Delfiini laul

Animal Healer #2

by Lauren St. John, Livia Ulman (Translator)

Hulganisti lastekirjanduse auhindu võitnud ning kogu maailmas palju lugejaid leidnud raamatusari räägib üheteistaastasest Martine’ist, kes pärast orvuks jäämist saadetakse elama vanaema juurde Aafrikasse, loomade kaitsealale. Sarja esimene raamat “Valge kaelkirjak” ilmus Varrakult 2009. aastal. Uus raamat “Delfiini laul” viib lugeja taas Aafrikasse ning räägib toreda ja liigutava loo vaprast Martine`st ja tema sõprusest loomadega.
Kooliekskursioonil juhtub Martine’i ja tema klassikaaslastega õnnetus, mille tagajärjel kukuvad lapsed haidest kubisevasse vette. Ühtäkki ilmuvad lainetest delfiinid, kes lapsed korallrahnudest ümbritsetud saarele viivad. Nüüd peavad merehädalised kuidagi ellu jääma. Kas Martine’i salajasest võluoskusest on kasu, et surmahädaga silmitsi seistes aidata nii loomi kui ka inimesi? Ja kas tema võimed on veel alles, kui tal neid kõige rohkem tarvis läheb?

Genres: Animals, Fiction, Childrens, Fantasy, Adventure, Middle Grade, Mystery

247 pages, Hardcover

First published August 1, 2007

About the author

Lauren St John grew up on a farm and game reserve in Africa, the inspiration for her acclaimed memoir, Rainbow's End, and her award-winning White Giraffe series for children. Dead Man's Cove, the first in her Laura Marlin mystery series, won the Blue Peter Book of the Year Award in 2011. Her bestselling One Dollar Horse trilogy for teenagers was followed by The Glory, a breathtaking YA adventure and romance about a long distance horse race across the American West. Formerly a sports and music journalist, Lauren is the author of Seve and Hardcore Troubador: the Life & Near Death of Steve Earle, a superb, gripping biography of an Americana legend. The Obituary Writer, her first adult novel, was published in 2014 and she is currently at work on her second. Both The White Giraffe and The Glory have been optioned for film.

Reviews

[Dee · Rating 4 out of 5]

What would you do if you were stuck on a deserted island surrounded by undersea mines and only your stuck-up classmates for comfort?

Martine, an orphan who recently moved to South Africa to live with her grandmother on a wildlife game reserve, enjoys her new life in Africa. Until, that is, she leaves on a class trip to witness the Sardine Run. For her classmates, it's a chance to witness a natural phenomenon. But for Martine, it is her worst nightmare. Not only will she be on a boat for ten days with her not-so-nice classmates, but she'll also be surrounded by shark-infested waters, something she's been scared of since she was a little girl.

When they hit a hurricane at sea, Martine and some of her fellow classmates are thrown overboard and rescued by dolphins. The dolphins swim them to a deserted island where Martine and her classmates are forced to work together to survive. Suddenly, the same dolphins that saved them start to beach themselves on the island. Martine and her classmates wonder what is causing the dolphins to act so strangely--and what they discover is that the island has a mystery all its own. It l takes everyone's courage to discover what the island is hiding and how to save the dolphins in the meantime.

Lauren St. John weaves an interesting story of survival, ambush and wildlife conservation in this all-too-real drama about the wild dolphins of our world's oceans.

[Catherine · Rating 5 out of 5]

DOLPHIN SONG REVIEW:
BY:LAUREN ST.JOHN

Martine´s class are going on a ocean voyage to see one of the gratest spectacles on Earth, the "Sardine Run". At first the adventure was exiting but then there was a storm causing the ship to sink. It threw Martine´s classmates overboard into shark waters. Martine and a few of her classmates were saved by some dolphins, but they end up in a deserted island. Now Martine and her classmates must survive.She and her friends are waiting for rescue but what if no one comes? What then?...

I really liked this book because it has one of my favorite things: Dolphins. I also like survival stories which made me LOVE this book.I also liked how she was very descriptive. For example: The sun was a band of gold glitter.

I would recommend it to anybody who likes survival or animal stories.

I would rate this book 5 out of 5 stars. =D

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

My class know that I love reading and I a lucky to have some keen readers who like to share what they are reading with me. When a 9 year old comes up to you and says 'Miss, you have to read this, it's brilliant' and thrusts the book at you, well, how can you not read it!

This is the second in a series about a young girl who goes to live with her grandmother on a South African game reserve after the death of her parents. Martine has healing powers and is able to help sick animals. In this book, she goes on a boat trip with her class and things take a turn for the worse...

I enjoyed this. For a children's book, it has some quite sophisticated ideas. There is enough action to keep the reader interested and interesting characters. One to recommend to others in my class.

[Paige.s · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought this book was really great because it is about a girl named Martine and her family in Africa, her grandmother and her white giraffe. I think that it is really cool that Martine has a giraffe that loves her and she gets to ride on it because it lives in the game preserve next to her house. Martine and her classmates are going on a cruise. She leaves and misses her giraffe. Everything seemed just fine until a storm hit the boat and everyone went overboard. Martine and her friends almost drowned but then a pod of dolphins saved them and brought them to an island. They were stranded on this island and had to improvise on the stuff they needed to survive. They were stranded on this island for over a week. Then Martine went for a swin and saw some cables and swan down to them. There was an explosion and two guys came in on a boat. Martine and Ben hopped inside and they hid in the boat until they got to another island. Eventually some guys caught them and put them on death island and said if they could swim back to the other island(8miles) they would take them to where they lived. You are going to have to read the book to find out if they are saved or if they died trying.

[Felix · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really liked this book it was full of adventure and you learned a lot about animals

[Elo Maria · Rating 4 out of 5]

Väga armas! Ja tegelikult ei olnud väga hullu, et see on järg raamatule, mida lugesin kusagil 6. klassis :P

[markiuscb · Rating 4 out of 5]

Maco, tendre. Entenc a la Irene de fa 15 anys🥺

[Lynnette · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read Lauren St. John's books aloud to my younger son at bedtime. He loves dolphins (and penguins) so I thought he would enjoy this one. I hadn't realized it was a series when we first started reading it, but after a couple of chapters, we figured out there was a previous book. It didn't matter. Dolphin Song worked fine as a stand alone book. Afterward, we read through the other books in this series (we read them #2, #1, #3, #4).

My son and I both enjoy learning about Africa and all the animals by reading these books. The author inserts real world information into her fictional story. Her story has inspired us to look up photos of the places she mentions in her books, as well as photos and further information about the animals. My son wanted to know what a bushbaby and a springbok looked like, so we Googled images of them. He wanted to hear examples of the Click languages of Africa, so we found some YouTube videos.

The author uses a few words, phrases, and concepts that are beyond my (then) 9 year old, but they just trigger conversations about anything he doesn't understand. There are some sad parts in the series, but overall, I think they are positive books. Martinez and her friend Ben are wonderful and full characters. Reading the whole series also helps to see how Martinez and Gwyn Thomas's relationship evolves.

[Lin · Rating 4 out of 5]

[ SPOILERS AHEAD ]

Somehow, what took Rowling six books to reach, and all too many words to underaccomplish, is succinctly done by St. John in a single, far shorter book.

Nuance and complexity is somehow hard to come by in books for 8-12 years olds — like Harry Potter —, yet desperately needed, as tweens and teens, more so than anybody else, are taught and grow into empathy. Only some part of it boils down to genetics-related "this'll-make-them-more-likely-to"... most of it is taught.

Sure, it is not that these things don't exist in Harry Potter, but they took far too many words and are executed far too poorly, with the author expecting that in order for children to understand such things they must first grow up, then understand, as if learning to understand isn't an inherent part of growing up.

Martin does not need to be a teen in order to come to learn things are more than they seem, or to have moments where she acts in less than ideal ways, is called out on it (usually by her Grandmother), receives consequences for it (however questionable), or to later be acknowledged by the adult figures in her life when there are some things more important in life than being listened to by the youngsters in your life (like them being safe, alive, and happy, and if rules push children to sneak outside and put themselves in ever more danger, those rules are quite useless). Yet, without having to tell us every last thought process, St. John manages to add more facets to existing characters, create organic conflict that makes sense, remember that children need responsible adults watching over them (Rowling and Hogwarts could never), all the while still managing to ensure said children have a wild adventure that gives readers a thrilling escape without sacrificing the logic of the world.

Perfection is not what this book is. It's not some first of its kind, never-been-done-before thing (for starters, Martin IS a Chosen One, whether I like admitting it or not), but it still has some authenticity, and it manages to tell a story complete with character development, friendship drama, family conflict, deserted island aventures, survival and a very pro-animal conservation message.

