Dolphin Sunrise

Webster's ( The Flight of the Swan ) latest offering is a simple but affecting tale of an unusual friendship. Having survived a fire that killed his dissolute, unloving mother, young Matt Ferguson finds himself homeless and alone. To recuperate from his injuries, Matt is sent from London to Cornwall, where he discovers a new group of friends: a swimming coach and his marine-biologist girlfriend, a wealthy sea captain and, most importantly, a playful dolphin which Matt names Flite. His concern for Flite turns the boy into an activist, pushing him to educate people about the perils dolphins face from the fishing industry. When he is summoned to California by an aunt he never knew existed, Matt eventually meets a young activist whose efforts to save dolphins from naval research have brought her to the attention of government agents. Matt's courage must be further tested before he can return to Cornwall, his friends and Flite. Webster's palpable concern for the plight of these creatures (an endpaper includes a ``note on dolphin mortality'') redeems this competently wrought novel from its sometimes saccharine tone. (June)