Winter of the White Bear by Martin Chatterton

 

The cover of this book belies the very deep issues that are explored in this text. Themes of murder, power, slavery, forced labour, attempted suicide and justice. The power differential is evident right from the front cover where we see a tiny brown bear overshadowed by an enormous angry-faced white bear. This is not a book for a young child - this is a picture book for older readers aged 13+.

Little Bear has a happy life with his father in the forest which is filled with bright colours. The opening double page spread is almost a visual shock after seeing the snow filled cover and ice shards on the end papers. Little bear loves to catch fish with her father and her delight is echoed in the way the fish glitter like falling stars. Following a horrific battle between the father bear and the White Bear, Little Bear is taken captive and forced to undertake the long journey to the polar lands. Once there, she is ordered to dive into the frozen waters to catch fish for the tyrannical White Bear. Finally Little Bear cannot take this suffering and so she dives deep into the ocean hoping to end her life. She is saved by a vision of her loved father telling her to stay strong and find a way to leave. Little Bear swims back to the surface and sets out to trick her captor. Each day she places tempting fish closer and closer to the edge of the ice. Finally, the White Bear steps onto an ice floe and he plumets to the ocean floor. Little Bear is now free to find her way home.

This story is presented as a fable, and it is designed to draw attention to the injustices of slavery not just from the past but also the reality and Injustices of modern slavery. This is a passion topic of the author and formed the basis of his PhD study. Here is a video trailer for Winter of the White Bear. 

The illustrations depict vast, lonely landscapes. Layers of blue are used to show the depth and freezing temperatures of the polar waters. The danger is amplified by the silhouettes of fierce sea creatures following Little Bear as she tries to catch fish for the insatiable appetite of the white bear. When discussing this book with students notice Little Bear is a girl and she is brown and the bear with power is white. These would be deliberate character choices. A sentence from the opening of the story is repeated at the end giving the story a satisfying conclusion.

"The fish glittered under the water. Little Bear lifted it from the river in a shower of stars."

"The fish glittered under the water. Little Bear watched it swim pas, trailing stars."

Looking closely at the illustrations you could talk about the use of red to emphasize the anger of the tyrannical bear. On the half title page, the bear is walking to the left - this shows, in my view, that he will be able to walk away from the slavery and find his way back home. The final scene we see Little Bear is nearly home, the view looks like a welcoming carpet of colour. And if you look closely dad is welcoming Little Bear back home.

Awards (read the judging comments here)

• 2021 shortlisted for the Patricia Wrightson Prize in the New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards
• 2020 shortlisted for the Prime Minister's Literary Awards

Read about the Kickstarter project that was used to fund the publication of this book. And more about ending modern slavery through the organisation The Freedom Hub.  Sophie Masson interviewed Martin Chatterton about his book in 2019. 

Martin Chatterton in his notes at the back of the book says:

"Winter of the White Bear is a story about a small captive who, like so many captives, fights back against a stronger and meaner captor. It is also a lesson about the big picture of slavery; no good comes of cruelty and suppression, and there is a way to end it. ... My hope is that this book, in one way or another, helps someone else find their way home."

This blog post contains part of the text I submitted to The National Centre for Australian Children's Literature for use in the Picture Books for Older Readers database. 

Azizi and the Little Blue Bird by Laila Koubaa illustrated by Mattias De Leeuw translated by David Colmer

"Not that long ago, in a country that still exists today, Azizi was relaxing in an orange tree."

Azizi hears his father hanging portraits in their lounge room. They are huge and portray very ugly people. His father explains he has to hang them - these are the two rulers Tih and Reni. The family have to appear to be loyal and at all times they have to be careful about what they say incase 'the walls have ears'.  Readers will begin to feel the oppression and fear of their lives, and this is only page two!

"Tih and Reni ruled the Land of the Crescent Moon with an iron hand. And they stuffed their stomachs full from early in the morning until late at night. ... (their) courtyard was filled by an enormous white cage that had all of the country's blue bird locked up inside it."

I would stop reading at this point (sorry to interrupt the story), but can you anticipate an act of heroism? Also why are they locking up all the birds? Why would these cruel rulers be afraid of little blue birds? What power might the birds have? (twitter, twitter!)

