I was quite curious with this novel since the cover illustration caught my attention. Yes, I'm a huge fan of middle-grade and children stories.

I can only give four stars since I really love the story and the cover. I even thought that nobody pays attention to the main character because she's uninteresting for most of the villagers (or probably have a set of difficult traits). However, the fact that she's actually drowned in the sea and some people can see her revenge-mode spirit long enough felt a bit forced for me. I guess it would be better if she's actually a living person who becomes very difficult to please or often angry towards the villagers (especially the Head of the village and his family) after she's saved but her parents couldn't and the Head of the village tried his best to expel her for her decision to avoid math exam.

A wonderfully-written tale about family, friendships and overcoming pain. Zillah Bethell has created a brilliantly vivid world - complete with authentic sayings dispersed throughout - that enables you to become fully immersed in Maple and Blue Wing's life in Papa New Guinea.

I thoroughly enjoyed the journeys on which each of the characters travel and the pace throughout kept me hooked all the way up to the dramatic finale!

"The Shark Caller" by Zillah Bethell was a revelation. If I could give it more than 5 stars, I would: it deserves at least 10!
The fast-paced plot, the complex characters, the magical atmospheres and the amazing writing style all come together to make for an awesome read, which can enchant younger readers and grown-ups alike.
I don't remember ever crying so much for an ending, and yet it feels so perfect I wouldn't change one bit.
Kudos to the author for using pidgin English and making me enjoy it, because, as English is not my first language (and neither is Papuan), I usually find it annoying when books contain non-standard words that can't be found in a dictionary. Instead, in "The Shark Caller" pidgin English is used in such a way that it not only adds a touch of colour to the story, but it's also perfectly comprehensible, so as not to break the reading momentum at all.
I can't wait to put my hands on the author's other works!

A must read. Such a beautiful book.

"Menurutku harapan sangatlah penting. Bahkan saat sesuatu tidak nyata, harapanlah yang membuat orang tetap hidup."

Did I finish the book or did it finish me? I didn't sign for the heartbreak it caused me!

The Shark Caller mengisahkan Blue Wing, seorang anak perempuan di Papua Nugini yang sangat ingin mewarisi keahlian Siringen—waspapinya (pengasuh)—dalam memanggil hiu. Keinginannya untuk bisa memanggil hiu adalah demi membalaskan dendam kematian orang tuanya pada salah satu seekor hiu besar yang dijuluki warga sebagai Xok. Namun, Siringen tidak pernah mengizinkannya. Dia selalu menolak permintaan Blue Wing untuk mengajarinya.

Dalam keputusasaannya itu, Blue Wing diminta Siringen untuk berteman dengan Maple Hamelin, anak seorang profesor dari Amerika yang tengah melakukan penelitian di sana. Siringen yang ditunjuk oleh ketua adat mendampingi profesor tersebut.

Blue Wing dan Maple awalnya tidak akur, mereka merasa bahwa mereka sangat berbeda. Tidak pernah sependapat dalam hal apapun. Namun, dengan saran dari Siringen, Blue Wing mencoba untuk perlahan memahami Maple, yang tidak membutuhkan waktu lama juga akhirnya bisa tersenyum ramah kepada Blue Wing. Bonding mereka diawali dengan menjelajah pulau hingga berenang di laut. Dari situlah mereka sadar bahwa mereka memiliki banyak kesamaan.

Aku yakin persahabatan antara Blue Wing dan Maple akan membuat banyak pembaca tersentuh. Sangat tulus khas anak-anak kecil menginjak remaja. Mereka saling mendukung satu sama lain. Hal yang aku suka dari relasi dua bocah ini adalah mereka tidak segan mengungkapkan perbedaan pendapat atau ketidaksetujuan mereka pada satu sama lain. Misalnya, saat Maple berpikir bahwa ayahnya terlalu berpegang pada harapan fana tentang mendiang ibunya, Blue Wing malah 'meladeni' ayah Maple. Karena baginya, biar saja Profesor Hamelin tetap berharap sampai ia membuktikan sendiri bahwa harapannya tersebut bukanlah sesuatu yang nyata.

Dua sahabat kecil ini juga lebih dewasa untuk anak-anak seusia mereka. Mereka lebih bijaksana, mungkin karena berbagai hal yang telah mereka lewati semasa hidup. Meski begitu, Blue Wing dan Maple juga tetap ada momen bertengkar. Namun, keduanya cukup dewasa dan bijak untuk meminta maaf dan mengakui kesalahan setelah membutuhkan waktu untuk mendinginkan kepala. Oh how we wish all adult can act like that!

Selain elemen persahabatan yang kental, penulis juga mengusung unsur mistis lokal sana. Misal, ritual memanggil hiu dan 'dukun' yang bisa menyembuhkan penyakit, pun bisa berbicara dengan arwah manusia. Pun dengan tema berduka. Sejatinya, Blue Wing dan Maple hanyalah dua anak kecil yang mencoba melewati hari demi hari setelah kehilangan orang tua—Blue Wing yang kehilangan kedua orang tuanya dalam waktu bersamaan, dan Maple yang kehilangan mamanya akibat kanker.

Kita juga akan menyaksikan perjalanan mereka menavigasi emosi yang berkecamuk akibat duka itu. Mulai dari kemarahan, rasa bersalah, hingga penerimaan. That thing indeed makes them wiser for their age.

Menuju bagian akhir, siapkan diri kalian. Akan ada hal tak terduga yang terungkap di sana. It's heart-wrenching for me, I weeped like a mad woman. Aku tidak menyangka kalau penulis sebenarnya sudah menebar clue di sana sini. Namun, setelahnya, hatiku dibuat menghangat berkat relasi indah milik Blue Wing dan Maple. Mereka tidak lagi sekadar menganggap satu sama lain sebagai teman, melainkan saudara. Benar-benar dinaikturunkan emosiku.

Buku ini memang diciptakan berisi tokoh anak-anak, tetapi orang dewasa perlu membaca ini juga. Kita tidak hanya disuguhkan persahabatan yang murni dan tulus antarmanusia, tetapi ditunjukkan pula perubahan wilayah yang mulanya masih sangat alami lama-kelamaan dikuasai oleh industri.

First of all, wow.

This book was so full of rich and wonderfully woven world building and culture - you can tell the author lived this life because the reading experience fully engulfs you and spits you out onto a beach in Papua New Guinea. The sea, the sand, the heat, the lives of these villagers, the book was slow paced in terms of storyline because so much attention to detail was given to the area it took place, this village was a character in itself.

The book follows Blue Wing, a young girl who lives with her waspapi - the man who took her in after her parents died in a shark attack. An American man and his daughter come to stay in the village while he searches the ocean looking into the coral. Maple, the daughter is of a similar age to Blue Wing so after a small time at loggerheads, they begin to bond over the loss of a parent.

Blue Wing has a very unique and individual voice, I loved how the book was written. Not only does it include Papuan Pidgin throughout, but also just the way she structures sentences and explains things is different to the norm.

As I mentioned before, the story is quite a slow one, spending a lot of time with these characters just learning about each other and experiencing new things (Maple of course not knowing anything about island life, but also Blue Wing seeing how her home is slowly changing and becoming more Westernised and opening up to outsiders, in good and bad ways)

There are specific themes of loss, revenge, forgiveness and family woven throughout.

The ending really brought everything together, and was beautifully sentimental

Spoiler

but also bittersweet