The White Giraffe

by Lauren St John

★★★★

Review

I found this book in a charity shop and picked it up for only £1! I was excited to get stuck in to this book for 3 reasons:

1. I had read Dolphin Song by Lauren St John (the second in the series...oops!) and really enjoyed it

2. I had just finished a longer chapter book and needed an easier read

3. I love a bargain

I ended up reading the book in one afternoon and found it to be an easy and relaxing read - just what I needed! As an animal lover, I was fond of the storyline (a girl who can heal animals) and enjoyed reading about animals from South Africa. It also features some interesting facts about the past tribes of South Africa and how they used plants and animals as medicine to help the sick. The book itself is written in a very accessible way and the plot was uncomplicated and didn't require too much thinking.

Although the plot was simple, Lauren St John doesn't hold back on including unusual details, in particular the names and uses of several different plants which are native to South Africa. This was a nice detail and allowed me to learn a few things as I read, but it was definitely handy to have my phone nearby to do a few Google image searches!

I think this is a brilliant book and the start of a lovely animal-based series of short chapter books. I can just picture myself reading these books to my niece when she is a little older and sharing the adventures of Martine with her.

Key Information

Author: Lauren St John

Illustrator: David Dean

Release Date: 2nd July 2007

Book type: Chapter, 208 pages, paperback

Reader level: Growing Reader/ Content (6+)

Series: 1 of 5

Overview

Martine is just an ordinary girl living an ordinary life. That is, until her parents perish in a hour fire, leaving her no choice but to live with her extremely strict grandmother on her game reserve in South Africa.

Shortly after arriving in South Africa, Martine learns that she has a special gift: she can heal animals. However, not everyone understands this gift and she soon feels that she is not welcome in this part of the world. Despite her ongoing isolation, Martine soon discovers that the animals inside her grandmother's game reserve are in grave danger of being hunted and sold across the world. But, rumour has it that these criminals are after only one things: a "mythical" white giraffe.

Soon, Martine learns the truth about Sawubona and its dark secrets. She must race against time to stop history from repeating itself and rescue the white giraffe from its dark fate. However, will her family believe that the white giraffe really exists, or will she have to face the danger without their help?

Spoiler Alert and Content Warning

As the book is based on the idea of a girl who can heal animals, there are obviously scenes where animals are injured which may be upsetting for some readers. This ranges from having a broken wing to being shot by a poacher, and there is one particular scene that contains a bit of blood. Had this been any other book, I probably would have stopped reading (as I can't bear the thought of animals being hurt), but I carried on knowing that I was in the safe hands of magical healer, Martine!