The Lost Whale

By Hannah Gold,

Book cover of The Lost Whale

Book description

The Lost Whale is the enchanting second novel from the author of The Last Bear: the bestselling debut hardback of 2021 and The Times Children's Book of the Week, winner of the Waterstones Children's Book Prize and the Blue Peter Award and shortlisted for the British Book Awards and the…

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Why read it?

2 authors picked The Lost Whale as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

With my fascination for whales, I was taken by Gold's book.

Rio, who lives in London, is sent to California to be with his grandmother, while his violinist mother recovers from a breakdown. Everything is alien to Rio. Gradually, he begins to notice the migrating gray whales.

With his new friend, Marina, and her father, who runs a tourist boat, Rio becomes intrigued with one whale in particular, White Beak. They track White Beak, until suddenly, there's no trace of her. Rio and Marina, concerned that she has gotten entangled in fishing nets, are determined to locate her.

Their strong…

From Andrea's list on inspiring kids to protect our world.

I’m recommending this as another fiction book for middle grade readers / 9-12-year-olds that is beautifully written and has absolutely gorgeous illustrations. It touches on similar themes as in my book, but it’s set in California and mainly features whales. The illustrations and the way it’s written make it accessible to a wide range of readers too. I have been lucky enough to go whale watching and felt it took me right back to that life-changing experience. I loved this book and it makes for a great read aloud.

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