John Proynoff
BookSurge Publishing (2008)
ISBN 9781419690495
Reviewed by Dylan James (age12) for Reader Views (1/09)
What would it be like to travel from your country and mingle with many different languages and cultures, especially if your parents thought their way of life was better and they had no need to respect other creature’s ways of life and languages? Add that you’re a young dolphin, and things get harder. Maress learns to treat all creatures as equal and to respect others, even if they live differently. Maress learns other languages, learns other customs, and even introduces some of her customs to live peacefully in a different country.
“The Song of Maress” by John Proynoff was an incredible moral story. In fact, this story was the best cultural story I have ever read, without a doubt. If you are traveling to a different country, or wish to understand how to cope with changes, or even just want a good read, then “The Song of Maress” is definitely for you. All ages and both genders will be fascinated for a long time with this book. Parents might want to console their children and answer questions after reading it though, because this book provokes moral questions and has a partially sad ending. Seven to 10-year-olds will be most thrilled with this book, but I am 12 and I still had a good time. This could have been slightly better if it had less intense violence. Not to say that this is a violent book, but there are several dolphin battles in which the main character rams the enemies in their blowhole. If it had been toned down, then it would be great for 5-10-year-olds. That is my only suggestion, though. I rarely rate books 5 stars, but this one deserved it and I hope others think so as well.
No responses yet