Tim Sanders

Whale Rider -- A small Maori village faces a crisis when the heir to the leadership of the Ngati Konohi dies at birth and is survived only by his twin sister, Pai. Although disregarded by her grandfather and shunned by the village people, twelve-year-old Pai remains certain of her calling and trains herself in the ways and customs of her people.

The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring -- In the first part of J.R.R. Tolkien's epic masterpiece, The Lord of the Rings, a young hobbit, Frodo Baggins, inherits a gold ring which holds the secret to the survival of the entire world.

In New Zealand, the Whangara people believe their ancestor Paikea was saved from drowning by riding home on the back of a whale. Traditionally a male must become the new chief but a young girl, Pai is a natural leader and may become the chosen one.

A small Maori village faces a crisis when the heir to the leadership of the Ngati Konohi dies at birth and is survived only by his twin sister, Pai. Although disregarded by her grandfather and shunned by the village people, twelve-year-old Pai remains certain of her calling and trains herself in the ways and customs of her people. With remarkable grace, Pai finds the strength to challenge her family and embraces a thousand years of tradition in order to fulfill her destiny.