THE PEARL-SHELL DIVER

Engaging and authentic historical fiction about an islander boy, from one of the world’s oldest continuous living cultures, trying to work his way up in the pearl shell industry.

Sario lives with his family on a remote island in the Torres Strait north of Australia. The year is 1899, the peak of the pearl-diving industry, when pearl shell was much sought after around the world for use in buttons and household goods. When his father is injured in a pearling accident, 13-year-old Sario goes to work as a swimming diver to support the family. He can earn more as a pump diver, but the primitive diving suits are dangerous, and the only captain who will take him on runs the worst outfit in the fleet. Sario must also compete with the other divers for work, particularly young Hiroshi who desperately needs to pay off his sponsor back in Japan. The increasing tension on the boat is mirrored by the approaching storm of the century, Hurricane Mahina, which threatens to wipe out the entire pearling fleet. Kay Crabbe began her writing career as a journalist, before moving into writing educational material for children. Her works include fiction and non-fiction books, short comprehension texts and school magazine articles and stories. Many of her books feature animals and the environment.