Sarah Richardson hated leaving her best friend in Wyoming, but her father just received a new position as a marine biologist. He would be studying killer whales in Canada and moving was inevitable. Once she saw her house on the water, she knew her life would never be the same. Sarah began her journey with a new type of friend, an Indian girl named Goldie and her wise old grandmother, Nana. Winning over the school bully, Goldie, Annie and Sarah soon became "the Three Warriors". Whenever Sarah questioned her own wisdom, Nana drawing from native folklore, always knew the right lessons to teach at just the right time until tragedy struck in Sarah's life. Sarah's mom died of a heart disease, Sarah's dad made the ultimate sacrifice, and Sarah was left trying to piece her life back together in a world she could no longer reach. Haunted by the loss of her family and friends, lack of memory of that dreadful day, and numerous visions at night, Sarah packed up the rest of the memories and moved with her grandparents. Shut down to the world, it would take many years before Sarah would come home again to see the killer whales, experience the native spirituality and receive the healing she so desperately needed and the forgiveness that could set her free.

In our lives, there are friends that come and go and some that touch our hearts for a lifetime. Since books are like friends, WHALE SONG is the later type. Ms. Tardif has the ability to reach beyond the compounds of the mind in order to penetrate into the heart. What an excellent read! She has a beautiful way of expressing the dignity of the native Indians' culture and traditions. It makes for a magical bitter-sweet journey. Filled with inspiration and hope, this book had a profound effect on me, and I hope to keep it as a lifelong friend. An A+ novel.