After years of war,
the Polynesian island of Vaitea is environmentally devastated. The
vegetation is dying and even the birds are leaving. Miru’s father
is a warrior and the same fate is planed for him, but Marama the
island sorceress sees a different future. She tells Miru that he must
sail to another island to bring back seeds and shoots of trees to
restore the island’s vegetation.
At first Miru
refuses to face the challenge. Finally, he accepts his fate and tries
to win approval from his warrior father. His father refuses and is
equally adamant when Miru asks for his sister Renga to be a member of
the crew. Miru perseveres. He and Renga choose a third crew member,
learn about sailing,
This is a
fascinating historical novel based on Edward Stanton’s study of
Easter Island. The book paints a devastating picture of what can
happen to an island when the focus is on war rather than on keeping
the islands environment vibrant and capable of sustaining the
population. A delightful book for Earth Day, it is an adventure where
children set out to save their homeland because the adults are too
involved in the political chaos and wars that are leading to the
destruction of Vaitea.
The three children
are sympathetic characters. They exhibit courage and the ability to
face problems and find solutions. I recommend this book for teen
audiences, but adults will enjoy it as well.
I received this book
from PR by the Book for this review.
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