Spirit of the Crocodile

by Aaron Fa'Aoso, Michelle Scott Tucker

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.

Genres: Indigenous, Friendship, Family, Childrens, Middle Grade, Australia

272 pages, Hardcover

First published March 4, 2025

About the author

Aaron Fa’Aoso is a Torres Strait Islander film producer, director, screenwriter and actor. He is known for his roles in RAN: Remote Area Nurse, East West 101, The Straits, Black Comedy, and as the presenter of Strait to the Plate and Going Places with Ernie Dingo.

Aaron is the executive director of his own film and television production company, Lone Star, which created the documentary series Blue Water Empire, about the history of the Torres Strait Islands.

Aaron is a board member of Screen Queensland and belongs to several government and not-for-profit advisory committees. He holds a Masters Degree of Film Business from the Australian Film, Television and Radio School.

Reviews

[Kate]

CBCA shortlist - a great middle grade coming of age story.

[RobotAlice]

Shortlisted for the 2026 CBCA Younger Reader Award. And, as always, I read it knowing I am not the intended audience.

This is the third book in this category I have read and is my second favourite of those three. I really enjoyed this book but still think that Little Bones is the clear winner.

What is it with the current obsession with Coming of Age novels for young people? Because this was yet another with that theme and had me sighing a big sigh of resignation when I started. However, once I got going with this book I really enjoyed it.

Ezra lives with his extended family on an island in the Torres Strait. He's in his final year of primary school and he's not looking forward to having to leave the island to attend high school on a bigger island. He's grappling with his sense of self, his place in the world and what becoming an adult will (eventually) be like. He has a fun friend he hangs out with and they get up to all sorts of hilarious dares. Ezra's day to day life and his spiritual life are really well realised and I got a very good sense of his character. He was very believable and I never once got the 'have you ever met a child?' vibes I sometimes get when adults try to write children.

The book dealt with a lot of themes but never once did it feel like a box-ticking exercise and the lessons that Ezra learns along the way are done without feeling didactic or preachy. The huge storm at the end of the story was really well realised and was a way of exploring climate change without beating the audience over the head with it.

I really enjoyed the depiction of life on the island and the way the First Nations culture beliefs and culture was woven naturally into the story.

This one will be easy for me to recommend to my year five students.

[Rebecca]

Right.

This book sat in our school library collection untouched, until it was nominated as a 2026 CBCA Notable.

I dragged my feet taking ages to read it and am kicking my self now. It’s brilliant.

A story of two boys - friends, neighbours and fellow students. The reader follows them through a local coming of age ceremony, weekend and the climax, the storm.

Utterly brilliant. The characters, their well-developed family characters, the sharing of local knowledge and culture and the effects of climate change make this coming-of-age story one I want to force into all primary schools.

The dynamics of family, friendship, community and environment make my heart sing.

Crafted by more than one author, sculptured, and nuanced to read perfectly for any reader aged 10+ years old.

This book should be on all primary school reading lists.

Could this also be the first Torres Strait Islanders middle grade novel?

[Sarah]

A beautiful book for children. Wonderful messaging about community, ageing, and the impacts of climate change.

Great for kids in the upper end of primary school.

[Anna Davidson]

A lovely, gentle story about life in the Torres Strait Islands, this explores the very real impacts of climate changes. It also explores family life on the island of Saibai and the impacts of children needing to leave home to continue their formal schooling. A short, engaging read, this will definitely be added to our Book Club list for upper primary students.

[Dianne Wolfer]

What a terrific glimpse into Torres Strait Islander communities. I loved the characters and learnt so much about the climate concerns they are facing. And this stunning cover deserves an award!!

[Middle Grade Musings]

‘This was Men’s Business, he realised, spirit business, and his head swam with the honour of being entrusted with it.’

To celebrate Indigenous Literacy Day a few weeks ago, I thought I’d dive into this beauty of a book that explores the stunning scenery of the Torres Strait Islands.

12 year old Ezra lives on the Torres Strait Island of Sabai with his close knit and extended family. When he isn’t worrying about his immediate future away from family at a Thursday Island High School, Ezra spends most of his time with his best mate Mason - at school, on the water, fishing, eating or walking around the island. The boys are an energetic pair and love to challenge each other with dares. But when Ezra takes one dare too far, suddenly he’s faced with the enormity of growing up and realises he’s got some work to do. With change and disaster looming, will Ezra make amends and prove himself to his family or will his actions continue to let down and impact those around him?