If I had to penalise the book (and, really, the overall series) on a couple issues, it'd be:
- Martin is a white girl who just happened to have been born in a South Africa (then lived in Britain). This tale could've incorporated a black girl as MC, and might've been stronger for it, as mainstream POC representation is still quite limited, and because as a POC person raised in Britain, those aspects of her childhood could've also been explored), who happens to be the girl of a prophecy that's mostly talked about by a black woman. It just feels a tad... odd. Sure, white people exist outside of Europe... South Africa is quite known for this (alongside apartheid). White-passing people exist in and out of Europe. But this was a missed opportunity for darker-skin rep, esp. since in the first book, she's the main character and POC characters only fill in fairly minor mentorship or acquaintance roles. I'm also pretty sure there is no black girl Martin's age in the entire series.
- While technically this book is through Martine's perspective and therefore it makes sense, the anti-shark stance the character takes (even when when we discount whale sharks, since they're krill eaters) in the majority of the book feels a little disheartening. Should we be keeping a distance from wildlife in general for those animals' (and our) safety? Sure. I just think it unintentionally pushes this idea of (most) sharks being these horrifically predatory creatures constantly after blood... while ignoring that animals like dolphins aren't always perfect.
- Grace is that magical aunt/godmother, but as a black person to a white person (which feels like a questionable trope), and plays a pretty sanitised role that doesn't leave much explanation why she bothers when Martine's Grandma clearly pushes her away form Martine (in the first book) and she barely knows Martine. Yes, people can be kind, but her generosity feels trope-levels of a-little-too-good-to-be-realistic.

To be fair though, the second point can be explained away by the character themselves... and the first, well... it's never really used to make Martine seem better than others (in fact, she's a rebel that does face consequences for it, and while it is decidedly tropey, one of the POC kids in this book, Ben, is the one to become her friend, which then continues in the next two movies, and he maintains a pretty prominent role in the books). The characterisation of Grace, while not great, is also arguably not the most harmful thing ever, so it's more of a minor gripe. However, these are enough for me to bring down the rating by one star from what could've been a five star rating.

Other than that, the story captures ones attention in ways few books can, in my not-so-humble opinion. When I was a child, I could re-read this book six times over in a single year... not because it didn't drag on for a thousand pages like books seem to increasingly (for no apparent reason) do these days, but because it's so... legible. Yet, the characters are also interesting, the environments feel alive and changeable, and the criticisms towards bad actors in the world comes with the optimism of "we CAN do something about this. This needs to change and we can help change it". Also, none of the characters feel like they are careless to an unnecessarily, cartoonishly malicious degree.

Does Grace talk about things with Martine or hand her things that might cause events to take a turn for the more dangerous or might inspire Martine to step out into the reserve even when she's really not supposed to? Sure, but those are decidedly Martine's choices, they're not really pushed onto her, and the things Grace gives are useful. Is Martine's Grandmother cautious to the point where she suppresses Martine's autonomy and ability to find herself? Somewhat. However, it's rooted and realistic and sensible fears surrounding an unpredictable wilderness and in past loss. Reserves aren't zoos, and even if they were the animals in them are no less not-human. They'll act in potentially unpredictable ways. (And there are poachers out there.) Is Martine reckless and disrespectful? Sure; however it's for the sake of her giraffe friend, Jemmy, who is clearly a sort of implied platonic soulmate of hers, and it comes with consequences (albeit brief ones). Are her classmates reckless and nasty? Sure, but they grow out of it, and a few of them are implied to be acting out because of reasons tied to family, peer pressure, etc. Families are strong influences on young people. And when they raid through Martine's supplies (given by Grace) it's to help one of their own that's gotten stung.

I could go on, but I think I've made myself clear. While far from a masterpiece, I think more people should read this. Certainly, it deserves at least half the readership that more popular childrens' books do.

[Aly · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is not my favorite book by St John, but it is still good. It's a little more like Lord of the Flies and less like the first story in the series. Martine's school field trip goes terribly wrong when the boat sinks and Martine, Ben, and a few others drift to a deserted island. While on the island, they discover a problem that may affect the dolphins in the area.

The setting is great, but the idea of a boat sinking is a little tough to believe. The dolphins are also a little too unrealistic. Overall, beautifully written as always and full of wonderful hidden meaning. A feel good book.

[Anu-vinkkari · Rating 4 out of 5]

Eläimiä, jännitystä ja magiaa osa kaksi. Delfiinit pelastavat myrskyn sieppaamat nuoret autiolle saarelle ja lasten on unohdettava vanhat kaunansa ja liittouduttava, jotta selviävät edes hengissä. Vaikeissa olosuhteissa heikoin voi osoittautua odotettua vahvemmaksi ja kovaäänisin voi paljastua suureksi pelkuriksi. Oman henkiin jäämisen lisäksi lasten on huolehdittava myös rantautuvista delfiineista ja pysäytettävä katalat roistot, jotka ovat valmiita uhraamaan ympäristönsä ja harvinaiset eläimet lisätulojen toivossa. Sarja on varsin koukuttava ja ilokseni olen huomannut, että moni vinkattuun ykköseen tarttuva lukee myös sarjan kolme muuta osaa.

[h · Rating 5 out of 5]

The perfect thing to distract me from bad times, and to entertain me in good times.

These books are written for children but they're in no way childish. Growing up I believe this may have been my least favourite but I'm unsure.

All I can say is that they make me want to travel. The way that Lauren St John describes South Africa is so vivid and beautiful I can't help but want to go and experience the warmth from its nature and people.

The pages of these books are thick and soft and have that amazing book smell. Comforting.

Can't wait to continue the rest.

[Claire · Rating 3 out of 5]

A sequel to The White Giraffe. Martin is settling in with her prickly grandmother just as she sets off for two weeks on a boat trip with her class. She has just her one friend, who is not always predictable. A number of the classmates are swept overboard and washed to a 'deserted' island where all Martine's skill's, her healing ability, her decisions to reach out to others and her bravery come into play. African mysticism and Martine's destiny are potent elements of these satisfying novels.

[Sievrin]

I just started this book today and I like the authors point of view and how the characters are introduced in the text and story. Just the first chapter tells Martines story and what happened to her and her parents.
SO far the book has been really well structured. Martine had a hard time with her grandma before leaving for her school trip to the seas. Martine and her grandma left on some bad points and she's not coordinating with her teacher either.

[Lydia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lauren St. John is such a good writer! This book was written so well, because it was touching, action filled, and suspenseful. Plus, the writing techniques she used were really good, and they enhanced the feeling of the book.

[Brooke · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very great book.

[Julia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dolphin Song by Lauren St John is a powerful contemporary YA novel. It is the third book in the White Giraffe series but can be read as a stand-alone. I recommend reading the books in numerical order for character progression and development.
I enjoyed meeting up with familiar faces as we rejoin eleven-year-old Martine and her classmates as they are going on a sea trip around the African coast to see the sardine’s swarm. It is to be a trip of a lifetime – it will be memorable in more ways than one!
Martine has been given the gift of healing animals. This will prove to be vital. She has also learnt about the healing properties of plants from wise Grace, who practices the old ways.
Friendships will be tested. “Friends made you brave. Friends made things fun.” We all need good friends. Classmates have been cruel until they need help, and then rivalries are put aside for the greater good. Working together is far better than being alone. Together we will accomplish far more.
There is nothing like a near-tragedy to put things into perspective. “I’m not happy because we nearly died last night, I’m happy because we’re alive this morning.” A positive attitude will help in our journey through life.
We see that money is important if you use it for good. The love of money is the root of all evil. Greed will surely bring about a fall. “Money can’t always buy what matters in this life” – and what matters in life is people.
The White Giraffe series is about conservation and looking after our planet. Each book in the series has a different focus. It is the turn of dolphins in this book, as the title suggests. We learn about what the dolphins need and also what will harm them. “Sometimes it’s important to stand up for what you believe in.” The children do not give up on the dolphins, and the dolphins do not give up on them.
Lauren St John teaches the next generation about conservation of animals. You will be educated as you read. I am thoroughly enjoying the White Giraffe series and am very much looking forward to the final three books.

[Dane Cobain · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lauren St. John is an unusual author for me because I read her books for a very specific reason – because she was one of the first authors I ever interviewed for my book blog, SocialBookshelves.com. I always thought it was pretty cool that I’d see her books around in charity shops, and I think I found this one at the Tesco book exchange.

Another thing that I like is the way that St. John’s books always have a pretty consistent theme of conservationism towards the heart of them, with this one being no different. They’re great books for entertaining kids while simultaneously providing a little bit of information about the world that we live in. If you ask me, there aren’t enough books like this, and it’s a shame because the youth needs to know this stuff.

The plot itself was so so and followed on directly from The White Giraffe, which I’m pretty sure I’ve read. But really, the plot itself was of less interest to me than the messages that St. John was trying to convey, although I’ll admit that I’m hardly the typical reader. I get the sense that this series is probably predominantly marketed towards young girls.

And even with that in mind, I still enjoyed it, so I think that’s a testament to St. John’s skills as a writer. This is also some of her earlier work, and I can vouch for the fact that she’s improved quite a lot since then.

