Hugs to my friends, my family, and my ever-supportive parents. It’s been so wonderful to share the celebrations with you in the past year or so. Thank you for your constant backing of me, Bear, and now Whale!

And of course, to my husband, Chris, who is my biggest champion and cheerleader and who is always by my side on life’s adventures. You continue to be the best and, in lieu of the ocean, you are the next best thing.

Final and most important thanks go to my dear readers—I am full of gratitude for your reviews and your roars, your letters and your love. Your enthusiasm genuinely touches my heart and makes my life that much brighter and shinier. I hope you enjoy White Beak, Rio, and Marina’s story and will take them to your heart and hold them tight. And if you ever see a gray whale in the wild . . . remember to look out for the rainbow!

About the Author

Courtesy Hannah Gold

HANNAH GOLD is the award-winning author of The Last Bear, an international bestseller translated into over twenty languages. When not writing, she is busy looking for hearts made from nature. She currently lives in the UK with her tortoise, her cat, and her husband. Visit her online at www.hannahgold.world.

Discover great authors, exclusive offers, and more at hc.com.

Books by Hannah Gold

The Last Bear

Copyright

THE LOST WHALE. Text copyright © 2022 by Hannah Gold. Illustrations copyright © 2022 by Sophie Diao. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the nonexclusive, nontransferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse-engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.

www.harpercollinschildrens.com

COVER ART © 2022 BY LEVI PINFOLD

Library of Congress Control Number: 2022931772

Digital Edition OCTOBER 2022 ISBN: 978-0-06-304113-4

Print ISBN: 978-0-06-304111-0

22 23 24 25 26 PC/LSCH 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

FIRST U.S. EDITION, 2022

About the Publisher

Australia

HarperCollins Publishers Australia Pty. Ltd.

Level 13, 201 Elizabeth Street

Sydney, NSW 2000, Australia

www.harpercollins.com.au

Canada

HarperCollins Publishers Ltd

Bay Adelaide Centre, East Tower

22 Adelaide Street West, 41st Floor

Toronto, Ontario, M5H 4E3

www.harpercollins.ca

India

HarperCollins India

A 75, Sector 57

Noida

Uttar Pradesh 201 301

www.harpercollins.co.in

New Zealand

HarperCollins Publishers New Zealand

Unit D1, 63 Apollo Drive

Rosedale 0632

Auckland, New Zealand

www.harpercollins.co.nz

United Kingdom

HarperCollins Publishers Ltd.

1 London Bridge Street

London SE1 9GF, UK

www.harpercollins.co.uk

United States

HarperCollins Publishers Inc.

195 Broadway

New York, NY 10007

www.harpercollins.com