As Tih and Reni grow in power (and size) the people seem to shrink and almost disappear. Then one day a blue bird lands on the window ledge of Azizi's house. Azizi and his mother have made garlands of jasmine which they attached to twigs tied together with red threads. The little blue bird tells Azizi to gather the jasmine and join all the threads together. It is time to fly to the castle. Azizi is now so small that their sewing needle is almost like a sword. Remember how big Tih and Reni have become - their bodies are like huge balloons. 

"swift as an arrow, Azizi and the little blue bird drilled a hole right through Tih and Reni. Everything the greedy rulers had stolen exploded into the sky like giant fireworks, and the key to the big white cage shone among the vases, carpets, and dishes."

The little blue bird and Azizi set all the birds free.  I love the final sentence:

"And as Azizi and the little blue bird did somersaults in the star-filled sky, the sweet smell of jasmine rained down over the Land of the Crescent Moon."

The blue birds are representative of Twitter, and the widespread censorship of the internet by various governments during the revolutions – when I worked this out, suddenly the story made a whole lot more sense, and became more than just a poetic tale.  Bookseller NZ

I picked this book up at a recent charity book sale. I wonder who previously purchased it here in Australia. This book was originally published in 2013 in Flemish with the title Azizi en de kleine blauwe vogel by Book Island. There are teachers notes on the publisher page. You could use this book with students aged 10+ as a good discussion starter. The book size is extra large and the illustrations are colourful, appealing and very detailed. 

Bookseller blurb: Azizi lives with Umma and Baba in a country ruled with an iron fist, whose leaders capture all the blue birds and lock them up in a white cage in the courtyard of their palace. While the rulers swell and bulge like hot air balloons, stuffing their stomachs from morning till night, the people shrink and suffer until they are almost invisible. One day, when Azizi is no bigger than a pine nut in a glass of mint tea, a little blue bird escapes from the cage. Determined to live in fear no longer, Azizi and the little blue bird set out on a journey to free the people of their cruel and greedy rulers and bring peace to the land once more. This contemporary fairy tale of freedom against oppression is inspired by the Jasmine Revolution in Tunisia.

This gorgeous story is reminiscent of traditional fairy tales, with a brave hero, evil villains and a plucky sidekick. The descriptive writing is superb, conjuring images of a warm land bathed in sweetly scented air that is slowly turning into a place of hardship and oppression. Book Trust

From The Book Trail: In 2010 the Jasmin revolution in Tunisia inspired Laila Koubaa to write the story of Azizi and the little blue bird. Inspired by the Arab Spring and the blue birds of Twitter… Crescent Moon – The setting of the novel is a despotic place where every household must display their pictures; free speech is stifled, and the people live in abject fear. The rulers decree that all the blue birds in the land must be captured and locked in a big cage in the courtyard of the palace. But one day, a tiny blue bird escapes and flies to Azizi’s house…. Despite his young age Mattias De Leeuw (1989) is one of the most prolific illustrators of his generation. He is a talented artist who can create a character in a few quick lines. Some reviewers call him the Flemish Quentin Blake.

Here is a list of some similes found in this book:

• as small as a pine nut in a glass of mint tea
• poppies glittering like red diamonds
• like a knight on horseback
• swift as an arrow
• like giant fireworks
• danced like palm trees
• curled like calligraphy

I wonder if this might be a book you could compare with this title from our CBCA 2024 short list which also explores the power of social media.

That Bird has Arms

Raven Child and the Snow Witch by Linda Sunderland illustrated by Daniel Eguéus

You might like to begin with this spellbinding animation of Raven Child and the Snow Witch. 

Anya's mother sets off at the start of Spring, with a flock of ravens, to collect gentian flowers. I had never heard of these but after a little research I have discovered these pretty blue flowers represent justice and victory - and these are themes in this story. 

Image Source: BBC Plant Finder

While waiting for her mother to return Anya falls asleep and she has a dream that her mother has been taken prisoner by the Snow Witch. Anya tells her father they need to set off straight away to rescue her but a Raven arrives with a broken wing. The Raven explains that he saw Anya's mother fall into a glacier - it seemed to swallow her and all of the Ravens. 

