Dugongs of the Sky by Emily Larkin

Title: Dugongs of the Sky

Author: Emily Larkin

Genre: Fantasy

Publisher: Wombat Books

Published: 1^st April 2026

Format: Paperback

Pages: 208

Price: $17.99

Synopsis: The sky dugongs are in danger, but Captain Scree Barnacle is determined to save them.

Her voyage to overturn an ancient hunting law means sailing the perilous Starstruck Straits—and dealing with sabotage. But who is threatening Scree’s mission, and are others in danger too?

Can the Wildkin captain and Patch, her plucky ship’s mate, untangle a magical plot, help the lost creatures find their way home, and save the animals?

~*~

Meet the sky dugongs of Starstruck Straits. They live in the skies, spending some of their time in the waters below. But they’re in danger. Poachers are after them and Wildkin, so Captain Barnacle Scree, captain of the Whitetider sets off on a quest to save them. Her crew is loyal, none more than her fellow Wildkin, Patch. Patch is friends with Boppit, who has his own secrets, and wants to get home to his family and away from the curse he is under.

The trio are determined to overturn an ancient hunting law during their voyage. Yet, it all leads them to an island that Boppit knows intimately. But they have to fight against the humans that want to control animals and Wildkin in a world where things are meant to be hopeful and equal.

The magical plot that shapes the experiences of Boppit, Patch and Scree needs to be unravelled as whispers of those involved works to change how they do things, how they see things and could threaten their very existences as well. It’s based in a world of animals against humans, and a species that to me was a bit of both, the Wildkin.

There’s conflict between being yourself, caring for the environment and the market on Boppit’s home island, where the poachers of the wonderful and rare wildlife sell their wares. Getting to the island to help, and work out how to tackle the issue at hand, save the animals and Wildkin, and bring peace to the island. Their primary enemy? Someone called Garumph.

Garumph was the one that captured Boppit and used magic to trap him as a human, denying him his true form. It’s gentle yet at time a little bit tense without being too stressful, all set in a fantasy world that has Australian wildlife and is vastly different to the fantasy worlds of many other books written for the same age group.

 I think the Australian-esque world is what makes it unique. I can’t say I have ever read much fantasy with a world like this, so it was quite fun to see how Australian animals have been incorporated into it. It captured something unique and relatable, making this a fun fantasy story for middle grade readers. It’s all about teamwork and friendship, which are powerful themes for kids to read about and explore.

And the dugongs were the key focus, protecting them and getting a baby dugong who was stranded in the water, following the ship, back into the sky. Patch, Scree and Boppit were such fun characters to follow too. There were a few things at the end that made me wonder if there would be a sequel, however, I think it works perfectly well as a standalone as well. I loved the ending and think it wrapped things up very well.