Description
An inspiring story of courage, resilience and hope, set in the Torres Strait Islander community as climate change threatens culture, tradition and connection to place, co-written by Michelle Scott Tucker and proud Torres Strait Islander creator, actor, producer and director Aaron Fa'Aoso.
The crocodile's eyes were yellow, slit by a vertical pupil. The creature remained perfectly still, but it throbbed with life. Ezra felt goosebumps in spite of the afternoon heat, and took a few steps back.
'Is that thing looking at you?' asked Mason.
'Nah. How could it be?'
Twelve-year old Ezra is an ordinary boy who lives on Saibai, an extraordinary Australian island. He loves a laugh, he loves his family, and - almost more than anything - he loves a dare.
But when one of his dares goes wrong, Ezra realises he needs to make some decisions about helping out and measuring up. He learns that there's more than one way to look at, well, nearly everything.
And as ever-increasing climate disasters threaten Saibai, Ezra and his best mate Mason must draw on their resilience and courage to help the community survive a massive out-of-season storm.
Set in today's Torres Strait, Spirit of the Crocodile is a captivating novel that explores the importance of culture, community and place to a carefree kid on the cusp of growing up.
Review
On the island of Saibai, friends are treated as family, elders are respected, and community and culture are everything.
Ezra loves the carefree and fun lifestyle that they have on Saibai. Ezra and his best friend, Mason, are more like brothers than friends, and their families treat them like that too. The boys are nearing the end of primary school, and with no high school on their island, they will be heading to Thursday Island. But this is not something that Ezra is looking forward to at all. He wants things to stay the same, and to be able to stay on Saibai.
Ezra and Mason are typical twelve-year-old boys, who love nothing more than setting a dare for each other. Their parents are expecting them to be more responsible and start to grow up now they are going to high school. But after one of their dares goes wrong, can they win back respect and overcome the disappointment that they have caused?
Things are also starting to change on the island. When an unusual storm wreaks havoc, the boys find themselves caught right in the middle of it. Will they be mature and courageous enough to step up and help their community when they need it most?
This is a wonderful story of friendship, family, respect, culture, accepting change and growing up. The strong sense of how important friends and community are in the life of everyone on the island is evident, and the world be a better place if we all lived more like that! This will be enjoyed by all students in upper primary and lower secondary.
