In “A Girl Who Stole An Elephant”, We meet Chaya, an adventurous, spunky, mysterious, and fearless girl, who loves to climb trees, and who likes even more to steal things (for a good cause). When she hears about her friend Vijay getting attacked by a crocodile and probably losing his life because his mother cannot afford to fix his leg, she goes and decides to steal the queen’s jewels, and many other small trinkets, for her friend’s sake. With a close encounter with the castle guards, she frantically hides the stolen jewels in a music box in her best friend Neel’s wood-fiddling workshop. When their snobby friend Nour finds out and buys the box, Chaya decides to escape from all the chaos on a stolen elephant, Ananda, with her friend Neel.

Chaya leads her friend on an adventure through the jungle where bugs fly around and many animals watch.

Neel is a loyal and honest boy, desperate to protect his friends and take the blame for anything, even if he didn’t do it, just to protect someone else from getting hurt. And Nour is the smart-mouthed, rich girl in town. She’s one spoilt and snobby kid, but she curiously follows Chaya and Neel into the depths of the jungle just because she has no one else to speak to because she has no friends. All together, they make an awesome group, and they learn that friendship and honesty can really change the world.

This book is great for ages 8-14. If you’re looking for adventure, humor, mystery, thrill, and the power of friendship and working together? This book is jam-packed with it!

“I’m sorry.’ Chaya whispered. ‘I’m so sorry. I’ll put it right, I promise.’ The red-cheeked child glanced around, wondering if Chaya was talking to her.”

               — Chaya, “The Girl Who Stole An Elephant”