Babaru of The South Seas

Mentored by anthropologist George Beal, a sixteen-year old redhead, Davy Match of Baltimore, USA, goes to the South Pacific in search of the endangered leatherback sea turtle (Babaru) and the Mota people who protect it as their clan animal. He joins a local boy named Abraham. They trek through noisy rainforests, paddle an outrigger dugout over clear lagoons, and have a wild ride on the tail of a typhoon off a taboo headland. Their journey brings them face to face with a forest girl, a wild man, a sorcerer, as well as giant turtles and crocodiles. A girl, Niki, from the village of Shell Money Reef, and many other children join the boys, and they make a courageous effort to protect Mother Babaru from human predation and the effects of sea level rise on nesting beaches. Davy and Niki share a mutual first kiss, and through reenacting a Melanesian creation myth, they save Babaru and restore the clan of that name. Book is based on author's research and experiences in the Solomon Islands.