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My Sister Sif
Fourteen-year-old Riko manages to get her sister Sif and herself to their Pacific island home, where a scientist who falls in love with Sif discovers her connection with an underwater race.
192 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1986
9 people are currently reading
495 people want to read
About the author
Ruth Park
84 books114 followersRuth Park was a New Zealand-born author, who spent most of her life in Australia. She was born in Auckland, and her family later moved to Te Kuiti further south in the North Island of New Zealand, where they lived in isolated areas.
During the Great Depression her working class father worked on bush roads, as a driver, on relief work, as a sawmill hand, and finally shifted back to Auckland as council worker living in a state house. After Catholic primary school Ruth won a partial scholarship to secondary school, but this was broken by periods of being unable to afford to attend. For a time she stayed with relatives on a Coromandel farming estate where she was treated like a serf by the wealthy landowner until she told the rich woman what she really thought of her.
Ruth claimed that she was involved in the Queen Street riots with her father. Later she worked at the Auckland Star before shifting to Australia in 1942. There she married the Australian writer D'Arcy Niland.
Her first novel was The Harp in the South (1948) - a story of Irish slum life in Sydney, which was translated into 10 languages. (Some critics called it a cruel fantasy because as far as they were concerned there were no slums in Sydney.) But Ruth and D'Arcy did live in Sydney slums at Surry Hills. She followed that up with Poor Man's Orange (1949). She also wrote Missus (1985) and other novels, as well as a long-running Australian children's radio show and scripts for film and TV. She created The Muddle-Headed Wombat series of children's books. Her autobiographies are A Fence Around the Cuckoo (1992) and Fishing in the Styx (1993). She also wrote a novel based in New Zealand, One-a-pecker, Two-a-pecker (1957), about gold mining in Otago (later renamed The Frost and The Fire).
Park received awards in Australia and internationally.
Winner of the Dromkeen Medal.
During the Great Depression her working class father worked on bush roads, as a driver, on relief work, as a sawmill hand, and finally shifted back to Auckland as council worker living in a state house. After Catholic primary school Ruth won a partial scholarship to secondary school, but this was broken by periods of being unable to afford to attend. For a time she stayed with relatives on a Coromandel farming estate where she was treated like a serf by the wealthy landowner until she told the rich woman what she really thought of her.
Ruth claimed that she was involved in the Queen Street riots with her father. Later she worked at the Auckland Star before shifting to Australia in 1942. There she married the Australian writer D'Arcy Niland.
Her first novel was The Harp in the South (1948) - a story of Irish slum life in Sydney, which was translated into 10 languages. (Some critics called it a cruel fantasy because as far as they were concerned there were no slums in Sydney.) But Ruth and D'Arcy did live in Sydney slums at Surry Hills. She followed that up with Poor Man's Orange (1949). She also wrote Missus (1985) and other novels, as well as a long-running Australian children's radio show and scripts for film and TV. She created The Muddle-Headed Wombat series of children's books. Her autobiographies are A Fence Around the Cuckoo (1992) and Fishing in the Styx (1993). She also wrote a novel based in New Zealand, One-a-pecker, Two-a-pecker (1957), about gold mining in Otago (later renamed The Frost and The Fire).
Park received awards in Australia and internationally.
Winner of the Dromkeen Medal.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 49 reviews
January 8, 2019
I read somewhere this was a dystopian novel. It was with a few surprises. Written in 1986 it was an early predictor of climate change with a focus on the impact to marine life. So the book is set in an idyllic Pacific island no one has heard of, with whales, dolphins, fish and merpeople. The narrator is a 14 year old who we soon find out has been born of a land person and a merperson.
She and her sister Sif go through various good times and bad times on the land and in the seas. The narrator experiences the pangs of puberty where adults are seen as another species and behaviours are erratic. While the book is clearly focused on its environmental messages its handling of the confusion of growing out of childhood was another highlight.
It remains very readable although the author is probably turning in her grave that her message on the dangers of greed and consumerism has gone unheeded.
She and her sister Sif go through various good times and bad times on the land and in the seas. The narrator experiences the pangs of puberty where adults are seen as another species and behaviours are erratic. While the book is clearly focused on its environmental messages its handling of the confusion of growing out of childhood was another highlight.
It remains very readable although the author is probably turning in her grave that her message on the dangers of greed and consumerism has gone unheeded.
April 19, 2019
Another marvellous book by Ruth Park - what a writer.
Being a book for children it has a sort of positive ending, though not without loss, but this was published in 1986, and I can't help thinking (especially after watching David Attenborough's update on Climate Change last night on the BBC) how grieved Ruth Park would be today to see how little real change has been made since then.
A few quotes:
'I saw a coral reef, dead as a doornail after a thousand years of gorgeous life, poisoned by herbicides and fertilisers leached from farm soil and sent down rivers to the sea.'