The next day Anya, her father and the wounded Raven set off to the ice covered mountains. Close to the glacier they find a wounded Arctic Fox so now they are a group of four but it is Anya who marches bravey alone to confront the Snow Witch. This evil woman is filled with rage and power but Anya has a secret weapon - she has her own deep love for her mother and this is more powerful than the bitterness of the evil witch. The ice begins to melt and the Ravens lift the Snow Witch into the sky.

"The Snow Witch shrieked as her world began to melt and she felt her power failing. The ravens caught hold of her hair and pulled her upwards, crashing through the glacier like black fireworks. She shattered into a thousand jagged crystals that sank into the depths of the ocean."

The story in this book feels like a fairy tale (I am thinking of The Snow Queen by Hans Christian Andersen) and Linda Sunderland uses some beautiful phrases but the real magic in this book comes from the delicate illustrations. The snow looks so cold. 

Here are a few fragments of the text:

"They were Anya's special lucky flower and they glowed in the dark like sapphires."

"Far away, the gleaming glacier stretched high into the coldest sky where snow is born."

"The hunted creature shook its silvery fur and sniffed the air with its pointy noise; it was an Arctic fox, ghost of the snow."

"They trudged many miles, until at last they saw lights from a village. As they approached the air filled with tears, and the villagers told them of the beautiful woman who had enchanted their children and stolen them away ... "

Make sure you stop and read the poem on the title page which serves as a warning about the Snow Witch.

Who wakes from a sleep of a thousand years? 

Who loves the sound of sighs and tears?

Who changes water into stone?

Who puts the cold in the aching bone?

Who kills colour with deadly white?

Who gives the wind its freezing bite?

Who lurks beneath the glaciers skin?

Who watches, smiles and lures you in?

Today I visited a charity book sale (Lifeline Book Fair) and picked up 48 books for just $80. There are always treasures to be found at these regular fairs and the organisers have high standards to you can be sure the books are in great condition. Some books are in such great shape they look brand new. I don't think my book today has been read more than once in a family - it is in mint condition. It cost $2. 

Raven Child and the Snow Witch was first published in 2016 by Templar in the UK but my copy is from Five Mile Press in Australia. I have the hardcover edition [9781760405144] and it is out of print but the paperback is still available. This is a longer picture book with 48 pages so I would share it with children aged 6+. This book will greatly appeal to fans of the movie Frozen too. 

The illustrations are as powerful and dramatic as the story with bold dark colours set against the vast white of the snow and ice. The use of perspective highlights how small Anya and her father are against the imposing glacial mountains and there is a real sense of anticipation surrounding the Snow Witch. Acorn Books Blog

A stunningly illustrated story, reminiscent of Hand Christian Andersen's The Snow Queen, Anya's quest to find her mother and her befriending of animal friends along the way is a mythic tale you'll want to return to every winter. Book Trust

The glittery and sparkly cover is incredibly attractive – I am not sure if I have ever seen such a beautifully presented front and back cover of a book. In the right light the books glistens like freshly fallen snow. Daniel Egnéus has exquisitely illustrated this book. Each page is a complete work of art and shows the emotions of the characters. The use of contrasting colours really makes the main theme and subject stand out of the page. His use of black portrays the desolate landscape, whilst the varied blue tones give the cold frozen ice feeling. Book Bag

Daniel Egneus is a also a fashion illustrator. Born in Sweden, Daniel has lived in Prague, London, Berlin, Bologna, Rome, Milan and has now made Athens his base.   I previously talked about The Thing and I have seen Moth and it is also a wonderful book. 

The Thing

The Runaways of Haddington Hall by Vivian French

There were times when I had to stop reading this book because such dreadful things were happening to the young main character Minnie O'Sullivan.  

Minnie lives in Victorian England. Society observes strict levels of class - servant, working class and gentry. Minnie and her mother are working class. Her mother is a laundress. Minnie is quite young but she is her mother's only helper. Payment for the washing and ironing work is their sole megre income but Minnie has an accident with the mangle and an expensive shirt is ruined. Minnie offers to apologise to the rich owner but when she meets Reverend Obadiah Marpike things completely spin out of control.

