Mangrove Sands, The Enchanted Seaworld and Beyond, written by L. J. Nilsson, takes us on a magical adventure in Southeast Queensland, Australia. Following along as Tommy, Maria, Jake, and Wanjee receive tutoring from their Sea World friends during their school year and learn life lessons. Wanjee also teaches Tommy, Maria, and Jake about her aboriginal Muandik language, culture, symbolic art, bedtime stories, and more. The children enjoy learning about Wanjee’s culture, and she enjoys teaching them about her aboriginal roots. The school year goes by quickly, and the children start their transition to the next chapter in their lives.

Mangrove Sands, The Enchanted Seaworld, and Beyond is the sweetest book I have read in a long time! I love that it is inclusive of Wanjee’s character. Learning about her aboriginal tribe, the Muandik, was an absolute pleasure. Some of the words that were used in her language, such as didgeridoo, were words I had heard before. However, I did not know where they originated from. It was a wonderful surprise!

Maria’s character was so sweet. She seems to be very caring and eager to learn. Tommy seemed like he was clearheaded and thought problems through. He is mature for his age. Jake’s character seemed like quite a few boys I know. He was competitive but a good sportsman. He was also handy with tools and musically gifted. All of the Sea World friends sounded absolutely amazing! I really wish I had a friend named Parlow to talk to. Parlow is very wise.

Overall, I loved the book very much! I would recommend it to children and adults alike. In fact, more adults should read more books like this! Then they can learn to have more compassion and empathy for other living beings. The only part that confused me a little was when the children lay in bed and said their code of silence. They would then float onto Parlow’s back. I wondered if it was an out-of-body experience, but I wasn’t sure because of a couple of places in the book. One of them is when Jake gets hurt. That was the only part that confused me. I suppose it is a magical realm, so it may always remain a mystery.

I want to add that I loved the note L. J. Nilsson wrote at the very beginning. I think they nailed their intention and were very respectful. Also, I love that they included resources throughout the book for further research on the Muandik tribe.

Mangrove Sands, The Enchanted Seaworld and Beyond is a children’s fantasy novel that adults can enjoy and learn from as well. This heartfelt book teaches about friendship, empathy, and honor, among other things, and does so while taking readers on an exciting adventure they will not soon forget.

Pages: 108 | ASIN : B087N5QGDT