John Morano

Makoona John Morano

Welcome to the inspiring story of Binti, a female octopus who lives in the Makoona coral reef, and Kemar, a Cambodian boy who fishes the reef.

As a mollusk without a shell, Binti believes she's missing something... but the reef is a dangerous place to search for anything, let alone the shell that will make her complete and let her communicate with the spirit-fish. But helped by her friends and a psychedelic octopus who speaks in Grateful Dead lyrics, the search is on.

Fifteen-year-old Kemar, a boatperson fleeing the Khmer Rouge, fishes the waters around Makoona where he crosses the path of a strange octopus and befriends both a Vietnam vet and an old American mechanic who claims she was once a world-famous aviator.

Makoona will make you laugh out loud as it transports you into the world of the coral reef and takes you on an island adventure that never loses sight of environmental concerns, personal fulfillment, friendship, self-awareness, and the tenets of eco-literature that Morano created in his unforgettable first novel, A Wing and a Prayer.

Like Wing, Makoona is a children's book for adults and a young adult novel with universal themes, a story that you can enjoy by yourself or share with the entire family.

Featuring a special introduction by Kathryn Fuller, President of the World Wildlife Fund.