Amberly Media Center

Have you ever dreamed of being an animal? 11-year-old Isabel knows everything about whales and can’t wait to go on the annual whale watch with her 5th grade class. But this year’s whale watch is something unique. The class sees dozens of whales including some very rare species. Some on the boat are scared, but Isabel leans right over the railing to get a picture and falls in the water. While she seems to disappear into the cold Atlantic Ocean, she has actually been transformed into a humpback whale. The whales tell her she is one of the Chosen, humans who become whales for a time.

The thing I enjoyed most about this book is how Isabel learned about the ways of the whales and also learned about what it means to be human. For example, when one of her whale friends becomes trapped in a net, she doesn’t give up hope. She find a “tool” that she can hold in her jaws to saw the ropes and she teaches the other whales to help her free the trapped whale.