'So there was still hope, I thought, that the brainless ones who fouled their own food with poisonous chemicals, and were so insane as to tip the worst contaminants known to man into the ocean - which nourished sky and land - would all learn better, or be justly punished by the gods with flood, fire and earthquake.'
'For the world didn't end with a bang or anything dramatic and noisy. A little way into the twenty-first century, as though it were tired of the long battle against mankind, the earth began quietly to die. Like a baby will when you have no real love for it.'
Being a book for children it has a sort of positive ending, though not without loss, but this was published in 1986, and I can't help thinking (especially after watching David Attenborough's update on Climate Change last night on the BBC) how grieved Ruth Park would be today to see how little real change has been made since then.
A few quotes:
'I saw a coral reef, dead as a doornail after a thousand years of gorgeous life, poisoned by herbicides and fertilisers leached from farm soil and sent down rivers to the sea.'
'So there was still hope, I thought, that the brainless ones who fouled their own food with poisonous chemicals, and were so insane as to tip the worst contaminants known to man into the ocean - which nourished sky and land - would all learn better, or be justly punished by the gods with flood, fire and earthquake.'
'For the world didn't end with a bang or anything dramatic and noisy. A little way into the twenty-first century, as though it were tired of the long battle against mankind, the earth began quietly to die. Like a baby will when you have no real love for it.'
April 30, 2017
What can I say? I love the idea of merpeople. This story was particularly well done, and I loved the "down under" setting (both literally and geographically!). I think this is Ruth Park's best.
September 13, 2015
I read this in high school and was keen to re-read it again as I could only remember bits and pieces about it.
It was a more conservationist story than I recalled, and I couldn’t remember the ending at all. It was interesting that it was set in 2000, which at the time I read it, was still in the future, but it was written in 1986, which is the year that the main character of the book was born in. I don’t know whether this occurred to me when I first read it, but this time around, I wondered why it was set only slightly into the future - maybe Ruth Park thought our world was degenerating faster than it was, and if she set it too far ahead, climate change would happen earlier than in the book. And I guess she may have wanted it to be a warning - to look to our care of the planet and make changes while we still could.
I do remember reading it the first time, and thinking I'd quite like to go to Rongo - before anything happens to it - and I felt the same on this reading. 3.5★
It was a more conservationist story than I recalled, and I couldn’t remember the ending at all. It was interesting that it was set in 2000, which at the time I read it, was still in the future, but it was written in 1986, which is the year that the main character of the book was born in. I don’t know whether this occurred to me when I first read it, but this time around, I wondered why it was set only slightly into the future - maybe Ruth Park thought our world was degenerating faster than it was, and if she set it too far ahead, climate change would happen earlier than in the book. And I guess she may have wanted it to be a warning - to look to our care of the planet and make changes while we still could.
I do remember reading it the first time, and thinking I'd quite like to go to Rongo - before anything happens to it - and I felt the same on this reading. 3.5★
March 12, 2012
my most treasured book when I was growing up, dreaming of becoming a marine biologist. reading it again as an adult was wonderful because it's a lovely story, told in an accessible way. I will always always love this story. <>< ><>
July 20, 2015
One of the most influential books of my childhood, and the first to spur my love for the environment. First published in 1986, My Sister Sif was YA and CliFi before anyone even recognised such genres.
Ruth Park weaves reality with fantasy: set in our world, the young Erika travels back to her her native island Rongo with her big sister Sif. There, we meet their family - mermen and merwomen fighting to protect their ocean and suffering the consequences of environmental damage all around them.
My Sister Sif is an excellent introduction to issues of the environment for teenagers and young adults (particularly girls). Give it to all of the teenagers you know.
Ruth Park weaves reality with fantasy: set in our world, the young Erika travels back to her her native island Rongo with her big sister Sif. There, we meet their family - mermen and merwomen fighting to protect their ocean and suffering the consequences of environmental damage all around them.
My Sister Sif is an excellent introduction to issues of the environment for teenagers and young adults (particularly girls). Give it to all of the teenagers you know.
September 20, 2011
my favorite childhood book. this book brings a lot of good childhood memories. this is a perfect book for kids within the ages of ten to any age!read it you will like it.
January 25, 2018
Gestern habe ich mich noch gefragt, ob ich zu hart zu Büchern bin, die ich in meiner Jugend gelesen und geliebt habe und sie aus heutiger Sicht einfach nicht mehr wertschätzen kann. Dann habe ich "Schwester des Meeres" in fast einem Rutsch durchgelesen und die Bedenken sind weg.
