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Whetū Toa #2
Whetū Toa and the Hunt for Ramses
Whetū is about to start school, and no one is happy. Not the chicken. Not the bull. Especially not Ramses the golden ram, who goes missing. Tori the cat the Whetū go on a rescue mission. They catch starbeams to strange worlds and find Ramses on another planet. But there's a problem: an evil magician controls the planet.
164 pages, Paperback
Published January 1, 2021
16 people want to read
About the author
Steph Matuku
11 books36 followersHi,
I'm based in New Plymouth, New Zealand, but you can find me on Facebook and Bluesky. Feel free to say hi, I'd love to hear from you!
STEPH
I'm based in New Plymouth, New Zealand, but you can find me on Facebook and Bluesky. Feel free to say hi, I'd love to hear from you!
STEPH
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
December 18, 2021
Whetū Toa and the Hunt for Ramses (Whetū Toa #2) by Steph Matuku (Ngāti Mutunga, Ngāti Tama, Te Atiawa) is captivating.
We see the same loveable characters from the first book but in this instalment we see a celebration of their quirks. There are dramatic and naughty horses, lazy pigs with scheduled cardio, a shy and tearful bull, and a very convincing cat. In this instalment Ramses goes missing and Whetū must travel through dimensions to bring him home.
The world building is so neat. It’s original enough that it’s exciting but it’s also simple enough that it won’t lose young readers which I think is a mark of good fantasy writing for this age group. I loved the star beams between worlds - how good!
It’s not just the cool characters and clever world building that make it glow - there are valuable lessons for tamariki too. Whetu’s wise Mum knows the value of sharing your problems and Tori the cat weaves the magic of friendship into a bracelet. Te Ao Māori is celebrated with important lessons about Polynesian ancestors being skilled navigators and there is a good sprinkling of Māori kupu too.
The books in this series are lovely when read together but can easily stand alone too so don’t worry about which you dive into first. Both are good for kids 7+. I really hope this series continues because we’ve grown attached to Whetū and the farm animals.
Ngā mihi @huiapublishers for this review copy.
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#huia #huiabooks #maoribooks #youngreaders #juniorfiction #stephmatuku #taleswithfriends #ilovebooks #kidsbooks #childrensbooks #bookstagram #catsofinstagram
We see the same loveable characters from the first book but in this instalment we see a celebration of their quirks. There are dramatic and naughty horses, lazy pigs with scheduled cardio, a shy and tearful bull, and a very convincing cat. In this instalment Ramses goes missing and Whetū must travel through dimensions to bring him home.
The world building is so neat. It’s original enough that it’s exciting but it’s also simple enough that it won’t lose young readers which I think is a mark of good fantasy writing for this age group. I loved the star beams between worlds - how good!
It’s not just the cool characters and clever world building that make it glow - there are valuable lessons for tamariki too. Whetu’s wise Mum knows the value of sharing your problems and Tori the cat weaves the magic of friendship into a bracelet. Te Ao Māori is celebrated with important lessons about Polynesian ancestors being skilled navigators and there is a good sprinkling of Māori kupu too.
The books in this series are lovely when read together but can easily stand alone too so don’t worry about which you dive into first. Both are good for kids 7+. I really hope this series continues because we’ve grown attached to Whetū and the farm animals.
Ngā mihi @huiapublishers for this review copy.
.
.
.
.
.
#huia #huiabooks #maoribooks #youngreaders #juniorfiction #stephmatuku #taleswithfriends #ilovebooks #kidsbooks #childrensbooks #bookstagram #catsofinstagram
December 10, 2021
Gosh - this world that Steph Matuku has created is so much fun. I adore the world of Whetū Toa with magical talking animals all with their own unique characters (from grumpy to mischievous to bright). The action, dialogue and interactions just fit perfectly with each. There is action, mystery, friendship and some subtle messaging all included in a farm world most Kiwi kids (especially country gals like me) can relate to.
Plus I can imagine kids colouring in the black and white illustrations that begin each chapter, just like I used to do when I was young.
Bring on #3.
Plus I can imagine kids colouring in the black and white illustrations that begin each chapter, just like I used to do when I was young.
Bring on #3.
November 13, 2021
The animals of The Mighty Mikaere’s farm aren’t happy with Whetū Toa’s news. She’s off to the local school now that the school holidays are over. The bull who is easily upset, gallops off to cry and hide even though Whetū will still be looking after them morning and night and on her weekends.