Wow, I was blown away by how well written this one was by the team of authors. It’s a book of teachings as you are completely immersed in the life and culture of the Torres Strait Islands - the people, the food, the customs, the wildlife, the environment. All this was cleverly intertwined with a heartwarming, coming of age story. Ezra and Mason are a dynamic duo that you will grow to love. I was mesmerised by the chapters where Ezra heads out on the boat with his Dad and Uncle Rex. It was powerful writing as Ezra recognises the importance of this time spent with his elders. With strong themes of change, growing up, family and culture, the book also explores the impact of climate change on the Torres Strait Island communities.

Well done to Aaron, Michelle & Lyn for putting together such an important & rich story.

[ALPHAreader]

Still hyping the books that are out now, via my agency! Pardon me!

This one was more of a powerhouse organisation between Jacinta and editor Lyn White. But it’s still wonderful and I feel quite close to it because Jacinta and I met Aaron at ‘Books at MIFF’ (where publishing types rub shoulders with film/tv people) - he was there as a producer, but I’d researched him beforehand (since he was one of our meetings) and I reckon 4.3 seconds after handshakes I was asking “So; have you ever thought about writing a book?” … it took a while (and meeting Michelle Scott Tucker!), but since then it’s been So Far, So Good and Growing Up Torres Strait Islander in Australia and now Spirit of the Crocodile - but I love that it started from me and the one and only time I’ve managed to leave Aaron speechless.

But while I didn't play a huge role as agent for this one, in a happy eventuality because of my middle-grade authoring, I was invited to provide an endorsement quote for this book. Which I happily did, and shall reproduce here with my utter assurance that I meant every word;

'A vital story to understand the Torres Strait; its people and the uniquely devastating challenges they're facing on the front-lines of the climate catastrophe. This extraordinary novel will compel all readers to get invested in the fight for our planet thanks to the terrific and tender story of community, culture, compassion and coming-of-age amidst climate change; told with humour, heart and exhilarating action!'

[Susan]

There was so much packed into this book. A beautiful description of the island of Saibai and the life of the Torres Strati Islanders residents. It was funny and heart felt without being overdone. Ezra the young boy through whose eyes we see the island, the people and the action is real with the sense of humour typical of a 12 year old (fart jokes and dares) and also fears about starting high school for which he has to move to Thursday Island. At the same time he faces the sometimes difficult lessons his parents and life expect of him.
Most importantly, the book shows the dilemma of the Torres Strait Islanders as global warming impacts more and more severely on their lives in a world that seems not to care. There is a tense few chapters when Ezra and his friend Mason have to take on huge responsibilities to care for an old man during a night of torrential rain and flooding as the sea breaks through the seawall and into their home. This passage was so well written, exciting without being overdone.
I learnt so much from this book and encourage everyone from 10 years up to read it.

[Shane]

Part of my annual read through the CBCA Shortlisted books. I'm a bit behind this year, so I don't have many of the current crop to compare it to - but I felt like this would be a worthy winner.

I enjoyed the coming of age story and the exploration of Torres Strait Island life and culture. I really liked the way the author easily incorporated looking after country and looking after community into the character's everyday lives, without anything feeling forced. In one scene, Ezra's Dad takes Ezra and Uncle Rex fishing. Rex says to Ezra:
"Your Dad 's working hard today."
"Working!" Ezra laughed. "This is his day off."...
"Seems to me like he's checking the reef. Trying to sort out this pig of a boat. Teaching his youngster a thing or two. And looking after an old man. That's a lot of work for his day off."

This is just a small example, but similar ideas are sprinkled throughout.

I see the CBCA have a Shadow Judging podcast featuring this title. I will have to have a listen and see if my students would enjoy it.

[Alicia]

This book wound up being natural disaster in a small town/island. These are a secret love of mine, so I wound up hooked. It was strangely informative and I found it very interesting as a look into how others live. Very much a slice of life until disaster struck, and then it became a coming of age alongside. Ezra has a lot of growing up to do, but he does mature as the story progresses and learns from his past actions. I was very glad it was an own voice story, though there were times it was a little dense of details that were bogging down the story trying to be told. The authenticity is definitely there, and you can see how someone is showing an outsider how life is and celebrations play out. I got chills with the crocodile blessing. Somehow it wound up being a very powerful moment of connection and I would not be surprised if this book finds itself becoming core curriculum. Very enjoyable.

[Lauren Makepeace]

This was gorgeous. I would highly recommend for 10-14yos. It's the third junior fiction book nominated for the CBCA awards I've read and it's definitely my favourite so far.
Ezra is 12 and lives on Saibai, one of the islands in the Torres Strait. He speaks Kala Kawa Ya, creole, and English. He's dealing with the idea of moving to another island for high school, growing up (including the tradition ceremony held when becoming a man - beard-shaving, and secrets shared by uncles), and then a disastrous storm which floods the island. The book has a wonderful way of weaving in cultural knowledge, traditions, belief, and language. It also shows the devastating impacts of climate change, sea level rise, and increase in storm frequency and intensity, in a way that makes it feel real and relatable.
I really enjoyed this book and will happily purchase a copy for my school's library. It's wonderful to see Torres Strait Islanders represented in accessible literature.

[Allie]

Short listed for CBCA Younger Readers 2026 - a story set off the coast of northern Australia, Thursday and Saibai Island’s near PNG. Ezra and Mason are two children in Yr 6 making plans to go to high school and torn between their culture and the bigger world. Acts of growing up from kid to responsible teenager, put to the test by dad who takes him out fishing.
But a storm hits and the town floods, and dad is out at sea in a broken boat. Ezra has to step up and help his mate Mason’s family and face his fears in the flood waters and there is fear that dad is lost at sea.
The story embraces the culture of the Torres Strait culture and believes and the symbolism of the trees, the croc and the weather, seasons and people of the past.
It is a good story that embraces the community spirit and delivers a good message about cultural beliefs
Fine for Year 4 and above (high yr 3 even)

[Dee]

Full disclosure: Michelle Scott Tucker is a friend. And I probably wouldn't have picked this up otherwise, because I wouldn't have known about it; middle-grade contemporary fiction is not my stomping ground at all. But I'm very glad I did have a read of this (last in my family) because it's a charming journey of discovery, both for the main character, who's starting to figure out growing up, and for me, who grew up in Queensland (and recognised many bits that were familiar) but nowhere near the Torres Strait. The exploration of the society, culture and priorities of the islands and the people who have always lived there was delicate but strongly present, and the emotional realisations were unforced but deeply moving.

[Dorothy]

The title and beautiful cover caught my attention. When I read the blurb and saw it was set in Saibai, I decided I had to read it because I had lived in Bamaga for two years. I am so glad I did. This novel aimed at 11-14 years age group, with its vivid descriptions, clearly portrays life on Saibai Island and the challenges faced as a result of climate change. As the reader journeys with Ezra, a Year 6 boy, the reader, like Ezra, realises the importance of community, family, culture and the environment. A relevant coming of age story told with compassion, tenderness and empathy that I highly recommend.

[Pip]

"Why are we all so surprised every time a storm is worse? That the bushfires are worse? That the hot weather is worse? It's not a surprise anymore, is it? The world world knows it's getting worse, we can see the water rising, our land disappearing and no one cares!"

"We all care, love. Maybe us Islanders most of all. It hits us the hardest."

[Ali]

I really enjoyed this book about Ezra and the Torres Strait. Helped me see climate change in a new way, more empathy for these islanders. Ezra’s friendship with Mason and their under, over game plus extended families fill the book. Have already passed it on to a 10 year old to try out. Would recommend.

2026 pop sugar reading challenge challenge- a book less than 260 pages.

[Meg]

Great story for senior primary kids
Raised issues around climate change and indigenous knowledge

[Ezel Kucukbas]

Best book ever!

[Leah]

4.5 stars. An absolutely beautiful story, truly a delight.

[Denise Newton]

https://denisenewtonwrites.com/?p=7054

ISLAND LIFE: ‘SPIRIT OF THE CROCODILE’ BY AARON FA’AOSO & MICHELLE SCOTT TUCKER WITH LYN WHITE

[Erin]

I have never read a book set in the Torres Strait before, I enjoyed reading about life there. The end seemed a bit easy, but I can see why the author made that choice given the target audience.

[MELISSA]

My book group of 12 year olds loved this coming of age story that has themes of friendship, culture, environment and climate change. The Torres Strait island setting was very engaging.

[Alexandra Georgis]

This was too young for me, so I didn't like it. I was forced to read this but....I'm still counting it

[Trisha]

Update: reread for readers cup question writing.

Lots of good stuff here. Great MC.