It's June - winter in South Africa, and Martine and her grandmother are enjoying a cold but beautiful walk along the beach when they find a stranded, dying dolphin. Martine uses her gift of healing to help it back to the ocean but it's only the latest in a series of inexplicable beachings of dolphins and whales - and the start of a brand new adventure for Martine. After a last stolen midnight ride on her beloved white giraffe, Jemmy, Martine's class is off on an amazing school trip to the islands of Mozambique to witness the legendary 'Sardine Run'. It's a trip that goes drastically wrong and Martine, with close friend Ben, finds herself swimming in shark-infested waters, marooned on an uninhabited island and suddenly at the centre of mysterious submarine goings-on as she tries to save a pod of 100 dolphins from certain death. This book has plenty of action and adventure, and delves deeply into Martine's relationships with the people and animals around her. It makes her question the true nature of her gift, and what she will be called upon to do next. -- Publisher details.
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I am 45 but really enjoyed this book. I read the first book in the series about a year ago and loved that story too. I plan to read the other books in the series and any others that come out. I think Lauren St. John is a great writer and I love it that she is teaching children to be more conscious of animals and our environment. This story was full of adventure. Martine and her classmates go on a class trip to see the sardine run and help count the dugongs. The other kids are not kind to Martine or Ben, a boy who no one has heard speak at school. While on the cruise they did see the sardine run and also some dolphins but then a terrible storm engulfs the boat and several students are lost overboard. What happens next is terrifying and amazing.
