Lopini the Legend product reviews

Even if you had not realised it when you started to read Lopini the Legend, it is not long before you find yourself immersed in what is basically an acknowledgement of the multicultural nature of Aotearoa New Zealand. The chapter headings are written in Tongan, and the names of the various characters reflect their diverse ethnic origins. Lopini, the boy whose story this is, has a Tongan father and a Palangi (Pakeha) mother. Young readers will identify with him and his school friends as they are representative of the children you would find in many intermediate schools in this country.

Lopini is a boy who has always been a top achiever. Now he is faced with coping with failure for the first time as he loses his position as leader of the school Kapa Haka ropu. Hemi, the new leader, is Maori and is fluent in Te Reo, unlike Lopini who has always struggled to communicate in what is to him a third language. Lopini acknowledges that Hemi is better qualified to be leader and does not begrudge him his success, but he still finds his demotion difficult to accept. His friend Sofia (known as Fi) helps him to cope with failure, and to put some strategies in place.

Miss Eleven took the book away to read it, and her response was that she felt she knew Lopini and Fi because they were just like two of the students in her own class. Although she is a year younger that they are, the Year 7 and 8 students in her own school are in the same classroom so she does mix with older boys and girls. In her class there are Korean, Samoan, Somali, Tongan, Italian, and Fiji Indian students as well as Pakeha and Maori, so she is used to hearing words in other languages, sharing snacks from different cuisines, and finding out about different customs. It is a strength in our schools that our children are exposed to a range of cultural backgrounds, and both she and I thought this was well presented in the book.

The theme of coping with failure was another thing Miss Eleven picked up. She has had her share of successes, but also a few failures, and has learned to regard them as hiccups on the way. Matua Anaru's comment as repeated by Lopini was one she felt was especially pertinent: "If you're not succeeding, you're learning". This is an excellent way to empower a young person who might otherwise give up. I could relate to that too - just like everyone else, I have had those hiccups in my life and they don't stop just because you are no longer a child!

Miss Eleven has now taken the book to lend to another friend in the same class. She told her that it had lots of people in it just like their own classmates, and this piqued the friend's interest. I will be checking back with Miss Eleven in a week's time to see what the friend thought of it.