Friday, 18 September 2026

World Kid Lit Month 2026: Explorer Challenger: 7-12: Oceania

 

The shark prince.

Written by Malia Maunakea.

Penguin Workshop, 2026.

A middle-grade fantasy novel about Nohea, a Hawaiian boy who belongs to a family whose male members inherit the ability to transform into sharks. After his father's disappearance, Nohea lives with his mother and grandmother while trying to manage the family curse. Hoping to win prize money in a surfing competition to help his family remain in Hawaii, he enrols in school for the first time, where he forms friendships and faces personal challenges. As classmates begin to disappear, Nohea investigates whether the events are connected to his family's supernatural inheritance.

Mystery, family drama, making friends – and a world deeply embedded in ‘Ōiwi culture.

As someone with Pākehā (settler colonist) heritage – I could see the strong resonances with te ao Māori (the Māori world). 

Read along side T. K. Roxborogh's Charlie Tangaroa books. 

The author, Malia Maunakea, is Kanaka ‘Ōiwi (Native Hawai’ian).

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