Nation (Terry Pratchett)

Meet Mau, a boy on the verge of manhood. While on a voyage away from his island, the sea consumes his village, his whole Nation. Mau deals with the aftermath of the Great Wave, sending the bodies into the dark waters, nearly perishing himself until a ghost girl appears.

Daphne the ghost girl (a.k.a Ermintrude – wouldn’t anyone with that name prefer to be called “Daphne”?), is a young English lady now shipwrecked on Mau’s island. All she has left is the captain’s dirty-mouthed parrot and a few barrels useful supplies.  When the two meet, they form a cautious but much needed friendship.  As survivors from the Great Wave straggle onto the island, Mau and Daphne must learn to communicate and trust each other in order to make a new life for themselves.

Terry Pratchett, a master of humor and insight, has created wonderful and memorable characters.  Their struggle to communicate, further hindered by the clash of cultures, results in all sorts of amusing situations.  As they work to survive and create a new Nation, Mau and Daphne learn about faith, science and love.

Recommended gr. 6+