Nizrana Farook

A thrilling, joyous adventure of friendship, flight and righting wrongs.

The Girl Who Stole an Elephant

Frida Kahlo

Ingrid 

I read this as for the January Middle Grade Monthly Book Club. Here's a link to the twitter in case you want to join in for a future month or if you want to check out the liveshow for more thoughts: https://twitter.com/mgmonthly

This is a adventure story following 3 friends. The main character, Chaya, is a child with a kind heart. She does treat one of the side characters quite badly, but this is challenged and Chaya grows a lot during this book. It's a standalone, fun, and quick read. I would recommend it for children who are interested in adventure books, especially jungle themed ones. Would also recommend this to children who likes main characters that aren't afraid to follow what they think is right, regardless of what the people in power says is right. I loved how that aspect was challenged in this book. 

I'm 22 years old and this was a bit young for me, which is fine, I'm not the who the story was written for. As I wrote earlier, I would recommend this for children, but maybe not as much for people in their 20's. 

All in all, if you think the book sounds interesting, give it a go, if not, then that's fine too.

Nickie Mohler

This is a cute story. I liked it. Not one of my faves, but not bad either.

Lisa Beasley

Sadly this didn't quite hit the spot for me. I did love the descriptions and the different cultural aspects. I obviously adored the elephant and Neel was a very sweet character but Chaya was very irritating and the whole plot was far too convenient and rushed especially towards the end. People changed their mindsets far too quickly and it just left an air of unbelievability for me. Maybe it's just aimed a little too young for me. 2.5 stars.

Chaya, a no-nonsense, outspoken hero, leads her friends and a gorgeous elephant on a noisy, fraught, joyous adventure through the jungle where revolution is stirring and leeches lurk. Will stealing the queen's jewels be the beginning or the end of everything for the intrepid gang? With cover illustration by David Dean. "The Girl Who Stole an Elephant is as rich, dazzling and alluring as a pouchful of royal jewels, and as triumphant as a trumpeting elephant! I loved it!" - Sophie Anderson, author of The House with Chicken Legs "A glorious fast-paced adventure through the jungle. I love Chaya's spirit and determination and the friendships that are built along the way. I feel I am there with Chaya and her friends. The Girl Who Stole an Elephant is adventuring at its best; a mystery, a jewel thief, and escape into the jungle with an elephant at your side." - Gill Lewis, author of Sky Hawk "Chaya, schoolgirl by day, thief by night, will steal your heart in this incredibly assured debut that's packed with adventure, friendship, and loyalty." - Aisha Bushby, author of A Pocketful of Stars "This exciting debut, set on the lush island of ancient Sri Lanka, introduces us to a kick-ass heroine in Chaya, a young girl who robs the rich to help the poor in local villages Richly atmospheric, full of colour and passion, Farook is a writer to watch." - Sally Morris, The Daily Mail "Farook embeds her message in a cracking narrative and never lets us feel we're being preached to Farook does not beat around the bush. "Chaya looked at the bronze spear pointing at her neck," reads the novel's first sentence and in the ensuing 48 chapters, the pace rarely slackens. But she allows every character time to unravel, resulting in a deceptively dense adventure that will appeal to readers well into their teens." Emily Bearn, The Telegraph "The Girl Who Stole an Elephant positively rustles with the textures of rural Sri Lanka. It introduces an author keen to write a love letter to her culture, and upend preconceptions too More like this, please." - The Observer

The Girl Who Stole an Elephant

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