Eight - year - old Kahu craves her great - grandfathers love and attention. But he is focused on his duties as chief of a Maori tribe in Whangara, on the East Coast of New Zealand - a tribe that claims descent from the legendary whale rider. In every generation since the whale rider, a male has inherited the title of chief. But now there is no male heir - theres only kahu. She should be the next in line for the title, but her great - grandfather is blinded by tradition and sees no use for a girl. Kahu will not be ignored. And in her struggle she has a unique ally: the whale rider himself, from whom she has inherited the ability to communicate with whales. Once that sacred gift is revealed, Kahu may be able to re - establish her peoples ancestral connections, earn her great - grandfathers attention - and lead her tribe to a bold new future.
