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The Lost Whale

Hannah Gold
Contents ( 93)
  1. Dedication
  2. Contents
  3. 1
  4. Arrival
  5. 2
  6. Ocean Bay
  7. 3
  8. Mum
  9. 4
  10. The Phone Call
  11. 5
  12. Box of Joy
  13. 6
  14. Gray Whales
  15. 7
  16. The Museum
  17. 8
  18. Hunted
  19. 9
  20. The Pier
  21. 10
  22. Marina
  23. 11
  24. Whale Watching
  25. 12
  26. The Spyhopper
  27. 13
  28. Happywhale
  29. 14
  30. A Lucky Idea
  31. 15
  32. The Boat Trip
  33. 16
  34. Out on the Ocean
  35. 17
  36. Heart-Shaped Rainbows
  37. 18
  38. White Beak
  39. 19
  40. Smiling
  41. 20
  42. Photos Home
  43. 21
  44. Special Hearing
  45. 22
  46. Invitation
  47. 23
  48. Training
  49. 24
  50. Happy Times
  51. 25
  52. Fran
  53. 26
  54. Bad News
  55. 27
  56. Missing
  57. 28
  58. Whispers on the Wind
  59. 29
  60. The Plan
  61. 30
  62. Escape
  63. 31
  64. Caught
  65. 32
  66. A New Plan
  67. 33
  68. Hurry
  69. 34
  70. No Sightings
  71. 35
  72. Sea Storm
  73. 36
  74. The Search Zone
  75. 37
  76. Listening
  77. 38
  78. In Trouble
  79. 39
  80. Rescue
  81. 40
  82. Saving White Beak
  83. 41
  84. Ocean’s Promise
  85. Epilogue
  86. Arrival
  87. Author’s Note
  88. Resources and further reading
  89. Acknowledgments
  90. About the Author
  91. Books by Hannah Gold
  92. Copyright
  93. About the Publisher
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Dedication

To Chris, my ocean and my world.

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Contents

Cover

Title Page

Dedication

1. Arrival

2. Ocean Bay

3. Mum

4. The Phone Call

5. Box of Joy

6. Gray Whales

7. The Museum

8. Hunted

9. The Pier

10. Marina

11. Whale Watching

12. The Spyhopper

13. Happywhale

14. A Lucky Idea

15. The Boat Trip

16. Out on the Ocean

17. Heart-Shaped Rainbows

18. White Beak

19. Smiling

20. Photos Home

21. Special Hearing

22. Invitation

23. Training

24. Happy Times

25. Fran

26. Bad News

27. Missing

28. Whispers on the Wind

29. The Plan

30. Escape

31. Caught

32. A New Plan

33. Hurry

34. No Sightings

35. Sea Storm

36. The Search Zone

37. Listening

38. In Trouble

39. Rescue

40. Saving White Beak

41. Ocean’s Promise

Epilogue: Arrival

Author’s Note

Resources and further reading

Acknowledgments

About the Author

Books by Hannah Gold

Copyright

About the Publisher

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1

Arrival

The first thing Rio Turner noticed when he stepped into the arrivals hall of Los Angeles International Airport was the noise. Airports were never destined to be quiet places and this gigantic, sprawling monster was like a football stadium in full roar.

The second thing he noticed was his grandmother.

Even though it had been five years since he’d last seen her, Rio recognized her straightaway. She towered over everyone in a shiny turquoise jumpsuit, wore thick black-rimmed glasses, and had a shock of white, wiry hair.

Gazing around, it took a few moments for her to register him. “Rio?” she asked. “It is you, isn’t it?” She paused in front of him. “I barely recognized you. You’re so . . .”

Her voice tailed off, and Rio wondered what she’d been about to say. Either way, he wasn’t going to ask. Instead, he crossed his arms protectively against his chest.

“You made it, then.” She hurried on, her eyes full of something he didn’t recognize. “I am so glad you’re here.”

Then she enveloped him in a hug.

Not the kind of hug he was used to—deep, warm, and snuggly. It was all hard angles and sharp elbows and smelled of peppermints. Rio counted to three before he could bear it no longer. Then he yanked himself away.

“Rio?” she asked falteringly, two bright spots of color on her cheeks. “It’s been a long time, and I know all this must seem impossibly strange to you right now, but I want you to feel at home while you’re staying with me. I am your grandmother after all.”

Rio, who had been staring at the floor during the latter part of her speech, looked up in surprise. She had signed Christmas and birthday cards from Grandma, but he couldn’t think of anyone who looked less like a grandmother than her. Not compared to his other grandma anyway, who wore thick rubber-soled slippers and loved to call him “ducky” even though the last time he’d checked, he hadn’t yet grown a beak and feathers. No, this person didn’t feel like a grandmother at all, and he secretly resolved to call her by her first name, Fran, instead.