Whispers from the Bay by John Tkac

• 01/17/2014
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Whispers from the Bay
John Tkac
Southeast Books (2008)
ISBN 9780979445408
Reviewed by Brenna Bales (age 11) for Reader Views (10/08)

Big surprises lay ahead when Mike McConnelly finds out he has a unique and extraordinary gift involving communicating with and helping the dolphins. He goes through many life-threatening adventures protecting his dolphin and human friends. He finds every adventure fascinating and exhilarating. Will Mike be able to keep this extreme secret from even his family? He gets even more stressed when he finds out the dolphins’ huge secret. How can he keep this all secret?

Mike is a young boy who lives in Florida. He stutters through words at school and gets laughed at. His two brothers, Will and Bob, try to defend him as much as they can. He is safe at home but he feels at home the most when he is near the dolphins. They talk to each other with their minds so Mike never has to stutter through words. He is very comfortable with this. His neighbor, Carmen, can’t talk to the dolphins, but senses them trying to talk to her. The dolphins protect Mike from sharks, and Mike helps the dolphins with many of their problems, too. Mike discovers new interests from the dolphins as well as the dolphins finding new interests from him. Mike and the dolphins learn from each other every day.

This book is like a recipe. If you mix together the adventures, the surprises, the love, the melancholy, the contentment, and most importantly, the people and animals, you get an excellent book, a book that you will remember forever.

I can relate to this book well because I have a passion for dolphins. This book is from a series, so I would love to read the next one, and so on from there. I would like to see John Tkac write another series about whales, for whale lovers. I love this type of genre. In the end, Mike has a choice:  to continue helping the dolphins in secret, or to reveal to the world everything that he has learned. I rate the book a 5 out of 5. “Whispers from the Bay” by John Tkac is excellent in every way, and it is a story that anybody will enjoy.