Ich habe es geliebt. Damals wie heute. Als Teenie und jetzt als Erwachsene. Mein Schwerpunkt mag sich verschoben haben, aber das Setting nimmt mich immer noch gefangen und ich wünsche mir, einmal die Insel besuchen zu können, die Lagune, die Stadt der Meermenschen und die Höhlen der Mehehunen. Und zeitgleich hat dieses Buch so eine mächtige Botschaft, die mich beim allerersten Mal hilflos wütend gemacht hat und heute sehr bedrückt. Denn trotz aller phantastischen Elemente geht es bei dem Buch nicht nur ums Erwachsenwerden, sondern vor allem um den Umweltschutz. Und eine Liebesgeschichte gibt es auch noch ...
Riko als Hauptcharakter konnte mich auch wesentlich mehr begeistern als Sarah (Anm.: Protagonistin von "Der Flug des Albatros", was ich gestern ausgelesen habe). Sie ist launisch, ohne Frage, aber sie hat das Herz am rechten Fleck. Eifersüchtig und etwas außen vor beobachtet sie die aufkeimende Liebesgeschichte zwischen ihrer Schwester Siw und einem Fremden, ansonsten hat Romantik keinen großen Raum in diesem Buch. Es sei denn, man zählt die Liebe zum Meer mit dazu, dann ist es eine überaus romantische Geschichte ... denn das Meer und dessen Bewohner, menschlich und nicht, spielen die allergrößte Rolle im Buch.
Etwas harsch finde ich das Ende als Ausblick, das Dinge nach der Haupthandlung sehr schnell abhandelt und recht düster gehalten ist. Allerdings verstärkt dies die Botschaft und ist, denke ich, absichtlich so gehalten, damit die jungen Leser sich daran erinnern und selbst etwas unternehmen, so wie Riko.
Von mir aber auf jeden Fall eine große Leseempfehlung, auch für Erwachsene! Wenn ihr das Buch noch irgendwo findet, schlagt zu!
Ich habe es geliebt. Damals wie heute. Als Teenie und jetzt als Erwachsene. Mein Schwerpunkt mag sich verschoben haben, aber das Setting nimmt mich immer noch gefangen und ich wünsche mir, einmal die Insel besuchen zu können, die Lagune, die Stadt der Meermenschen und die Höhlen der Mehehunen. Und zeitgleich hat dieses Buch so eine mächtige Botschaft, die mich beim allerersten Mal hilflos wütend gemacht hat und heute sehr bedrückt. Denn trotz aller phantastischen Elemente geht es bei dem Buch nicht nur ums Erwachsenwerden, sondern vor allem um den Umweltschutz. Und eine Liebesgeschichte gibt es auch noch ...
Riko als Hauptcharakter konnte mich auch wesentlich mehr begeistern als Sarah (Anm.: Protagonistin von "Der Flug des Albatros", was ich gestern ausgelesen habe). Sie ist launisch, ohne Frage, aber sie hat das Herz am rechten Fleck. Eifersüchtig und etwas außen vor beobachtet sie die aufkeimende Liebesgeschichte zwischen ihrer Schwester Siw und einem Fremden, ansonsten hat Romantik keinen großen Raum in diesem Buch. Es sei denn, man zählt die Liebe zum Meer mit dazu, dann ist es eine überaus romantische Geschichte ... denn das Meer und dessen Bewohner, menschlich und nicht, spielen die allergrößte Rolle im Buch.
Etwas harsch finde ich das Ende als Ausblick, das Dinge nach der Haupthandlung sehr schnell abhandelt und recht düster gehalten ist. Allerdings verstärkt dies die Botschaft und ist, denke ich, absichtlich so gehalten, damit die jungen Leser sich daran erinnern und selbst etwas unternehmen, so wie Riko.
Von mir aber auf jeden Fall eine große Leseempfehlung, auch für Erwachsene! Wenn ihr das Buch noch irgendwo findet, schlagt zu!
January 29, 2019
Svensk titel: Tillbaka till Rongo.
En stor favorit under uppväxten, av nostalgi var jag tvungen att få tag på den på originalspråk också. Kan bara konstatera att den fortfarande håller även när man läser den som vuxen och att ämnet tyvärr är minst lika aktuellt nu som då. Stark fyra på gränsen till en femma!
En stor favorit under uppväxten, av nostalgi var jag tvungen att få tag på den på originalspråk också. Kan bara konstatera att den fortfarande håller även när man läser den som vuxen och att ämnet tyvärr är minst lika aktuellt nu som då. Stark fyra på gränsen till en femma!
February 20, 2021
This was the first book I read that made me weep. It remains a favourite in my heart and empowered the young climate activist in me. I visited Tonga two years ago and my memories were flooded with the beautiful imagery and the characters in this book. It’s one that I will read again and again and again
December 23, 2021
I have lost count of how many times I've read this in my life. A genuinely beautiful and devastating story that will stay with you forever.
