Dolphin Song is a 1995 children's book by Dianne Wolfer. It follows the strange connection between Melody Forrester, a sixteen-year-old girl who lives in the Australian seaside town of Durram, and a dolphin named Shara.
Dolphin Song contains examples of:
- Friendly, Playful Dolphin: Melody first meets Shara and her son Speckle in the Bay of Birthing, a bay near Melody's house, when Speckle is a young calf. The three play together in the shallows. Speckle loves leaping out of the water to show off for Melody.
- Go to Your Room!: Melody comes home from school in a bad mood and gets in an argument with her stepmum Felicity. Felicity tells her, 'If you're not in the mood to behave in a civil way, why don't you go straight to your room.'
- Humans Are Ugly: As the dolphin pod passes a boat, Speckle glimpses humans on the deck: clumsy, awkward creatures with loose, flapping skin and wiggling tentacles on the ends of their upper limbs. Speckle compares them to blowfish, the ugliest fish in the sea.
- Infant Sibling Jealousy: Melody has two half-siblings, Lisa and Justin, both below age three. Melody adjusted easily enough when Lisa was born, but ever since Justin came along, Melody has felt like her father John and her stepmother Felicity are more interested in the kids than they are in her. She also dislikes the mess and chaos of living with two small children.
- Interrupted Suicide: Attempted. Shara beaches herself so she can be reunited with Speckle in the afterlife. Melody finds her half-dead on the beach and uses her towel to keep her wet. Then John finds them and helps Melody carry Shara back into the water. But by that point it's too late for Shara, who dies soon after.
- Missing Mum: Melody's mother, Barbara, went to Perth on 'holiday' when Melody was eight. She never came back. The last time they met in person was when Melody was ten. Since then, they've had no contact besides the occasional card, until a month after Melody's sixteenth birthday, when Barbara suddenly sends her a long letter inviting her to stay with her in Perth and possibly become a hair-dressing apprentice.
- No Guy Wants an Amazon: Priscilla, the Alpha Bitch of Melody's school, is a believer in this trope. She taunts Melody for being too broad-shouldered and muscular to ever attract a boy.
- Outliving One's Offspring: Speckle is caught in a fishing net, which severely damages his flipper. Shara can do nothing but watch. John, who works on the fishing boat, tries to free Speckle, but by the time he gets him loose, Speckle has bled out.
- Pet Dress-Up: When Melody was younger, she used to dress her dog Blister in a bib for her tea parties.
- Playing Sick: One day Priscilla is especially nasty to Melody and hints that Melody's best friend Kim has ditched her to join Priscilla's Girl Posse. Melody feels emotionally exhausted and struggles to hold back tears. She tells Mrs Jennings she's sick, and Mrs Jennings gives her permission to go home early.
- The Power of Hate: Melody's anger at Priscilla helps her outswim everyone else at the school swimming carnival, breaking the school record.
- Punch a Wall: Melody takes out her anger at Priscilla by punching a wall.
- Recurring Dreams: After Melody meets Shara and Speckle, she starts to have a recurring dream about being a dolphin and frantically searching for something. When she wakes up, she can never remember what she was looking for. She's Dreaming of Things to Come about Shara searching for Speckle's spirit so she can guide it to the afterlife.
- Switching P.O.V.: The main viewpoint characters are Melody and Shara, but several other humans also narrate, as does Speckle occasionally. Chapters narrated by dolphins are in italics. All narration is in the third person limited.
- Together in Death: After Shara dies, she is reunited with Speckle and guides him to the great ocean beyond the waves.
- Uninvited to the Party: Priscilla's family is hosting a poolside barbecue party. Melody isn't invited, but everyone else is, including her best friend Kim and her crush Wayne.
- You're Not My Father: Melody, who is upset about Priscilla and taking it out on Felicity, says, 'Who do you think you are anyway? You're not my mother. Why don't you just leave me alone!'