Minnie has no idea that she and her friends are about to uncover a complex sham scheme which sees this awful man fraudulently conning money from rich older ladies. The Reverend Marpike is convinced Minnie could spoil is plans so he has her thrown into Haddington Hall which is to be established as a home for wayward girls. Of course this place is utterly dreadful and Minnie is subjected to terrible cruelty.

Luckily Edith, the daughter of Lady Lavingley, is on Minnie's side and she also has the wonderful loyalty of young messenger boy Enry. The three of them need to work together and gather evidence to expose this supposed Reverend and his "New World" ruby scheme and time is running out.

This whole book reads like a melodrama in the theatre of old. You will cheer the heroes and heroines and boo when the villains appear in their scenes. Thank goodness for team work, courage, wise friends, and dogged persistence which ensures everything does work out perfectly in the end.

I really like the cover of this book - do you?  That's partly why I selected this book from the huge holdings of our Sydney bookshop - Gleebooks. The cover is by Lia Visirin. 

A high octane, high drama romp, (with) ... Irresistible characters and a compulsive plot with twists aplenty; Vivian French conjures up the very spirit of Dickensian England in a wonderful new novel for middle-grade readers. Paperbird

This book reminded me of these:

Miss Penny Dreadful and the Midnight Kittens

Thursday's Child

The Mystery of the Clockwork Sparrow

The truth about Verity Sparks

Here is the web site of Vivian French.

Take a look at her wonderful picture book:

The Most Wonderful thing in the World

Born behind bars by Padma Venkatraman

You might like to begin with my discussion of The Bridge Home also by Padma Venkatraman. Born Behind Bars is not a sequel but it has the same setting and themes. 

Kabir has spent his whole life in jail. In the months before he was bor,n his mother was accused of theft from the house where she worked as a maid. A new warden arrives and Kabir, who only nine years old, is sent out alone to live in the community. A man arrives at the jail claiming to be Kabir's uncle but he is one of the people another jail inmate - Grandma Knife - has warned him about:

"All I know it your mother's a good judge of character - and that's a gift she passed on to you. So if something doesn't feel right, trust yourself and run as fast as that mouse."

When the man tries to sell Kabir - he runs away and luckily his running takes him to Rani. Rani is another street kid. She is wise. She is kind. She is a survivor. With her help Kabir now needs to find his grandparents and then find a way to set his mother free.

This compelling novel develops at a brisk pace, advanced by evocative details and short chapters full of action.  A gritty story filled with hope and idealism. Kirkus Star review

This is a story about finding where you belong, the wonder of family, and the desperation of so many children on the streets of India.  Here's our chance to walk in someone else's shoes, to be grateful for our good fortune, and perhaps to ask the question, "How can we help?" A book and a hug

Hear the author read an extract from her book here. In this interview Padma talks to Nerdy Book Club. In this video (4 minutes) Colby Sharp talks about Born Behind Bars.  He says, and I agree wholeheartedly, "I love all of the white space."  It makes this book so easy to read. In this video Padma reads the first page of her book. 

Companion reads:

The Warden's Daughter

A Cardboard Palace - Young Adult book

Girl of the Southern Sea

Azaria: A true history by Maree Coote

Publisher blurb Walker Books Australia: 

A beautifully illustrated non-fiction picture book that sensitively explores the collision of wilderness and civilisation, explains a famous miscarriage of justice, and examines the role of the media in history-telling, in an appropriate manner for children. A modern day fairy tale, cautionary and unforgettable. Essential reading for students of history and the law, young and old.  When a tiny baby is stolen by a dingo, nobody will believe the truth. Prejudice, ignorance and gossip grip the nation, and the tragedy is transformed into a quest for the truth. Are you sure you know what happened? Azaria is a cautionary tale about justice, the media, wilderness, and the perils of mob thinking. Azaria forms an excellent cross-curricular resource, ideal for class discussion and activity. 

Azaria was short listed this year for our Eve Pownall Award for Information Books. A couple of weeks ago Ann James, from Books Illustrated, suggested the 2022-23 CBCA judges read an interview the Maree Coote reported in Magpies Magazine, Volume 36, No. 2, May 2021. Here are some quotes from the interview:

"The book is about innocence, ignorance and injustice."

"This is very much a story about Place, and so the rock is absolutely at the heart of things. I wanted to insert layers of meaning into the imagery, to impart that other worldly feeling one gets in that desert, that something more is going on here than meets the eye."