July 27, 2015
My Sister Sif is a beautiful, fable-like speculative story - a small, lovely novel that mixes fantasy into reality so well it feels like it really could have happened. I'm not going to give away what those fantasy aspects are, in case you decide to read it - I think it's nice to be surprised. I came to it not knowing very much about the story itself, and I was very quickly swept up in it. The magical aspects of the story are perfectly ordinary to the characters, making the story feel very much of our world.
I always love stories about the bonds between sisters.* Sif is my favourite - she's shy and a dreamer. Erika is more practical, and despite being the younger sister she feels she must look after Sif. Erika is so sure that she knows best she can be obnoxious, but she's ultimately an endearing character, despite her mistakes (she is fourteen, after all). Her relationship with Pig is adorable. Their island home of Rongo is well-drawn and realistic,** and I think the young narrator and the magical, childlike freedom of the story will appeal to younger readers (I would've loved this even more if I'd read it when I was ten or twelve), while the thoughtfulness and relevance of the issues raised in the story will interest adult readers of YA, too. It's easy to read and authentic and just the sort of book you want to hug.***
The issues raised in the novel are even more important now than when it was first published, but the story has a real timeless quality. There are parts of My Sister Sif which remind me that it was originally published in the 1980s, aspects of the story that speak of a different generation (things I can imagine in my parents' childhoods which don't exist in mine): Erika having a secret hideout that no grown-ups know about, the girls being able to just roam about and leave Australia on their own, Erika seeing adults as this entirely separate species who just don't understand kids. It adds to the charm. Despite the environmental protection message and fantastical creatures, the central themes of My Sister Sif are the same as a lot of YA: characters trying to become independent, relate to their family, figure out who they are and where they belong. It's a gorgeous little book.
*I am the eldest of two! Sisters are the best! I really liked Frozen, like a lot, mainly because sisterly love saves the day.
**When I'm reading, I tend to fill in the detail places described with places from my own memory. I've been to Vanuatu a couple of times, and once swam in a very lovely lagoon on the island of Efate, so I kept imagining that. I don't think Rongo is a real place, but it'd be nice to visit if it were.
***You hug books you really love, right? Or is that just me?
I always love stories about the bonds between sisters.* Sif is my favourite - she's shy and a dreamer. Erika is more practical, and despite being the younger sister she feels she must look after Sif. Erika is so sure that she knows best she can be obnoxious, but she's ultimately an endearing character, despite her mistakes (she is fourteen, after all). Her relationship with Pig is adorable. Their island home of Rongo is well-drawn and realistic,** and I think the young narrator and the magical, childlike freedom of the story will appeal to younger readers (I would've loved this even more if I'd read it when I was ten or twelve), while the thoughtfulness and relevance of the issues raised in the story will interest adult readers of YA, too. It's easy to read and authentic and just the sort of book you want to hug.***
The issues raised in the novel are even more important now than when it was first published, but the story has a real timeless quality. There are parts of My Sister Sif which remind me that it was originally published in the 1980s, aspects of the story that speak of a different generation (things I can imagine in my parents' childhoods which don't exist in mine): Erika having a secret hideout that no grown-ups know about, the girls being able to just roam about and leave Australia on their own, Erika seeing adults as this entirely separate species who just don't understand kids. It adds to the charm. Despite the environmental protection message and fantastical creatures, the central themes of My Sister Sif are the same as a lot of YA: characters trying to become independent, relate to their family, figure out who they are and where they belong. It's a gorgeous little book.
*I am the eldest of two! Sisters are the best! I really liked Frozen, like a lot, mainly because sisterly love saves the day.
**When I'm reading, I tend to fill in the detail places described with places from my own memory. I've been to Vanuatu a couple of times, and once swam in a very lovely lagoon on the island of Efate, so I kept imagining that. I don't think Rongo is a real place, but it'd be nice to visit if it were.
***You hug books you really love, right? Or is that just me?
February 4, 2019
This story is set in the early to mid 1980's (this is important to how the story ends) and tells the story from ~14 / 15 year old Erika "Riko" Magnus perspective who lives with her adult sister and family and slightly older (~17 years old) sister Sif in Sydney.
Sif is homestick for their homeland, the Pacific island called Rongo. Riko sells some seashells to fund her sister Sif's and then her own trip home.
But there are many changes occuring.
There have been environmental changes occuring which ahs stirred up the locals.
Sif falls in love with non islander Henry Jacka who is a shell collector from the US. But Riko is jealous and concerned as she is the stronger of the two.
This is a coming of age story for Riko.
Sif is homestick for their homeland, the Pacific island called Rongo. Riko sells some seashells to fund her sister Sif's and then her own trip home.
But there are many changes occuring.
There have been environmental changes occuring which ahs stirred up the locals.
Sif falls in love with non islander Henry Jacka who is a shell collector from the US. But Riko is jealous and concerned as she is the stronger of the two.
This is a coming of age story for Riko.
January 16, 2020
Read this aloud to my 10yo & 12yo daughters following a holiday on Lady Musgrave Island, so it seemed topical. They were enthralled from first to last page, particularly my marine biologist-aspiring daughter.
I loved this book when I was growing up and have read it more times than I can count. The dynamics between the Magnus sisters mirrors my own family, so My Sister Sif always feels like home to me.
Reflecting on the story as an adult has given me some new insights, particularly on the theme of love. It seems to me that Henry — the man we are to dislike from the outset, the man who collects rare and precious shells for a living, the man who (as Riko believes) would threaten everything — was the only person who really knew Sif and truly loved her.
Every other character loved her somewhat selfishly and possessively; resultantly, Sif felt like something of a hollow character, reflecting back to others what they saw her to be. Only through her blossoming relationship with Henry did she seem to come alive. It’s little wonder that Sif, pulled in so many directions by the climax, seems to just fade away (in her health and character)...there was no possible happy ending for her.
I suppose she is an analogy to the bigger theme in the book, which is the destruction of the earth. Even her quiet and undramatic death is reflected in the description of the planet: “A little way into the twenty-first century, as though it were tired of the long battle against mankind, the earth began quietly to die.”
I loved this book when I was growing up and have read it more times than I can count. The dynamics between the Magnus sisters mirrors my own family, so My Sister Sif always feels like home to me.
Reflecting on the story as an adult has given me some new insights, particularly on the theme of love. It seems to me that Henry — the man we are to dislike from the outset, the man who collects rare and precious shells for a living, the man who (as Riko believes) would threaten everything — was the only person who really knew Sif and truly loved her.
Every other character loved her somewhat selfishly and possessively; resultantly, Sif felt like something of a hollow character, reflecting back to others what they saw her to be. Only through her blossoming relationship with Henry did she seem to come alive. It’s little wonder that Sif, pulled in so many directions by the climax, seems to just fade away (in her health and character)...there was no possible happy ending for her.
I suppose she is an analogy to the bigger theme in the book, which is the destruction of the earth. Even her quiet and undramatic death is reflected in the description of the planet: “A little way into the twenty-first century, as though it were tired of the long battle against mankind, the earth began quietly to die.”
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 16, 2018
Spoiler Alert! Come back after reading the book, the spoiler is major, come back after reading the book. Come on, it'll only take a few hours. Okay, now that I've got that out of the way, scroll down for my review, please.
My Review: It is a well written book, I have to admit. But not as good as Harry Potter, or Percy Jackson, or The Penderwicks (the first four, anyways), so I settled on two stars. I read it while I was younger, and later, maybe a year, two or three, I read it again, just to notice any details I may have skipped. And, well, I skipped a lot. I hated Henry the first time I read it, missing all his good attributes of him, and I missed the part about Fredik, and I didn't understand Sif's death at all, though I definitely remembered it. I just, well, didn't understand. It happened so quickly, in only two short paragraphs or so, and I thought she either died or was somehow still alive somewhere, and Riko was looking for her. Later, I realized that she was actually dead. But, her death seems so....unneessary. I mean, it doesn't really change the plot that much. I suppose you could argue that it solves some problems, but those problems could have been solved another way. But, anyways. I was basically thinking whenever they went into the water at the end of the book, they were gonna drown, since I remembered Sif's death. Anyways, that's my review.
My Review: It is a well written book, I have to admit. But not as good as Harry Potter, or Percy Jackson, or The Penderwicks (the first four, anyways), so I settled on two stars. I read it while I was younger, and later, maybe a year, two or three, I read it again, just to notice any details I may have skipped. And, well, I skipped a lot. I hated Henry the first time I read it, missing all his good attributes of him, and I missed the part about Fredik, and I didn't understand Sif's death at all, though I definitely remembered it. I just, well, didn't understand. It happened so quickly, in only two short paragraphs or so, and I thought she either died or was somehow still alive somewhere, and Riko was looking for her. Later, I realized that she was actually dead. But, her death seems so....unneessary. I mean, it doesn't really change the plot that much. I suppose you could argue that it solves some problems, but those problems could have been solved another way. But, anyways. I was basically thinking whenever they went into the water at the end of the book, they were gonna drown, since I remembered Sif's death. Anyways, that's my review.
April 7, 2023
Australian author, Park, writes a children’s book ahead of its time on conservation of the ocean, climate change and the perils that will arrive if we don’t act to change things. Recommended and lent to me by a wonderfully sustainable Brisbane woman who I was staying with.
Follows sisters: Erika (Rikoriko) and Sif in their island home Rongo. Characters include Mamma Ti, Henry and Martin Jacka, the menehune: Pig, and Joanne.
