Zheng has had many adventures in his young life, now sailing with a captain who took him under his wing. One night, Zheng discovers the unthinkable. The entire crew has been drugged, in the middle of a storm, in the middle of the ocean.

Two men have stolen something precious from the captain’s cabin, planning to leave on a lifeboat and leave the ship and crew to their fate. To his despair, Zheng must also escape the flailing ship.

Zheng wakes in the shade of trees with a boy trickling coconut milk between his sunburnt, parched lips. This boy introduces himself as Ravi, warning Zheng there are two men looking for him. With Ravi’s help Zheng hides while he recovers.

Zheng knows the men must be a man called Marco and his accomplice from the ship. Zheng has something they want. Something they have already killed for.

Ravi and his twin sister Shifa are soon drawn into a death-defying adventure with Zheng to reclaim an ancient artifact stolen from their country many years before. Just when they feel they are safe, their plans are thrown awry, and they must think again, and again!

Ravi struggles being on the sea again after a family tragedy stole his love of the water. Little does he know that the sea and the creatures within it are just what they need to help them survive.

The Boy who met a Whale is a wonderful adventure of two boys brought together by the sea, a stolen treasure and two tragedies. Up against ruthless villains, they strive again and again for each other’s welfare and to put a terrible wrong, right. 

Set on a tropical island surrounded by a wealth of sea life, this is a non-stop action tale that captured me on the first page. In the rear of the book are the first chapters of another book by this author – The Girl who stole an Elephant. I’ll be diving into that next!

Author – Nizrana Farook

Age – 7+

(2020, Nosy Crow, Island, Friendship, Adventure, Treasure map, Shipwreck, Quest, Danger, Courage, Grief, Tragedy, Twins, Siblings, Whale, Sea, Ocean, Action)