By Nizrana Farook (Nosy Crow)
‘She wrapped her legs around the top of the pillar, splayed on the ceiling like a gecko, hands gripping the roof gutter for support.
She stretched to the maximum, her arm muscles thrumming with the strain. The servant girl was right underneath…’
Chaya is loyal, impetuous and brave. She is also a thief; stealing from the rich to give to the poor, like a young, female Robin Hood.
But when a villager requires a lot of money fast, Chaya goes one theft too far and in doing so triggers a chain of events that endangers not only her, but also the lives of her friends and family, and of the entire village.
This is a fast-paced adventure set on a paradise island, where injustice rules and there is a marked difference between the city rich and the village poor (poverty is a major issue for this part of the world in real life as well).
I loved the setting with its tangible heat and exotic beauty, its dark jungle and its (at least for me!) unfamiliar food.
I also found myself caring deeply for the three main characters: head-strong and big-hearted Chaya, gentle and concerned Neelan, and Noor, the girl from a different country and culture who faces her fears to help her friends.
There is also, of course, an elephant, Ananda, who has to be one of the strangest getaway vehicles in children’s fiction!
Serendib, otherwise known as Sri Lanka, is certainly an island I would love to visit but I would definitely hope to avoid the leeches…! (The leech scene was actually inspired by something that happened to Farook – you can read about it in her Q&A here.)
The Girl Who Stole an Elephant was a great read that had me on the edge of my seat, willing the children on as danger and revolution mounted.
A brilliant debut from an author who I am sure (and hopeful) that we will hear a lot more from!