[Jasper · Rating 5 out of 5]

Recently I read Dolphin Song by Lauren St John. The book is about a group of kids who are on a cruise with school. The cruise hits a big storm and 7 of the kids are thrown off the ship. They fall into the shark-infested sea. Martine the main character is terrified of water. Luckily dolphins take the kids to a safe island away from the sharks. The kids are then forced to survive. As the book goes on the school bully gets stung by a Japanese man of war. Martine and her friends must fight to stay alive and to keep the bully alive.
I really like this book to the point where I have read it multiple times. What I like about this book is the fact that everyone gets along fairly well. Another thing I like is that they all stay calm even when they are stuck on an island in the middle of nowhere.
I would recommend this book to anyone really. The reason is that there is hardly anything inappropriate. I found the book really enjoyable and I think that everyone else will find it good too. I would also recommend this to anyone who enjoys action and adventure books. The reason is that the is a lot of action in the middle and beginning of the book.

[Jean · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fifth graders will really enjoy this exciting sequel to Lauren Saint johns first book. Dolphin Song explores Martina’s relationship with her grandmother and with her friend Ben. It also includes some interesting information about various aquatic creatures and marine mammals. It is a great adventure about survival. The vocabulary is challenging. Readers should note that the information about sonar and it’s effects on marine mammals is not entirely accurate. Teachers to use this book will want to explore this in further detail.

[Eliise Marleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Arvan, et raamat on väga armas ning seal pole ka midagi ebasobilikku kirjas. Kirjutatakse palju sõprusest ning arvan, et lastele oleks raamat vägagi õpetlik. Raamat on hästi kirjutatud, kuna hästi palju kirjeldatakse ümbritsevat, peategelase mõttemaailma ning situatsioone. See annab ka parema ettekujutuse raamatus toimuvast. Raamatut valides ma aga ei teadnud, et sisu on päris titekas, kuid see ongi lasteraamat ning oleksin pidanud ise tähelepanelikum olema. Annaksin raamatu pigem oma väiksele sugulasele lugeda. Soovitaksin raamatut lastele vanuses 10-13.

[Cheryl]

I do recommend this series to the right audience. Turns out that, March 2021, that doesn't include me. I liked the world-building and the character development in the first, but this sequel just couldn't capture my interest. I admit, I may have put it down too soon, though... so if you liked the first you should try this.

Or, you can start here. There's plenty of recap so you don't actually need the first, if you're simply more interested in dolphins than giraffes, say.

[Laura Findlay · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 or 4 stars - can't decide! I really like this series. This book is a bit 'scarier' than The White Giraffe - there is a full-on, lost on a desert island with sharks adventure. It's gripping! I really like the main character Martine. She's a realistic character dealing with fears and struggles, but she's brave as heck.

[Katrina Alexander · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book! Even though the main character is only 11, the story and adventure appeals to all ages!

I love a good survival tale. Add in a healing gift, love of animals, and raising animal rights awareness and it can't get much better! It's Lord of the Flies, meets Free Willy with lyrical prose!

[Kadri · Rating 4 out of 5]

Martine kardab minna ekskursioonile, sest unenäod hoiatavad teda. Tüdruk teab, et juhtub midagi halba, kuid ei suuda seda ära hoida. Koos klassikaaslastega satuvad nad asustamata saarele ning nende päästjaks on delfiinid. Rasketes oludes avastab igaüks endas midagi uut ja koos on nad tugevad. Nad peavad päästma delfiinid ning on nõus selle nimel riskima oma eluga.

[Olivia · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good, short chapter book. I enjoyed reading this, although this is the first one I have read, due to the fact that I didn't know this was a series. I liked the plot, but it ended to abruptly, in my own personal opinion. I felt like it should have been a bit longer, esepcially the explanation. Still, a good book.

[Catmom 4 · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am an Adult and this is definitely a YA or Teenage Book. I did learn a bit about Dolphins, but felt like the ending seemed rushed and the White Giraffe really had nothing to do with the story. I have learned that this is a part of a series though, so, I guess if I read it all, it would make more sense.

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved Martine, how brave she is when everyone is stranded on the island, and I love how forgiving sh is as well. She is so in tune with nature, and I can't wait to read the other books in the Animal Healer series!

[Alyse · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the second book in the animal healer series. My class of third graders loved the first one (The White Giraffe); this one had about 75% that loved it. I liked it but it's not one I would read again next year to my class.

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved Martine, how brave she is when everyone is stranded on the island, and I love how forgiving sh is as well. She is so in tune with nature, and I can't wait to read the other books in the Animal Healer series!