The Whale Rider
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By Witi Ihimaera
avg rating
6 reviews
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A mystical story of Maori culture. The birth of a daughter – Kahu – breaks the lineage of a Maori tribe.
Rejected by her grandfather, Kahu develops the ability to communicate with whales, echoing those of the ancient Whale Rider after whom she was named.
This magical and mythical novel tells of the conflict between tradition and heritage, from the perspective of Kahu’s grandfather, and Kahu’s destiny to secure the tribe’s future.
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Reviews
Thought provoking book which represents themes of challenging tradition, gender equality and diversity. Heartwarming sense of community mixed with some magical realism.
I enjoyed how much story there was packed into so short a book. It makes it accessible to readers across secondary. There is plenty of imagery to explore and the text provides a beautiful snapshot of another culture. The only content warning would be for descriptions of being deep underwater.
This book was a bit hard to read. I didn't understand some of it when I read it on my own. I read it with my Mum instead and it was great.
I tried to read this and it was a bit hard. My mum read it with me and I loved the story.
It was a fiction story. I liked that the girl got the trust of the whale to ride it in the end.
It looked like an interesting book from the cover.
Just a juicy magic book. Perfect for EVERYONE.