Rongo is an island of the Ephinany Group in the Pacific Ocean.
Quotes:
“From below us there rose something like a floating island. As it drew upwards, this vast dappled being, the dolphins and I wafted away like leaves, for it created its own watery winds.
She was a humpback whale almost 14 m long. Her slender elegant muzzle passed me. The under jaw, which can balloon into a pelican pouch when the whale is feeding, was tightly pleated, the mouth primmed shut. I feathered away, gliding my hand along the skin which is like the skin of an apple, but softer. One white flipper, long and supple as a wing, deftly lifted itself so that I should not be hurt. A plum-blue shining gaze took me in and let me go, as the whale moved onwards without pause or deviation.” 33
Follows sisters: Erika (Rikoriko) and Sif in their island home Rongo. Characters include Mamma Ti, Henry and Martin Jacka, the menehune: Pig, and Joanne.
Rongo is an island of the Ephinany Group in the Pacific Ocean.
Quotes:
“From below us there rose something like a floating island. As it drew upwards, this vast dappled being, the dolphins and I wafted away like leaves, for it created its own watery winds.
She was a humpback whale almost 14 m long. Her slender elegant muzzle passed me. The under jaw, which can balloon into a pelican pouch when the whale is feeding, was tightly pleated, the mouth primmed shut. I feathered away, gliding my hand along the skin which is like the skin of an apple, but softer. One white flipper, long and supple as a wing, deftly lifted itself so that I should not be hurt. A plum-blue shining gaze took me in and let me go, as the whale moved onwards without pause or deviation.” 33
January 15, 2025
4.5 ⭑
Enchanting + whimsical. The characters are all so charming and I can’t help but fall in love with all of them. Riko is a strong-headed girl and I can’t help but feel for her in wanting to keep the people she loves most closest to her. She is caring, strong, inquisitive and at times meddling but is a testament to her cleverness. Sif was magic. So gentle and her love for the sea is so wonderful. She deserved to live out the rest of her life by the ocean. A dashing tale that really hooks you into paradise but serves as a harrowing warning of the consequences of greed and corruption. But what a hopeful end. This book was such a fun adventure. A great start to my year.
Enchanting + whimsical. The characters are all so charming and I can’t help but fall in love with all of them. Riko is a strong-headed girl and I can’t help but feel for her in wanting to keep the people she loves most closest to her. She is caring, strong, inquisitive and at times meddling but is a testament to her cleverness. Sif was magic. So gentle and her love for the sea is so wonderful. She deserved to live out the rest of her life by the ocean. A dashing tale that really hooks you into paradise but serves as a harrowing warning of the consequences of greed and corruption. But what a hopeful end. This book was such a fun adventure. A great start to my year.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 23, 2018
I have reread this book many times. Would have been around 2004/2005 after when it was set. Very conservationist and the main character being female was something I clung to growing up!! I dreamed of growing up and working in marine biology. Having this science part but mixing in the islands and the fantasy was just everything I adored and still love. Even though Ive outgrown that age I treasure this book so much.
May 15, 2020
This is a bit heavy on the message... But maybe it just seems that way because it was written in the 1980s and was predicting environmental disasters in our current time, and they are a little close to the truth!
What really shines in this book, however, is Ruth Park's astonishing ability to get into the mind of the angry teenage protagonist and to depict her so utterly truthfully.
What really shines in this book, however, is Ruth Park's astonishing ability to get into the mind of the angry teenage protagonist and to depict her so utterly truthfully.
February 7, 2024
Literally one of the most touching books, still hits reading it again after all this time. Although the wider message can feel a little too forced at times it’s a beautiful message that remains sadly extremely relevant and explores teenage emotion in a way that is both real and vulnerable. Thank you Ruth Park
August 22, 2023
I adore this book, I first read it when I was very young and it has stuck in my head ever since. I recently found it again in the library I assist at and remembered it as a environmental warning wrapped up in a beautiful story. My memory was correct and how right Ruth was.
August 27, 2017
A beautiful story and one of my favourites from my childhood. Revisiting the world of Erika and Sif feels like coming home.
October 14, 2021
This book was sad and lighthearted at the same time. Which is incredible. Classic Australian literature at it's finest.
October 8, 2022
I don’t often re-read books. I read this one every summer from year 7 until year 11 and cried every time.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 19, 2023
The fact this book was writtten so long ago and yet describes the fate of our earth and the impact of tourism and rising sea levels
May 24, 2013
Originally posted at Postcards from La-La Land.
I first read this book sometime in high school, and now re-read it for the From the Bowels of Obscurity Book Club (yes, I can hear all your inner 12-year-olds giggling at "bowels" ;-) )
. . . . .