Whetū’s replacement as The Mighty Mikaere Magician’s assistant isn’t working out that well either. Poppycock is a small rabbit and all of his practicing hasn’t ironed out his magical mistakes. There is no more time as the Magician’s tour is about to begin.
As soon as the Magician leaves the farm the horses are up to something and Ramses is acting strangely. He’d given Whetū a beautiful woven bracelet the day before, crafted by one of the farm cats, but now he was sullen and snappy. The next morning, Ramses is gone.
Despite a thorough search of the farm by all, there is no sign of him. Has he been stolen? Surely he is priceless with his golden fleece and horns, but rethinking this, Whetū knows the farm is protected by impenetrable magic. So where could he be?
Trying to contact the Magician for help is fruitless as he is now searching for Poppycock after his magic backfired on stage. Whetū’s day gets worse when she realises the horses are missing too. Help comes from an unlikely source. The farm cat seems to have all the answers.
Whetū is taken on a spectacular, weird and dangerous journey across parallel dimensions in search of Ramses. One world shows vain, stressed and unhappy animals caught up in an endless cycle of looking their best for cameras, another where she and her mum are the pets!
Each world is scarier than the next resulting in the most dangerous of them all and Whetū’s love for animals giving her the courage to fight back.
An enjoyable and quickly paced story, Whetū Toa and the Hunt for Ramses is perfect for animal lovers aged 7 up. Not only are there talking animals with unique personalities, there is magic, mystery, humour, and even fantasy as Whetū skips across dimensions with the help of a cat and the stars.
Subtly threaded throughout the story is guidance for Whetū and the animals themselves on bullying, sharing worries to help make them smaller, and most of all taking the time to ask if someone is okay.
Author – Steph Matuku
Illustrator – Katharine Hall
Age – 7+
Whetū’s replacement as The Mighty Mikaere Magician’s assistant isn’t working out that well either. Poppycock is a small rabbit and all of his practicing hasn’t ironed out his magical mistakes. There is no more time as the Magician’s tour is about to begin.
As soon as the Magician leaves the farm the horses are up to something and Ramses is acting strangely. He’d given Whetū a beautiful woven bracelet the day before, crafted by one of the farm cats, but now he was sullen and snappy. The next morning, Ramses is gone.
Despite a thorough search of the farm by all, there is no sign of him. Has he been stolen? Surely he is priceless with his golden fleece and horns, but rethinking this, Whetū knows the farm is protected by impenetrable magic. So where could he be?
Trying to contact the Magician for help is fruitless as he is now searching for Poppycock after his magic backfired on stage. Whetū’s day gets worse when she realises the horses are missing too. Help comes from an unlikely source. The farm cat seems to have all the answers.
Whetū is taken on a spectacular, weird and dangerous journey across parallel dimensions in search of Ramses. One world shows vain, stressed and unhappy animals caught up in an endless cycle of looking their best for cameras, another where she and her mum are the pets!
Each world is scarier than the next resulting in the most dangerous of them all and Whetū’s love for animals giving her the courage to fight back.
An enjoyable and quickly paced story, Whetū Toa and the Hunt for Ramses is perfect for animal lovers aged 7 up. Not only are there talking animals with unique personalities, there is magic, mystery, humour, and even fantasy as Whetū skips across dimensions with the help of a cat and the stars.
Subtly threaded throughout the story is guidance for Whetū and the animals themselves on bullying, sharing worries to help make them smaller, and most of all taking the time to ask if someone is okay.
Author – Steph Matuku
Illustrator – Katharine Hall
Age – 7+
March 31, 2025
More chaotic and episodic than the first one as Whetū and Tori the cat ride starbeams to all sorts of weird, wonderful, and properly frightening worlds. The climax takes place in a land of machine overlords and mammal enslavement. Grim. But there's a point to it all, some great messages for kids (and adults), and they're subtly driven home. Not sure my character voices are on point but the children were well into it and laughed a lot.
January 8, 2023
This is exactly the kind of book I would have loved to have read as a kid (and would have been one Mrs Ward, Mrs Ruddell and/or Mr Smith would have read to our class).
Whetū is once again drawn into solving problems of the magical world created by Steph Mataku to find out why and how of the disappearance of golden ram Ramses.
Whetū is once again drawn into solving problems of the magical world created by Steph Mataku to find out why and how of the disappearance of golden ram Ramses.
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January 6, 2022Looking forward to reading this to my class (Covid permitting).
February 1, 2022
Funny for both children and grown up readers
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews