The Shark Prince

By: Malia Maunakea

Narrated by: Noah Keawekane, Malia Maunakea

From the award-winning author of the Lei and the Legends duology comes a sharp new fantasy about a Hawaiian boy who can transform into what people fear most: a shark.

In a small Hawaiian village, Nohea is the latest son in a long line of male ancestors with a horrible secret: He’s half-human, half-shark. After his father—also cursed as a shark—kills someone while surfing and subsequently disappears, Nohea is left isolated with only his mom and tūtū as company. He knows he’ll suffer the same fate one day, so he can’t go to school or make any friends.

Worse yet, when he eventually succumbs to his shark-like cravings, he’ll be put to death, and his family will have to move to the continent. But when Nohea sees a flyer for a new surf competition, he realizes the prize money might be enough to help his family afford to stay in Hawaii when Nohea is gone. The catch? The competition is for school teams only.

So taking the biggest risk yet, Nohea joins the local public seventh-grade class where he makes friends, contends with a school bully, and gets so angry, he discovers a new row of supersharp teeth in his mouth! But this is only the beginning of Nohea’s problems.

Because soon, Nohea realizes that one by one, his surfing friends are disappearing. Is Nohea killing his classmates without knowing it? Or is something even more dangerous afoot?

Critic reviews

A Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection

"With exciting Hawaiian mythology, nail-biting moments, and a mystery to solve, this thrilling fantasy has broad appeal. Kanaka ʻŌiwi (Native Hawaiian) author Maunakea explores themes of identity, family, friendship, and community, showing how they’re entwined with the culture, land, and language of Hawaiʻi and the Hawaiian people. A riveting and culturally grounded read to sink your teeth into." —Kirkus Reviews, starred review

"Adept portrayals of carefree summertime atmosphere and surfing culture feature alongside Nohea’s inner turmoil, relayed in his stubborn and pragmatic first-person POV. Community-focused messaging injects an undercurrent of optimism into an edge-of-the-seat mystery." —Publishers Weekly