This is another story that blends the beautiful and poetic with the sad and cynical. It is Park’s view, from the 1980s (the book was first published in 1986), of environmental conditions in the early 2000s – and that view is harsh. But it’s not all doom-and-gloom; it wouldn’t be one of my favorite books if that were the case. I love it both for the parts that make me want to cry, and the parts that let me hope things can get better.
These are the things I appreciated even more on second-read:
Setting. You get a very strong sense of place from Riko’s narration – you can feel how much Rongo means to her, and to the other characters. The land itself is practically a living character, or at least part of one – “the hide of a marvelous live monster which every now and then twitched that hide, or trembled in a dream.”
Voice/characterization. Riko is fourteen when the story takes place, and the way she understands the world, the way she reacts to the idea of her closest sister growing up and living her own life, is absolutely relatable. She tries desperately to keep control of her world, really believing she knows best, until someone pushes back.
Commander! The Ocean Girl Radar™ is picking up strong signals from this book…it seems the lagoon of Rongo is home to a tribe of people who’ve adapted to swim and breathe like whales, and who can speak telepathically with said whales (as well as other sea creatures), and who live in an underwater city!
Riko’s discussions on South Pacific folklore/mythology – the menehune (a dwarf-like people who build amazingly strong structures with earth and stone), for instance, and the forest guardian Tane. These beings are so much a part of Rongo’s society that even the local missionary respects them – “Mr Spry … said sensibly that the gods had been around the Pacific for thousands of years and it was nothing more than good manners to treat elderly persons nicely.”
. . . . .
* I should probably mention that Rongo and the Epiphanies are fictional places. Yes, I did Google them ^_^;;
I first read this book sometime in high school, and now re-read it for the From the Bowels of Obscurity Book Club (yes, I can hear all your inner 12-year-olds giggling at "bowels" ;-) )
. . . . .
We Magnus children were born on an outer island of the Epiphany Group in the Pacific Ocean. This island is called Rongo, and it is so small no one in the world cares about it except the people who live there. It is just above the Tropic of Capricorn, lying halfway between the Friendlies and the Cook Islands, south-west of Tahiti and the Marquesas. *
This is another story that blends the beautiful and poetic with the sad and cynical. It is Park’s view, from the 1980s (the book was first published in 1986), of environmental conditions in the early 2000s – and that view is harsh. But it’s not all doom-and-gloom; it wouldn’t be one of my favorite books if that were the case. I love it both for the parts that make me want to cry, and the parts that let me hope things can get better.
These are the things I appreciated even more on second-read:
Setting. You get a very strong sense of place from Riko’s narration – you can feel how much Rongo means to her, and to the other characters. The land itself is practically a living character, or at least part of one – “the hide of a marvelous live monster which every now and then twitched that hide, or trembled in a dream.”
Voice/characterization. Riko is fourteen when the story takes place, and the way she understands the world, the way she reacts to the idea of her closest sister growing up and living her own life, is absolutely relatable. She tries desperately to keep control of her world, really believing she knows best, until someone pushes back.
Commander! The Ocean Girl Radar™ is picking up strong signals from this book…it seems the lagoon of Rongo is home to a tribe of people who’ve adapted to swim and breathe like whales, and who can speak telepathically with said whales (as well as other sea creatures), and who live in an underwater city!
Riko’s discussions on South Pacific folklore/mythology – the menehune (a dwarf-like people who build amazingly strong structures with earth and stone), for instance, and the forest guardian Tane. These beings are so much a part of Rongo’s society that even the local missionary respects them – “Mr Spry … said sensibly that the gods had been around the Pacific for thousands of years and it was nothing more than good manners to treat elderly persons nicely.”
. . . . .
* I should probably mention that Rongo and the Epiphanies are fictional places. Yes, I did Google them ^_^;;
March 22, 2025
My Sister Sif by Ruth Park is an emotional and beautifully written YA novel that explores the complex bond between two sisters—one who is strong and vibrant, and the other, a more quiet and introspective character. The story is set in 1940s Sydney, during the aftermath of World War II, and it does a remarkable job of blending the struggles of family relationships with the larger social and political landscape of the time. Ruth Park’s writing is full of evocative imagery, and the emotions she taps into throughout the novel are raw and real, making it an enrapturing read.
The story follows the narrator, whose life is upended when her sister Sif, an outgoing and adventurous spirit, begins to change, leading the family down a difficult path. The themes of family, identity, and the painful passage from childhood to adulthood are explored in ways that feel both personal and universally relatable. The characters are well-developed, and the tension between them is palpable, especially as they navigate their relationships with each other and the world around them.
Park’s imagery is one of the standout features of My Sister Sif. Her ability to capture the atmosphere, emotions, and even the smallest details creates an immersive experience for the reader. You feel like you’re walking alongside the characters, experiencing their joy and heartbreak with them. The emotional depth is hard to ignore—it’s a book that tugs at your heartstrings without feeling manipulative.
