The Girl Who Stole an Elephant by Nizrana Farook

 

🐲🐲🐲🐲🐲🐲🐲🐲🔅🔅 8/10

I used this story as a whole class reading book whilst teaching English to a mixed Year 3 & 4 class. I hadn't read it prior to this but I did have it on my TBR pile already (one of many books on the pile). Once I realised that I would be teaching using this novel, I began by researching about Nizrana Farook before reading the story. During my research, I found that the author likes to use the beautiful and varied setting of Sri Lanka in her stories as it is the country where she was born and raised and therefore reflects her own childhood (although there was no evidence to suggest that she has ever stolen an elephant!). The book's cover, illustrated by David Dean, is a reflection of the beautiful setting that is depicted throughout the story. 

I thoroughly enjoyed this story and the title of the book does give away an important part of the plot but is not the initial reason that Chaya is in trouble. Her first crime, told in the opening chapter, is stealing the Queen's jewels from her rooms within the palace. This crime could be considered as that of a modern day Robin Hood, stealing from the rich to give to the needy, as Chaya steals these to enable a child from a nearby village to pay for a medicine man to heal his wounds following a crocodile attack. Throughout the story her heart appears to be in the right place, however some of her methods could be considered questionable and lead Chaya, her friends and family into some serious, life-threatening dangers.