"My drawing style is best described as having a collage-like feel ... rough-hewn shapes overlaid on each other."

If you need to understand more about this story take a look at this report from BTN. Here is an article about Azaria written for Books Illustrated. In this video Maree reads her book and shares her motivation for writing this important story. Here is a set of very extensive teachers notes with references suited to use in High School classes. You can see other books by Maree Coote here.

Image Source: Books Illustrated

This picture book is the epitome of a top-quality informational resource with superb illustrations.  It should be essential reading for students of history and law, both young and old. StoryLinks

The large digital illustrations are fantastic at capturing the mood and the place and they support and add to the text so well. From the fabulous colours of the red desert and Uluru, the night time pictures of people looking for Azaria while the sand is covered in dingo footprints and the sad eyes of Lindy. ReadPlus

Her illustrations shimmer with the beauty of the desert; the rich colours of the natural world juxtaposed with the sombre darkness of society and supposition. Kids' Book Review

All rise for the Honorable Perry T Cook by Leslie Connor

With complex, memorable characters, a situation that demands sympathy, and a story that’s shown, not just told, this is fresh and affecting.  Well-crafted, warm, and wonderful. Kirkus Star

Perry lives in a Nebraska prison. The Blue River Co-ed Correctional Facility in the town of Surprise. Perry did not commit a crime. He was born there. Warden Daughterty has allowed Perry to stay with his precious mum but things are about to change. This is the year Perry turns eleven and this is the year he moves over to the Middle School. He does have a very special friend named Zoey Samuels. The complication, which no one has anticipated, comes when Zoey's step father finds out that an eleven year old boy lives in a prison. Perhaps an ordinary citizen couldn't do anything about this but Thomas VanLeer is the Butler County District attorney and this gives him the power to move Perry out of the prision. To take Perry away from his mum and all of his friends. 

Text quotes:

"Lights from somewhere outside cast weird shadows on the walls, and I have a strange sense of how far down the hall the bathroom is. I didn't think to ask if I could just go ahead and use it in the night. The shower in there is all messed up. The water comes out of the little spout at the bottom - like for filling up the tub - but nothing comes out of the showerhead at the top."

"We all talk at once. We laugh, we cry a little. Mom and I share a chair. She holds me around the shoulders, squeezes me like she is making sure I am made out of the same things I was when I left six days ago."

"I know my mom's story now. It's about a young driver, a hailstorm, an infamously dangerous intersection, and a big mistake. ... That's a list of true things."

Publisher blurb: When Perry moves to the “outside” world, he feels trapped. Desperate to be reunited with his mom, Perry goes on a quest for answers about her past crime. As he gets closer to the truth, he will discover that love makes people resilient no matter where they come from . . . but can he find a way to tell everyone what home truly means

Image Source: Primary Source Pairings.

Awards and Accolades

• The Kirkus Prize 2016 Nominee, Young Readers
• ALA Notable Books for Children Nominee–Summer 2016, Fiction
• New York Public Library 2016 Best Books for Kids, Fiction
• Goodreads Choice Awards 2016, Middle Grade & Children’s
• Shelf Awareness 2016 Best Books of the Year, Middle Grade
• E. B. White Read-Aloud Award 2017 Finalist, Middle Reader
• Brightly, 16 of the Most Exciting Middle Grade Books to Read in 2016

You might like to also check out my recent review of The Warden's daughter by Jerry Spinelli.  These two books have so much in common and would make a good pair of companion reads.

Here are some other books I have enjoyed by Leslie Connor.

Waiting for Normal

The Truth as told to Mason Buttle

A home for Goddesses and Dogs

The Violet Veil Mysteries: A Case of Grave Danger by Sophie Cleverly

Fans of feisty girl heroes; detective stories; unsolved mysteries; and clever dogs will certainly enjoy this first book in The Violet Veil Mysteries series.

Publisher blurb: Violet Veil wants nothing more than to prove her worth and become her father’s apprentice at Veil & Sons Undertakers. And one rain-soaked night she gets her chance when she meets a boy, Oliver, who is wandering around the graveyard. Only, the last time Violet saw Oliver, he was indoors and very much dead, waiting to be buried. Violet has just found her first case, and it doesn’t get bigger than this: can she, with the help of her dog, Bones, help Oliver solve his own ‘murder’?

