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A review by fyorarules
The Pōrangi Boy by Shilo Kino
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
4.5
I read this for a class, and wrote a review for it, so here's that review:
Nikora Te Kainga-mataa, known as Niko, is the grandson of an infamous elder and protestor in his community. Niko’s grandfather’s activism inspires him to learn about and fight for their Māori community’s rights to their land and sovereignty, even when the rest of the community, including their own family, calls Niko’s grandfather pōrangi, meaning crazy. The community sees Niko going down the same punishing road of activism and calls Niko pōrangi boy, which he struggles against every day. The forces of familial love, thirst for justice, and bonds of friendship drive the story forward. Niko dives into the folktales passed down through his family about their heritage and learns how his own beliefs and life tie into the story of the land itself. Kino peppers the text with phrases in Te Reo and writes out the conversational dialogue the way it would sound in the New Zealand accent. This writing style submerges the reader into the world of this Māori community, or “Mowree,” as the pakeha folks in the story pronounce it. By seeing how Niko and his grandfather’s histories are inextricably bound to the land, readers will be immersed in one story of the battle for rights, power, and culture that has gone on in Aotearoa for hundreds of years.
Nikora Te Kainga-mataa, known as Niko, is the grandson of an infamous elder and protestor in his community. Niko’s grandfather’s activism inspires him to learn about and fight for their Māori community’s rights to their land and sovereignty, even when the rest of the community, including their own family, calls Niko’s grandfather pōrangi, meaning crazy. The community sees Niko going down the same punishing road of activism and calls Niko pōrangi boy, which he struggles against every day. The forces of familial love, thirst for justice, and bonds of friendship drive the story forward. Niko dives into the folktales passed down through his family about their heritage and learns how his own beliefs and life tie into the story of the land itself. Kino peppers the text with phrases in Te Reo and writes out the conversational dialogue the way it would sound in the New Zealand accent. This writing style submerges the reader into the world of this Māori community, or “Mowree,” as the pakeha folks in the story pronounce it. By seeing how Niko and his grandfather’s histories are inextricably bound to the land, readers will be immersed in one story of the battle for rights, power, and culture that has gone on in Aotearoa for hundreds of years.