Customer Reviews

Dolphin Song

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

In this sequel to The White Giraffe, eleven year old Martine is just adjusting to life with her grandmother and her beloved white giraffe, Gemma, when she leaves on a school field trip to study ocean life off the coast of Mozambique. She and five classmates are thrown overboard by a storm at sea and saved by a pod of dolphins, who carry them on their backs to a deserted island. The kids, who have to learn to get along in order to survive, discover the island seems to be booby-trapped underwater, and dolphins are mysteriously beaching themselves. The children must solve a mystery to save the dolphins and themselves.
This is another beautiful story from this author, perfect for tween girls and animal lovers of all ages. Martine's unique gift with animals is very moving, and the author, who lived in Africa, does a wonderful job describing the African setting.

Dolphin Song is a conservation minded adventure story featuring Martine - an orphaned girl who lives on a game reserve in South Africa. Martine, whose best friend is a white giraffe named Jemmy, enjoys spending as much time with animals as her classmates. Martine is afraid however of sharks and frets with worry when her class plans a trip on a boat to visit the sardine migration off the coast. A ship wreck plunges Martine and her classmates into the sea and a living nightmare, but the children are magically rescued and brought to shore by a group of dolphins. The story then focuses on the disparate group's survival attempts as castaways on an island.

Dolphin Song narrator Adjoa Andoh's English accent adds to the exotic flare of this adventure tale. She voices children and adults with equal ease and believability. She manages to propel fear and suspense into the novel once the children are cast at sea. Animal lovers will also enjoy the tale's tidbits of information on animal behavior.

Dolphin song is a really exciting story for young adults. I listened to the book with my daughter -we both loved it! We both didn't want to ever turn off the audiobook, because we got very involved in the action. The writing is top notch. Adults will enjoy the story just as much as children - its not dumbed down for kids, but is still really appropriate for them. My daughter said it was one of her favorites this year. She really loves animals, and the book will appeal to kids who love animals. The heroine - Martine, is best friends with a rare white giraffe, and finds herself in a dramatic tale of survival while on a boat tour off the coast of South Africa. You don't want to put the book down. If you want a smart thriller for kids, this book is perfect for you!

Dolphin Song is the second installment in Lauren St. John's series that begins with The White Girafe; it is set in Africa and combines elements of mystery with environmental activism in a way that will appeal to middle school readers, especially girls. The young, female protagonist has a special bond with animals. She and her side-kick, a scrappy and intelligent native boy, experience quite an adventure after being washed overboard on a school trip to see the sardines run. Their sojourn on an uninhabited island with unpleasant classmates echoes the themes explored in Lord of the Flies in a manner more suitable to the pre-high school audience.

My daughter LOVES all of Lauren St. John's books. This is the 2nd in her "White Giraffe" series. I have read these books to my 9 year old's class, and they all loved them very much!

My daughter received this book as a gift from her teacher. After reading the synopsis I thought 'How boring' but I began reading the book out of boredom and was pleasantly surprised. The friendship between Martine and Ben was very well expressed and enjoyable. Also Martine's power was fascinating. I now want to read The White Giraffe. This is one of the best middle grade books I have ever read.

i think dolphin song was one of the best books i have ever read. it tells a great story of freindship. i think any animal lover would have a great time reading this novel. this book teaches you a valuable lesson in life.

This book is about a girl who is stranded on an island with her friend and some schoolmates. They have to find a way to survive and get off of the island. Before they can leave they find some dolphins that need help, and they stop people who are trying to harm them from doing so.

The book continues to be interesting thoughout, and doesn't have any boring parts.

I would highly recommend this book!

I read all the books in this series by Lauren St. John. I wanted to see what they are like before giving them to an 11 year old girl. They are fascinating, easy to read, have a touch of magic, and I thoroughly enjoyed them and after the first, couldn't wait to read the rest of the series. My young 11-year old friend likes the first one so I'll give her the rest of the series at Christmas. So these books are enjoyable for 11 to 70 year olds and older.

This book has been the hardest, most tedious book for me to get through. The main character and her friend are the only characters who aren't complete and total jerks. The grandmother is harsh and overbearing, the classmates are cruel to the point where I want to punch them through the pages, and the teacher doesn't seem to notice any of it.

I've been reading this book chapter by chapter to my daughter at night, and she seems to enjoy it, but all I ever feel from this story is anger at the behavior of the characters.

And the wording. Oh God the wording. It's like the author wanted to show off some fancy words and threw them in there for the hell of it.

As my title says, I seem to be in a minority on this one because the other reviews are 5-stars. I cannot stand this book.