• Age: 6 to 8
• Grade: 1 to 3
• Reading age: 6 to 8

Through diary entries, notes and photographs, In the Company of Whales explores Alexandra Morton's efforts to better understand the habits and behaviors of the killer whale off Canada's west coast. As a fascinating introduction to the life of a scientist working in the field, the book will entertain and inspire readers young and old. After fourteen years of studying Orca in the wild, Morton continues to delight in the challenge presented by these magnificent mammals.

Alexandra Morton is a field biologist who became an activist who has done groundbreaking research on the damaging impact of ocean-based salmon farming on the coast of British Columbia. She first studied communications in bottlenosed dolphins and then moved on to recording and analyzing the sounds of captive orcas at Marineland of the Pacific in California, where she witnessed the birth, and death, of the first orca conceived in captivity. In 1984, she moved to the remote BC coast, aiming to study the language and culture of wild orca clans, but soon found herself at the heart of a long fight to protect the wild salmon that are the province's keystone species. She has co-authored more than twenty scientific papers on the impact of salmon farming on migratory salmon, founded the Salmon Coast Research Station, has been featured on 60 Minutes, and has been key to many legal and protest actions against the industry, including the recent First Nations-led occupation of salmon farms on the Broughton.

Alexandra Morton's profile page

“Using the diary format allows, the author to maintain a 'story-like' tone, and the fact boxes ensure whale biology is accurately conveyed. (It's almost like getting two books in one.)…this book would be suitable for Junior readers. It is recommended as an addition to school libraries.”

CM: Canadian Review of Materials