Other things you need to know about Violet:

• She is a girl living in Victorian England
• Girls are not allowed to aspire to an education and she will never be allowed to work with her father in the family Funeral business. 
• Violet's father has been accused of murder. Four men have very recently been buried in the graveyard beside the family undertaker's shop. The four men were all found in a dangerous and poor part of the town but these men, Violet discovers later, are all very wealthy.
• If Violet cannot prove her father is innocent he will hang. The police dismiss her as merely a girl who should not interfere.
• Violet is not afraid to spend time among the graves even at night - the dead feel like her friends.
• Oliver, the boy who someone has also tried to murder, needs to regain his memory but time is short. Oliver and Violet need to form a team and follow all leads to solve this terrible crime.

I read A Case of Grave Danger by Sophie Cleverly (author of the Scarlet and Ivy series) very quickly because it is a story with a terrific pace. Violet does solve this crime about halfway through the story but the police will not act without evidence. Luckily her dog Bones has a good nose for clues and luckily Violet herself is a very brave and determined young girl.

Fans of The Graveyard book by Neil Gaiman will also enjoy A case of Grave Danger. 

The Victorian setting with the morbid fascination with death, and life in a mortuary, evokes a sense of place, and oozes mystery throughout. Ashleigh Meikle

Full of mystery, excitement, adventure and suspense, this fantastic beginning to the series, sees Violet evolve and assert her individuality. Kids' Book Review

You can read the first chapter here. Or you can listen here.

Companion reads:

The Detectives Guide to Ocean Travel

Violet and the Pearl of the Orient

The Mystery of the Clockwork Sparrow

The Truth about Verity Sparks

The Case of the Missing Moonstone

Black cats and Butlers

The Kite Rider by Geraldine McCaughrean

Friday Old Favourite

In ancient China superstitions are part of every day life. The gods might be watching you and so it is important to be careful. For example Haoyou wears a "brass collar his mother had put round his neck (it) was supposed to fool the gods into thinking he was a dog not worth picking on."

Haoyou lives on the coast. Traders fill their ships with goods to sell across the sea. It is important to know a voyage will go well so they use kites to test the wind but these are not ordinary kites. Haoyou sees his own father tethered to the kite.

"With a noisy rattle, the wind-tester shed gravity and rose into the air on a gust of wind, tautening the rope. ... his father plunged towards him face-first, eyeballs straining their lids, arms spread wide, head and shoulders buckled outwards from the hurdle."  "Somewhere during the flight, his heart, over crammed with fear, had burst like a sack of grain and his spirit had been spilled into the path of the prevailing easterly winds."

Why has this happened? The evil Di Chou wants to marry Haoyou's beloved and beautiful mother. Di Chou truly is the murderer but no one will believe a young boy such as Haoyou. He is determined to keep his mother safe and his cousin, the wise Mipeng, agrees to help. What follows is a wild romp involving a kidnapping, a circus, a meeting with the great Kublai Khan and numerous thrilling, dangerous and heart-stopping flights for Haoyou himself.

Fast-paced and densely plotted, absorbing, and at times even hilarious. Kirkus Star review

I first read The Kite Rider in 2001 and the images in this story lingered with me so strongly that I longed to read it again. I even purchased a brand new copy because I wanted to add this book to my own ever expanding shelves. Listen to an audio sample here from Chapter One. Take a look here to see the vast number of children's books by Geraldine McCaughrean. I have a plan to re-read another of her past titles - Pack of Lies.

Here are some past cover designs.  If you used this book with a senior primary class it would be great to talk about the power of covers, to discuss the decisions made by book designers, and to think about how much to reveal through a cover. I do like the newest cover above designed by Melissa Castrillion. You can see some of her work in the book Kind. She also did the cover for A pinch of Magic.

You might like to follow this book with these:

A single Shard

The Kite Fighters

The girl who stole an elephant by Nizrana Farook

Chaya is a thief but she is a thief with a purpose and a good heart. She does not take things for herself she simply wants to help the people in her village - Serendib (Sri Lanka). Her friend Vijay has been attacked by a crocodile. Money is urgently needed so his leg can be saved so Chaya has taken valuable jewels from the Queen's bedside table and now she is on the run.

