Spirit of the Crocodile

Shortlisted for the 2026 CBCA Book of the Year for Younger Readers
Shortlisted for the 2026 ABIA Book of the Year for Younger Children

An inspiring story of courage, resilience and hope, set in the Torres Strait Islander community as climate change threatens culture, tradition and connection to place, co-written by Michelle Scott Tucker and proud Torres Strait Islander creator, actor, producer and director Aaron Fa'Aoso.

The crocodile's eyes were yellow, slit by a vertical pupil. The creature remained perfectly still, but it throbbed with life. Ezra felt goosebumps in spite of the afternoon heat, and took a few steps back.
'Is that thing looking at you?' asked Mason.
'Nah. How could it be?'

Twelve-year-old Ezra is an ordinary boy who lives on Saibai, an extraordinary Australian island. He loves a laugh, he loves his family, and - almost more than anything - he loves a dare.

But when one of his dares goes wrong, Ezra realises he needs to make some decisions about helping out and measuring up. He learns that there's more than one way to look at, well, nearly everything.

And as ever-increasing climate disasters threaten Saibai, Ezra and his best mate Mason must draw on their resilience and courage to help the community survive a massive out-of-season storm.

Set in today's Torres Strait, Spirit of the Crocodile is a captivating novel that explores the importance of culture, community and place to a carefree kid on the cusp of growing up.