Close Modal

The Shark Prince

Hardcover
$18.99 US
5-1/2"W x 8-1/4"H | 16 oz | 12 per carton
On sale May 05, 2026 | 368 Pages | 9780593890721
Age 8-12 years | Grades 3-7

From the award-winning author of the Lei and the Legends duology comes a sharp new fantasy about a Hawaiian boy who can transform into what people fear most: a shark.

In a small Hawaiian village, Nohea is the latest son in a long line of male ancestors with a horrible secret: He’s half-human, half-shark. After his father—also cursed as a shark—kills someone while surfing and subsequently disappears, Nohea is left isolated with only his mom and tūtū as company. He knows he’ll suffer the same fate one day, so he can’t go to school or make any friends.

Worse yet, when he eventually succumbs to his shark-like cravings, he’ll be put to death, and his family will have to move to the continent. But when Nohea sees a flyer for a new surf competition, he realizes the prize money might be enough to help his family afford to stay in Hawaii when Nohea is gone. The catch? The competition is for school teams only.

So taking the biggest risk yet, Nohea joins the local public seventh-grade class where he makes friends, contends with a school bully, and gets so angry, he discovers a new row of supersharp teeth in his mouth! But this is only the beginning of Nohea’s problems.

Because soon, Nohea realizes that one by one, his surfing friends are disappearing. Is Nohea killing his classmates without knowing it? Or is something even more dangerous afoot?
© Kahiki Photography
Malia Maunakea is a part-Hawaiian writer who grew up in the rainforest on the Big Island before moving to a valley on O'ahu in seventh grade. She relocated to the continent for college, and when she isn’t writing can be found roaming the Colorado Rocky Mountains with her husband, their two children, and a rescue mutt named Peggy. Malia's debut middle-grade novel Lei and the Fire Goddess (2023) is an Amazon Best Book of the Month, a School Library Journal Best Book of the Year, and a Common Sense Media Selection. You can find Malia online at maliamaunakea.com and @MaliaMaunakea on Twitter. View titles by Malia Maunakea

About

From the award-winning author of the Lei and the Legends duology comes a sharp new fantasy about a Hawaiian boy who can transform into what people fear most: a shark.

In a small Hawaiian village, Nohea is the latest son in a long line of male ancestors with a horrible secret: He’s half-human, half-shark. After his father—also cursed as a shark—kills someone while surfing and subsequently disappears, Nohea is left isolated with only his mom and tūtū as company. He knows he’ll suffer the same fate one day, so he can’t go to school or make any friends.

Worse yet, when he eventually succumbs to his shark-like cravings, he’ll be put to death, and his family will have to move to the continent. But when Nohea sees a flyer for a new surf competition, he realizes the prize money might be enough to help his family afford to stay in Hawaii when Nohea is gone. The catch? The competition is for school teams only.

So taking the biggest risk yet, Nohea joins the local public seventh-grade class where he makes friends, contends with a school bully, and gets so angry, he discovers a new row of supersharp teeth in his mouth! But this is only the beginning of Nohea’s problems.

Because soon, Nohea realizes that one by one, his surfing friends are disappearing. Is Nohea killing his classmates without knowing it? Or is something even more dangerous afoot?

Author

© Kahiki Photography
Malia Maunakea is a part-Hawaiian writer who grew up in the rainforest on the Big Island before moving to a valley on O'ahu in seventh grade. She relocated to the continent for college, and when she isn’t writing can be found roaming the Colorado Rocky Mountains with her husband, their two children, and a rescue mutt named Peggy. Malia's debut middle-grade novel Lei and the Fire Goddess (2023) is an Amazon Best Book of the Month, a School Library Journal Best Book of the Year, and a Common Sense Media Selection. You can find Malia online at maliamaunakea.com and @MaliaMaunakea on Twitter. View titles by Malia Maunakea

Holiday Cheer, Perfectly Gifted 🎁

The holidays are here, and our specialty retail sales team can’t wait to help you find the best gifts for your customers so you can sleigh the season! From blockbuster celebrity books to charming stocking stuffers to festive gift bags from Out of Print, PRH Retail has everything you need to curate a custom assortment

Read more