Age 9-12

This first book of a trilogy begins when 11-year old Martine wakes up from a nightmare into a nightmare — her house is on fire and, although she escapes through a window, her parents are lost. Sent to the care of her grandmother on a game reserve in Africa, she becomes caught up in a mysterious adventure. Does the mythical white giraffe really exist? Who are the poachers on the reserve and how can they be stopped? Who can she trust? Through all the dangers and distress, and the miseries of an unfriendly new school, she finds comfort in natural beauty and in animals, in unexpected friendships and in the revelation of her own powers, as all these questions are answered. Although its plot developments are sometimes ploddingly explained, and its research sometimes conspicuous, this tale nevertheless introduces a glorious creature and enjoyable characters: Martine’s grandmother, her Zulu gamekeeper and a fortune-telling African wise woman. And it fulfils wishes common to many children: to love and be loved by animals, to outwit bullies, and to be daring, independent and triumphant.

THE WHITE GIRAFFE by Lauren St John

(Orion £9.99)

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