Summer Reading Challenge Book No. 3: Song of the Dolphin Boy by Elizabeth Laird

Looking back at Augusts past, memories of childhood summer holidays are inextricably linked with seemingly endless days spent swimming in the sea. To me and my pals the sea represented endless larks, adventure and possibility - how far could we swim? What would we find? Who would we meet? It's only really now that I realise how lucky we were to spend our summers living that mer-life day in and day out. This week's choice therefore seems particularly appropriate thanks to its seaside setting.

The mystery and power, and potential adventure, of the vast stretches of water that envelope our isle permeates the fabric of Song of the Dolphin Boy by Elizabeth Laird. This story tells the tale of Finn, a lonely eleven year old boy who finally finds his place in the tight knit, and sometimes harsh, community of the Scottish fishing village Stromhead thanks to a tumble he takes into the sea. Life changes irrevocably from this point on as Finn, who has always been warned away from the water, learns he can swim and can communicate with dolphins. As he spends more and more time in the soothing deep of the Scottish seas Finn comes to realise the terrible impact of plastic waste on marine life... and decides to take action.

This is the classic story of an outsider who finds his place in the world, and his friends, through extraordinary actions. The story introduces many ideas worth discussing, particularly about the impact of human behaviour on the environment but splinters off to allow reader to consider other issues; bullying, gossip, the ramifications of living in small communities and grief are all explored, in addition to an interesting layer of narrative exploring traditional myths and legends. In particular Elizabeth Laird plays with the myth of the 'selkie' (the legend of the seal people who can morph from seal to human and back again). Finn's mother - who remains absent throughout the tale - was a selkie of the dolphin variety and left her son with the ability to swim underwater and converse with his fellow creatures. 

Whilst the storyline is hugely compelling I found some of the dialogue between characters clunky and the narrative style quite old-fashioned. It feels very much a writer depicting children from an adult's perspective rather than truly entering their world, which may prove tiresome with some young readers. Furthermore the depiction Finn's diverse gang of friends doesn't feel very authentic, despite the portrayal being very well intentioned.

Qualms aside, this is such an interesting tale which would be ideal to open up important conversations with young readers, as well as using a protagonist not often found in adventure stories. The depiction of our gentle hero Finn, and the great actions he manages to achieve, shows young readers - particularly boys - that being sensitive and expressing your true feelings and emotions, even in the face of more dominant peers, is a strength and not a weakness.