She tries to hide the jewels in a box made by her friend Neel. The box has a hidden compartment and this seems like the perfect plan but on that same day a young girl called Nour has convinced her wealthy father to purchase this box.  Now Chaya needs to steal it back. She takes the box but finds it is empty. Noor has kept the jewels.

Now the three children are thrown together as they are chased through the jungle riding on the back of the King's elephant which Chaya has also stolen. Near the end of their action packed and thrilling journey they make an amazing discovery about their tyrant King and discover a way the people in their village can enjoy a life with freedom and dignity.

This story has a great pace and strong sense of place and justice.

With themes of morality, friendship, teamwork and loyalty,this book will have wide appeal to middle grade readers as it incorporates tension and jeopardy in an exciting coming-of-age adventure. Book Trust

There are brushes with death, but great camaraderie too and it all ends with a much-needed righting of wrongs. Great stuff! LoveReading4Kids

I spent the entire book focused on the plot and the action,almost subliminally assimilating the smells, sights and sounds of each of the different settings. Madge Reviews

You can read the first 16 pages of this novel on the Nosy Crow page.  On this same link you can hear an audio extract.

I would pair The girl who stole an elephant with Tua and the Elephant for a younger audience or Lizard's Tale for an older audience.

Amal Unbound by Aisha Saeed

There were several moments in this book when I simply gasped. The cruelty, the betrayal, the way Amal's dreams are completely crushed.

"My mother's voice told me to let this go. Something was off with this man. Let him have the fruit and walk away. But all I could see was the red pomegranate and how he grasped it in his palm as though it was already his.

I thought of my father, who had no time for my dreams. My little sisters and their endless demands. Suddenly I felt was tired. Tired of feeling powerless. Tired of denying my own needs because someone else needed something more. Including this man. This stranger."

These quotes are a good way to explore Amal Unbound. Amal goes to the market and buys the last pomegranate.  Her family are very poor. Amal has three sisters and a new baby is due to arrive soon. Everyone is hoping for a boy but Amal could never have anticipated the enormous disappointment for her mother and father when the new baby arrives - a girl. Amal loves school and she excels at her lessons. She has the dream of becoming a teacher herself one day. In the small village where Amal lives everyone is afraid of the Khan family, nearly everyone is in debit to them and they are especially frightened of Jawad Sahib. He is the man who nearly ran Amal over in his large car. He is the man holding her pomegranate. He is the man with the power to completely overturn Amal's life and dreams.

A few days after the incident with the pomegranate, Jawad Sahib arrives and to take Amal. She will be taken to his house to work as a slave. Amal's father has no money and he is in debt to this powerful and cruel man and his father Khan Sahib.

In the house Amal finds a friend and a serious enemy. Luckily she is ordered to work for Khan Sahib's wife Nasreen Baji but this means Nabila, another servant, has been displaced. Her cruel tricks, which have terrible consequences for Amal, will linger with me for a long time.

The wonderful ending will make you cheer not just because justice is served but because this outcome is the direct result of the education that Amal has had. Because she can read she can make sense of the injustices of the Khan family and she can also identify their crime.

Here are a set of teachers notes from the publisher - they are excellent. You can also read the first 20+ pages of Amal Unbound. Listen to an audio sample here. Here are a set of discussion points. I highly recommend this book for mature readers aged 11+.

Inspired by Malala Yousafzai and countless unknown girls like her, Saeed’s timely and stirring middle-grade debut is a celebration of resistance and justice. Kirkus Star review

A strong choice for all middle grade shelves, especially where readers are seeking stories about young girls in non-Western countries overcoming adversity. Shelley Diaz School Library Journal

Amal Unbound is a powerful page-turner about one girl's courage in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds. Kids’ Book Review

Reading this type of book, as well as historical fiction, is a great way for young readers to understand that the entire world is not exactly the way their little corner of it is! Ms Yingling

I would follow Amal Unboud with Ibqal and any books you can find (and there are plenty to choose from) about Malala Yousafzai.

If you are visiting a library you could also look for Sold by Patricia McCormick and Hidden Girl by Shyima Hall.