The Girl Who Stole an Elephant

Product Information

The story centres around Chaya, the brave and no-nonsense lead character, and her two companions – Neel and Nour. Chaya steals trinkets from people who are too rich to even notice they are missing and uses them to help those in need. However, her decision to steal the Queen’s jewels unwittingly plunges herself, her friends and her family into real danger. The thrilling adventure that ensues is breath-taking and the pace never lets up until the story reaches its exhilarating conclusion. There are a lot of beautiful moments sprinkled throughout, and I absolutely love the jungle setting and how Farook pains the picture for us. We learn little bits of information about jungle plants and how the wildlife live. As dangerous as it can be sometimes, it really made me want to explore this jungle myself. This is spoiler-free, but I was pleasantly surprised towards the end of the book about a certain little twist. If you read it, you'll know what I mean. She's mischievous. She's fearless. She's living her life. But she steals! And what we need to know is the reason why she does so and what bigger problems it might be leading to. This is the story of a girl called Chaya, a thief. She ends up on an adventure of a lifetime after stealing quite a big prize…The Queen’s jewels. I suppose I’ve come quite late to writing, after enjoying it a long time ago during my schooldays. I did have a lifelong dream to be an author, but it was more of a fun thought, not something I realistically expected to happen. When I started to write seriously and aim for publication I didn’t tell anyone. So it was strange that, when I got my book deal and told people about it, nobody seemed very surprised. A lot of people said to me, ‘That was always your thing, wasn’t it?’, even those who haven’t known me that long. So I guess yes, it has always been my thing somehow. What other books or authors have influenced you?

This is the story of a young girl when she stole the queen's jewels for a cause she thought wasn't wrong. Things go out of control because of it but there's a worse lurking problem, adventures follow and, as it always is, the good triumphs in the end.And I really do not like reading a book in which the main character acts as if they have figured out everything and sees everyone as stupid.

My son made me read this, it was a Year 6 topic book, and he enjoyed it so much he wanted me to read it too. When I finally had a copy, he kept asking me what part I was up to, which I really liked, sharing that with him. It's the beginning of an adventure in which Chaya will show resourcefulness, Neel his bravery and loyalty, and the titular elephant of course makes an appearance as well. When a poison tide flowing across the ocean threatens their island, Roz works with the resident creatures to ensure that they will have clean water, but the destruction of vegetation and crowding of habitats jeopardize everyone’s survival. Brown’s tale of environmental depredation and turmoil is by turns poignant, graceful, endearing, and inspiring, with his (mostly) gentle robot protagonist at its heart. Though Roz is different from the creatures she lives with or encounters—including her son, Brightbill the goose, and his new mate, Glimmerwing—she makes connections through her versatile communication abilities and her desire to understand and help others. When Roz accidentally discovers that the replacement body given to her by Dr. Molovo is waterproof, she sets out to seek help and discovers the human-engineered source of the toxic tide. Brown’s rich descriptions of undersea landscapes, entertaining conversations between Roz and wild creatures, and concise yet powerful explanations of the effect of the poison tide on the ecology of the island are superb. Simple, spare illustrations offer just enough glimpses of Roz and her surroundings to spark the imagination. The climactic confrontation pits oceangoing mammals, seabirds, fish, and even zooplankton against hardware and technology in a nicely choreographed battle. But it is Roz’s heroism and peacemaking that save the day. This was a very enjoyable middle grade full of adventure! This book was full of diversity in characters as well as culture, which is always refreshing in any genre—but especially in middle grade books. Our cast of characters, specifically our three main friends, made the story what it was and were pretty well developed. There was also a lot of useful information in this story about the jungle, its inhabitants and their lifestyles. I love reading Middle-Grade as an adult for many reasons, but the biggest is nostalgia. Some of my favorite formative books are about tweens facing overwhelming obstacles, yet somehow overcoming them. To me, that’s what makes a MG book work. As tweens are facing big changes both inside themselves and the bigger outside world beyond their guardians’ influence, these are the stories that can both encourage and enlighten them most of all. A well-written Middle-Grade novel, like The Girl Who Stole an Elephant doesn’t just transport the reader to another time and place, but challenges them to think. As a grown-up kidlit fan, I don’t face quite the same issues as my younger peers, but I still feel that same sense of adventure, and the same excitement I felt reading these kinds of stories as a tween.Chaya is a strong female lead. Surrounded by people who underestimate girls, Chaya manages to get away with an awful lot. She’s feisty, brave and sometimes difficult, making her a breath of fresh air compared to many other female characters.

Chaya, wishing to help her friend get money to recover from his injuries, steal jewels from the Queen. As a result, her best friend gets arrested, a runaway ensues and she befriends the King’s (stolen) elephant.

For an even better way to find KS1 resources, discover tailored suggestions, and much more - visit the KS1 resource HUB! GO TO KS1 HUB Chaya steals to help others, but she wants to do it all on her own. Even when her friend Neel tried to help her, as does her new friend Nour. At the beginning of the book, I had no sympathy for her.

For an even better way to find EYFS resources, discover tailored suggestions, and much more - visit the EYFS resource HUB! GO TO EYFS HUB The reader can’t help but lose themselves in the vibrant Sri Lankan landscape that the author paints. (Nizarana Farook was born and raised in Colombo, Sri Lanka). As the story progresses, the characters personalities really develop. What I especially like is that people keep assuming that Neel, the boy, has been doing all the thieving, rather than giving her credit. Sometimes this works in her favor, but other times, it just makes those in authority throw everyone into the same kettle of fish, so to speak. I enjoyed the lush descriptions of the jungle and the general setting that the trio finds themself in. It was interesting positioning Nour as a newcomer to town, which allowed for explanation of some of the things that Chaya and Neel took for granted as normal. In January 2020, it won the Waterstone’s Children’s Book of the Month. Blue Peter even recognised the book for its greatness.Nour's character is almost fluttering like she might disappear anytime. I wish his part was planned well.