The Whale Rider

by Witi Ihimaera.
Read this the other day....doesn't take long. Nice story about a young Maori girl who ends up saving the beached whale by riding it out to sea. In doing so, she also earns her grandfather's acceptance.....he's the old fogey disappointed in her because she's not a boy. A lot of the dialogue is in Maori so it's wise to use the glossary at the back. I didn't discover it was there till I'd finished the story! It's pitched at younger readers so there's nothing too deep about it. There were, however, a couple of passages that almost had me crying. I particularly liked the passages written from the whales' point of view.
It raises some topical issues: traditional cultures in the modern world, rejection and acceptance, conservation, etc.
Worth a read.
The film of the book got quite a few awards and I think the girl who played the lead was nominated for the best actress Oscar. I haven't seen it but I might hunt it down now.