At its core, My Sister Sif is an excellent YA novel that deals with the complexities of growing up, family dynamics, and the struggles of understanding and accepting each other. It’s a great read for anyone who enjoys emotional, character-driven stories with rich, atmospheric writing.
Overall, I’d rate this book a 4/5 stars. It’s powerful, beautifully written, and emotionally resonant. If you’re a fan of YA novels with strong emotional arcs and vivid imagery, this one is definitely worth picking up. Ruth Park’s storytelling is something special, and My Sister Sif is a perfect example of her talent.
The story follows the narrator, whose life is upended when her sister Sif, an outgoing and adventurous spirit, begins to change, leading the family down a difficult path. The themes of family, identity, and the painful passage from childhood to adulthood are explored in ways that feel both personal and universally relatable. The characters are well-developed, and the tension between them is palpable, especially as they navigate their relationships with each other and the world around them.
Park’s imagery is one of the standout features of My Sister Sif. Her ability to capture the atmosphere, emotions, and even the smallest details creates an immersive experience for the reader. You feel like you’re walking alongside the characters, experiencing their joy and heartbreak with them. The emotional depth is hard to ignore—it’s a book that tugs at your heartstrings without feeling manipulative.
At its core, My Sister Sif is an excellent YA novel that deals with the complexities of growing up, family dynamics, and the struggles of understanding and accepting each other. It’s a great read for anyone who enjoys emotional, character-driven stories with rich, atmospheric writing.
Overall, I’d rate this book a 4/5 stars. It’s powerful, beautifully written, and emotionally resonant. If you’re a fan of YA novels with strong emotional arcs and vivid imagery, this one is definitely worth picking up. Ruth Park’s storytelling is something special, and My Sister Sif is a perfect example of her talent.
July 29, 2016
Ruth Park was such a wonderful author. This book and playing Beatie Bow were, and still are, two of my favourite books. The sense of place is amazing and beautiful and has such a fable-like quality even though it is set in what was then the present (early 90s). The characters are well drawn and interesting and the premise was captivating for a sea-obsessed Australian child/teenager like me.
Don't be put of by the merpeople aspect, it is presented in such a matter-of-fact yet somewhat intangible way that isn't really like many of the current mermaid-y YA currently out there.
The environmental message is probably more important today than it was back then (although probably too late now), which is rather impressive for somehting published in 1991.
how i wanted to join Riko and Sif on their Pacific island.
Don't be put of by the merpeople aspect, it is presented in such a matter-of-fact yet somewhat intangible way that isn't really like many of the current mermaid-y YA currently out there.
The environmental message is probably more important today than it was back then (although probably too late now), which is rather impressive for somehting published in 1991.
how i wanted to join Riko and Sif on their Pacific island.
January 7, 2017
Interesting story about a young girl named Riko/Erika and her older sister Sif/Sarah. Their family is from a mostly unknown island called Rongo. After the death of their father, they moved to live with their older sister Joanne in Sydney, Australia. Sif becomes so homesick that Riko finds a way to help her go back to Rongo and then later follows herself.
While on Rongo, they meet a man named Henry Jacka, a scientist. They have a family secret that Henry figures out. He tries to help their family, but due to ecological problems, they leave the island. Sif and Erika are left behind. At this point, the story becomes extremely heavy-handed with the ecology message, which is very important, but feels like it is being pounded into the reader. The last chapter feels rushed as it wraps everything up.
I will say that the island as described when we first arrive there with Riko & Sif sounds absolutely amazing and like a place I would like to visit. By the end of the book, not so much.
While on Rongo, they meet a man named Henry Jacka, a scientist. They have a family secret that Henry figures out. He tries to help their family, but due to ecological problems, they leave the island. Sif and Erika are left behind. At this point, the story becomes extremely heavy-handed with the ecology message, which is very important, but feels like it is being pounded into the reader. The last chapter feels rushed as it wraps everything up.
I will say that the island as described when we first arrive there with Riko & Sif sounds absolutely amazing and like a place I would like to visit. By the end of the book, not so much.
March 2, 2008
The main character and older sister (Sif) go visit the island where their family (their mother's side, I think) lives. The mother's family is kind of a mermaid race. I don't remember how it worked, other than that they lived in the ocean. The main character takes after her human father, but Sif takes after the mother's side more. A young man interested in sea shells whom they met prior to the trip joins them unexpectedly and a little love story plays out between him and Sif. The main focus though is on the pollution of the oceans and how they can't live there for much longer and need to go somewhere cleaner.
Another one that made me cry at the end. It was a really depressing read and stuck in my memory more than a lot of the other books I read at that age.
Another one that made me cry at the end. It was a really depressing read and stuck in my memory more than a lot of the other books I read at that age.
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