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Spearo
Sean has emigrated to New Zealand with his mother from South Africa after the death of his father. He is finding it hard to fit in at school, cope with his grief and his homesickness. He becomes mates with a boy in his class, Mason, who is a mad keen spearo and gradually becomes involved with his family. He learns all about free diving and spear fishing and competes with the family in spear fishing competitions. One accident and he is thrust into the front line of the competition - it is all up to him.Mary-anne Scott lives in Napier. All her previous titles have been shortlisted for the YA section of the Children's Book Awards: Snakes and Ladders (Scholastic); Coming Home to Roost (Penguin) and Sticking with Pigs (One Tree House).
217 pages, Paperback
Published February 11, 2020
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
October 7, 2020
Sean who had been forced to move to New Zealand from Zimbabwe was missing his old life and finding it difficult to make friends. He meets Mason whose family introduce him to diving and spear fishing. An enjoyable and exciting action story for young adults.
November 4, 2022
“Spearo” by Mary-anne Scott - New Zealand novel
I would recommend this book to any with an interest in hunting because of its portrayal of ethical fishing and indigenous hunting practises. The book follows the story of Sean, a Zimbabwean immigrant, as he struggles with the recent loss of his father and how he learns how to spearfish to cope. Much of the novel focuses on the ethicality of fishing; how to kill a fish painlessly, how to correctly measure a fish to make sure it’s legal to eat, etc. “‘If you spear a couple of gurnard, then see a bigger one, you can’t swap out a little one to take a bigger one.’ ‘How would anybody know?’ ‘They probably wouldn’t but spearos are mostly ethical,’” is a quote that encapsulates the experience of Sean learning to ethically spearfish. Every part of the spearfishing process is completed with as little distress put upon the animal as possible. Only a certain amount of fish are allowed to be killed at one time, and none of the animal is wasted, in order to align with traditional Māori fishing standards. When a fish is butchered, the bones, brain, and any other inedible parts are thrown back into the sea as thanks for the meal. I feel that humane, non-wasteful fishing is incredibly important to keep fish populations healthy for years to come. Greater demand for cheap seafood and modern fishing tech means that seafood populations in most oceans are being depleted. Overfishing is causing fish populations to not replenish, and bottom-trawling harms corals, whales, and fish species that aren’t the target catch. However, there are ways to fish sustainably, the best being spearfishing, hook-and-line, and trap methods. We need to cease overfishing and bycatch by better managing large fishery companies, and us consumers must purchase food from ethical, sustainable fisheries.
I would recommend this book to any with an interest in hunting because of its portrayal of ethical fishing and indigenous hunting practises. The book follows the story of Sean, a Zimbabwean immigrant, as he struggles with the recent loss of his father and how he learns how to spearfish to cope. Much of the novel focuses on the ethicality of fishing; how to kill a fish painlessly, how to correctly measure a fish to make sure it’s legal to eat, etc. “‘If you spear a couple of gurnard, then see a bigger one, you can’t swap out a little one to take a bigger one.’ ‘How would anybody know?’ ‘They probably wouldn’t but spearos are mostly ethical,’” is a quote that encapsulates the experience of Sean learning to ethically spearfish. Every part of the spearfishing process is completed with as little distress put upon the animal as possible. Only a certain amount of fish are allowed to be killed at one time, and none of the animal is wasted, in order to align with traditional Māori fishing standards. When a fish is butchered, the bones, brain, and any other inedible parts are thrown back into the sea as thanks for the meal. I feel that humane, non-wasteful fishing is incredibly important to keep fish populations healthy for years to come. Greater demand for cheap seafood and modern fishing tech means that seafood populations in most oceans are being depleted. Overfishing is causing fish populations to not replenish, and bottom-trawling harms corals, whales, and fish species that aren’t the target catch. However, there are ways to fish sustainably, the best being spearfishing, hook-and-line, and trap methods. We need to cease overfishing and bycatch by better managing large fishery companies, and us consumers must purchase food from ethical, sustainable fisheries.
April 18, 2020
There are some people who just seem to be able to write in such a way that the reader can skim through the story with little effort on their part. I am super jealous! Michael Morpurgo is a master of it, and Mary-Anne Scott seems to have the same skill.
Spearfishing (in fact ANY fishing) is NOT an interest of mine, and yet Scott keeps the story moving on, and keeps me interested in the spearfishing bits of the story!!
Sean feels isolated and sad after he and his mother escaped Zimbabwe following the death of Sean's father. He makes a friend in Mason, who, along with his bolshy sister Nicole, is passionate about spearfishing. Sean is desperate for a friend so lets Mason teach him how to spearfish... even though it is something which scares him.
There is plenty of action to keep fishing fans happy, but this is balanced by the story behind the developing relationships in the story.
I thoroughly enjoyed the story and it will hopefully appeal to some of those children who don't always want to read!
Spearfishing (in fact ANY fishing) is NOT an interest of mine, and yet Scott keeps the story moving on, and keeps me interested in the spearfishing bits of the story!!
Sean feels isolated and sad after he and his mother escaped Zimbabwe following the death of Sean's father. He makes a friend in Mason, who, along with his bolshy sister Nicole, is passionate about spearfishing. Sean is desperate for a friend so lets Mason teach him how to spearfish... even though it is something which scares him.
There is plenty of action to keep fishing fans happy, but this is balanced by the story behind the developing relationships in the story.
I thoroughly enjoyed the story and it will hopefully appeal to some of those children who don't always want to read!
March 1, 2020
The author takes us into the world of not just spear-fishing (to keep the outdoorsy readers engaged) but also touches on themes of loneliness, mistaken assumptions, broken families and new countries (with our narrator a recent migrant from Zimbabwe). Lots of fishing facts included in the novel.
April 15, 2020
Oh, we're definitely still being judgy. On little to no information snap judgments are made and held on to. This is a book of our times!
June 18, 2020
Great read with a bit of 'local' for us here :)
June 29, 2022
Really enjoyed this, would suit our rural school library well
Good male characters central to the plot
Good male characters central to the plot
August 18, 2021
Fantastic super engaging read about friendship, perseverance, and spear fishing! Also deals with grief in a sensitive and relatable manner. Good for years 7-10
June 27, 2023
Sean is ripped from his home in Zimbabwe after the death of his father. Dragged halfway round the world to NZ he struggles to adapt to a foreign culture and finds himself mixed up in assumptions and misunderstanding. His introduction to spearfishing by a friend exposes him to new experiences and risks. So much fun for me to dive into new waters.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews