Leaving his beloved home in Zimbabwe has been hard for Sean. He has struggled to find new friends in NZ where he now lives with his mum. When he strikes up a conversation with a boy at his new High School, he finally makes a connection to his new country. Mason Leadbetter is a Spearo – a mad-keen spear fisherman, and so are his father (Ritchie) and sister (Nicole.)

Sean and Nicole clash early in this new friendship, and there is an undercurrent of mistrust and friction between them. Sean has no experience with the sea (Zimbabwe is a land-locked country), so he has a lot to learn. His mum is wary of this new interest of Sean’s, suggesting another sport not involving breathing gear and spear guns, but Sean is adamant. He wants to learn spear fishing, which also means keeping Mason’s friendship.

Keen to prove himself, Sean puts himself in danger, and his mum forbids any more ocean snorkling. Determined to learn, Sean continues with his training in a local pool. This training pays off when an opportunity arises to travel with Mason’s family to Mahia – a small seaside town hosting an annual spearfishing competition. Finally Sean gets to prove himself to a doubting Nicole and his mum, whilst facing his own fears and galvanising his friendship and future in NZ.

Award winning Mary-Anne Scott has written another great read for reluctant boy readers and anyone keen on fishing or keen to learn more about it – especially spearfishing. Great family dynamics, emotional undercurrents and ocean action. Dive in!

Author – Mary-Anne Scott

Age – 9+

Read the First Chapter here

Find Teacher’s Notes here

Read more Reviews of Mary-anne Scott’s novels here (Click on the covers)

(Fishing, Spear fishing, Kontiki, Mahia, Competition, Loss, Zimbabwe, Misunderstanding, Misconceptions, NZ Author, HB Author, Friendship, Fitting in)