I remember we kind of danced around the shoe. I don’t know why but we did. For a few weeks we took turns limping about in it and when we got fed up of that, it came in very useful for digging up sweet potatoes. The read is also a celebration of sharks, an often much feared creature. I found myself falling in love with this powerful ocean dweller and can see how they are misunderstood. The second time that Blue Wing confronts ‘Xok’, the shark responsible for the death of her parents, in the ocean was both heart-breaking and uplifting. Blue Wing is desperate to become a shark caller, but instead she must befriend infuriating newcomer Maple, who arrives unexpectedly on Blue Wing’s island.​

This book tells the story of Blue Wing and Maple, a native and new comer to the small island where Blue Wing has lived all her life. Both have suffered the loss of a parent. Although at first they are not able to get along, they soon learn to trust and love each other as best friends/sisters. Slowly they share their experiences of loss, and work together to help Maple’s father on his personal quest to find out an ancient secret. There are explanations about the skills of shark calling ( a genuine tradition) and lots of descriptions of sharks and local wildlife. Desperate to become a shark caller to avenge the death of her parents, Blue Wing is instead charged with befriending infuriating newcomer Maple. At first they are angry and out of sync with the island and each other. But when the tide breathes the promise of treasure, can they overcome their differences and brave the deadliest shark in the ocean? Novel middle grade seringkali dianggap sebagai “hanya untuk anak kecil”, tapi The Shark Caller mematahkan anggapan tersebut. Mulai dari persahabatan, balas dendam, sampai bagaimana berdamai dengan kehilangan dibahas di novel ini dengan ringan & penuh makna.As a bit of a shark fanatic, I love that one of the messages offered here is that they aren't the big scary creatures that they are always made out to be. Whenever you mention wanting to dive with sharks to people they tend to give you a look like you are insane, but here we see that they can be peaceful creatures unless they feel threatened. The novel is a technicolour, cinematic delight. There are highly vivid, intense scenes; wide-screen viewing in 4D could not be more impactful. Yet this is the joy of reading and particularly the joy of Zillah’s writing – she somehow makes us feel the expansiveness of the landscapes alongside the intimate thoughts and deep emotions of the characters close-up. The same is with people. There is nothing that can happen on this world that will stop a person being who they are. We are all born a certain way, and we all die a certain way. p259 The Shark Caller jadi salah satu buku favorite gue di 2023 ini dan juga my first 5* in this year (lol, akhirnya). Ngelihat pembacanya kok dikit banget, jadi sedih deh. Karena buku ini menurut gue lebih daripada sekedar cerita pemanggil hiu. Buku ini bakal bikin hati merasa tersayat - sayat tapi juga hangat pada akhirnya. Recommended!! When they both realise there is guilt they need to overcome, as well as secrets to hide and uncover, they forge an unlikely – and to start with, reluctant – friendship.

This is simply the most wonderful book I have read all year. It is the story of Blue Wing, who lost her parents a couple of years ago and her reluctant friendship with Maple, an incomer to her island. It is a powerful story of love, friendship, loss, forgiveness and moving on. Blue Wing lives with her guardian Siringen, a shark caller, on the outskirts of her village. She’s desperate to become a shark caller herself to avenge the death of her parents, who were killed by a notorious shark, Xok. But it’s against tradition for a girl to become one, and Siringen believes Blue Wing still harbours too much anger in her heart.Membaca The Shark Caller mengingatkanku pada masa kecil yang penuh rasa penasaran dan kejujuran—bagaimana kita berharap banyak dengan orang dewasa. Ternyata, pas sudah dewasa kita itu hanya anak kecil yang membesar :)) We looked and looked for what seemed like hours. Until the real stars came out like fireflies, decorating the night. Until my arms and eyes ached. Blue Wing hidup bersama kakek asuhnya yang bisa memanggil hiu. Pada suatu saat, mereka kedatangan seorang profesor dari Amerika dan anak perempuannya, Maple. Sang profesor datang ke Papua Nugini untuk meneliti terumbu karang dan Blue Wing ditugaskan untuk menemani anak perempuannya. Siapa sangka mereka berdua mendapatkan petualangan sekali seumur hidup?