2022: a short and sweet retelling of a Māori myth

I'll be honest–if not for a reading challenge prompting me to select a book by a Māori author this year, I don't think I ever would have picked up this book. It's very short, coming in at 122 pages, and it barely scrapes the surface when it comes to how the Māori people have been treated by white New Zealanders throughout the years. But that's not really the goal of the book and that's okay too.

I do strongly remember the film, mostly from Keisha Castle-Hughes's strong performance in it. And that's mostly what this book was lacking. The narration wasn't from Kahu's perspective, and it would have been so much stronger if it had been. So instead of feeling her struggles alongside her, it's her cousin just observing and musing on how she must be feeling.

Overall, any book where they can talk to whales earns a thumbs up from me!