A Whale of the Wild

For Vega and her family, salmon is life. And Vega is learning to be a salmon finder, preparing for the day when she will be her family’s matriarch. But then she and her brother Deneb are separated from their pod when a devastating earthquake and tsunami render the seascape unrecognizable. Vega must use every skill she has to lead her brother back to their family. The young orcas face a shark attack, hunger, the deep ocean, and polluted waters on their journey. Will Vega become the leader she’s destined to be?

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A Wolf called Wander was one of my favourite books last year. Rosanne managed to take dry facts and weave a compelling, beautiful story out of them. Now she's done the same for orca whales.

This wonderful story packs a lot of information in without ever seeming to be preachy or infodumping. Using two points of view allows Rosanne to show parts of the story that she couldn't from one point of view. Orcas are one of a few species that run on matriarchal lines, and out points of view - a young female and her younger brother - allow us to experience this from both sides.

Sadly, my proof copy didn't include the informational back matter, but I'm very much looking forward to seeing it when the book publishes. Rosanne has a gift for making things seem simple and interesting.

I enjoyed that while there is some discussion of how humans have and are still harming the sea's populations, the major problem in this story is natural - an earthquake setting off a tsunami - and that twice humans are shown to be helping, not harming, the animals. People can be awful, but we can be good, too. Things are also very cleverly described so that even though the whales don't know exactly what humans are doing and what tools they're using, we can still tell.

I'm really looking forward to seeing this in person. I think it will sell very well.

Parents be aware,  in case it's necessary, there is some relatively clearly described death of animals in this novel.

A Whale of the Wild publishes on the 1st of September, 2020.