Isabel of the Whales [Paperback]

Hester Velmans (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 9 and up | Grade Level: 4 and up

Eleven-year-old Isabel is a “plain old” girl living in Provincetown, Massachusetts, who believes that she is destined to accomplish something special. When her fifth-grade class goes on a whale-watch field trip, something amazing happens: Dozens of different species of whales surround the boat, bumping the deck and sending Isabel flying into the ocean. Isabel is shocked to hear the whales speaking to her—she is a mermaid, they tell her, a “Chosen One” who has the ability to turn from a human into a whale and back again. She is destined to live among the whales long enough to learn their ways, and teach them about the human world.

Living among her pod is fun, at first, but Isabel has an important mission. She will change the whales’ future forever, and learn a lot about herself in the process.


From the Hardcover edition.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 4-6–Isabel has always felt that she is someone special. While her ordinary life with family and friends near Provincetown, MA, says otherwise, the 11-year-old proves her point by falling off a boat during a whale watch. Instead of drowning, she becomes a humpback whale. Her guide, Onijonah, tells her that she has been recognized as one of the Chosen humans who become whales in a sort of foreign exchange, teaching and learning from one another. Isabel receives training in diving, feeding, and communication as she migrates with the herd, sharing her knowledge of such hazards as nets and whaling ships. When she is injured helping Onijonah's calf, she must decide whether to stay or seek the safety of land and her human form. While the writing about the events on land seems stilted, the novel picks up once Isabel changes form, and Velmans succeeds admirably in creating a fascinating, watery world to explore. The rather thin fantasy elements are quickly eclipsed by the real magic of whale life. Isabel's pack is presented in detail, each character realized and believable, and the book's pacing and mood highlight the dangers of storms and the comforts of humpbacks' communal existence. Readers will want to move straight from Isabel to the 590s to find out more about these unique mammals. An excellent choice for readers who enjoy animal stories, domestic fantasy, or even nonfiction.–Caitlin Augusta, The Darien Library, CT
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Review

“Fantasy and reality merge in this aquatic coming-of-age adventure with a compelling ecological message. . . To Velmans's credit, the improbable seems probable through the eyes and voice of her down-to-earth heroine. Watch out Little Mermaid, here comes Isabel."–Kirkus Reviews


From the Hardcover edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9 and up
  
• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: Yearling (July 11, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0440420253
• ISBN-13: 978-0440420255
• Product Dimensions: 5.4 x 0.5 x 7.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #340,183 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #83 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Children's Books > Animals > Mammals > Fiction

More About the Author

Hester Velmans is the author of two children's novels and a translator specializing in modern fiction. Her translation of Renate Dorrestein's A HEART OF STONE won the Vondel Prize for Translation and was a Barnes & Noble Discover Great New Writers selection. Her translation of Lulu Wang's THE LILY THEATER was a New York Times Notable Book of the Year.
Her children's book ISABEL OF THE WHALES now has a sibling: the second in the Whales Series, JESSALOUP'S SONG (age 10 and up).

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "Watch out Little Mermaid, here come's Isabel" - Kirkus, May 9, 2005

By 

a reader (New York) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Isabel of the Whales (Library Binding)

"Fantasy and reality merge in this aquatic coming-of-age adventure with a
compelling ecological message. When her 5th-grade class goes on a whale
watch, 11-year-old Isabel falls overboard as a congregation of whales
surrounds the boat. Instead of drowning, Isabel finds herself very much
alive as she morphs into a whale.

Adopted by a pod of humpbacks, Isabel
discovers she is their 'Chosen One'
who 'will stay long enough to learn, and to fulfill her task.' Initially,
Isabel misses her human family, but gradually the ocean becomes home.
The whales teach her underwater survival as they migrate from North Pole to equator. In return, Isabel engineers some
lifesaving tricks of her own. But after a year, Isabel must make a wrenching
choice between land and sea.

To Velmans's credit, the improbable seems
probable through the eyes and voice of her down-to-earth heroine. Watch out Little Mermaid, here comes Isabel." (Delacorte/Random House Children's
Books)

Kirkus

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Isabel of the Whales, July 14, 2005

By 

HJC (Chappaqua, NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Isabel of the Whales (Hardcover)

Isabel of the Whales is a wonderfully satisfying flight of fantasy that lets the imagination take off while also striking deeper, more realistic chords as it delves into themes of love of family and friends and awareness of the environment. I was thoroughly caught up in this beautifully written novel. At times as fun and playful as the whales, it also manages to segue seamlessly into exciting and page-turning episodes that show the dangers that whales face from nature and human activity. Recommend it highly for kids and adults alike!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I loved it!, September 12, 2007

By 

Stelter "monkeywatcher" (Salt Lake City, UT USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Isabel of the Whales (Paperback)

This book was amazing. I read it with my seven year old daughter. We both couldn't wait to read some more the next night. My daughter learned a ton about whales and the writing was fabulous. Wonderful, imaginative, creative book. I hope she writes some more.