Book title: The Elephant Girl

Episode: 41

Authors: James Patterson here  and Ellen Banda-Aaku here with Sophia Krevoy here 

Publisher:  Little Brown here 

Tags: elephants, wildlife conservation, poaching, Maasai, belonging, global warming

Additional resources: Authors short talk here; Book Club Guide here 

Audience: Middle Grade

Characters: Jama, 12 year-old Maasai girl; Leku, a new boy at school

Quote here

“I had seen elephants before, of course, but not so many together and not this close up. They were the most beautiful animals, their soulful eyes taking in everything around them, their massive ears waving like flags in a soft wind. From behind the tree, I spied on them, mesmerized. I loved most how they communicated with each other” (35).

These are 12 year-old Jama’s thoughts from this heart-breaking and heart-warming middle grade story The Elephant Girl written by James Patterson, Ellen Banda-Aaku with Sophia Krevoy.  It’s 250 pages. While this story is a work of fiction, the authors say, “it’s inspired by the real threat to elephants in many countries across Africa and Asia.”

Summary

Jama, a 12 year old Maasai girl from a rural Kenyan village,  lives with her Momma and her great aunt, Kokoo Naserian who is about 100 years old.

Jama enjoys school, though much prefers her true friends, the elephants, over her judgmental classmates. While boys are a bother and girls gossip, elephants bring joy.

In fact, one day at the elephant’s watering hole, with “her herd of elephants” Jama experiences a magical and playful moment with a baby elephant, whom she named Mbegu. Always fearful for her safety, Jama must keep her elephant visits, deep in the bush, a secret from Momma.

Momma’s friends accuse Jama of being  “too much like a boy” and while Momma disagrees, she does dream of the day Jama will marry. However, Jama wants more out of life; cooking and sewing for a husband? No, she wants to go to university, and travel and continue to learn despite not knowing any woman who’d done anything similar.

When a new boy, Leku, comes to school, Jama is thrilled to learn that his father works for Kenya’s wildlife services and plays an important role to stop poachers from killing their elephants. But, when the horn sounds indicating an urgent meeting is about to take place, villagers learn a gang of poachers has killed an elephant. Worried, Jama sneaks out one night to check on her herd of elephants; while in the bush, she sees an awful site, the poachers are paying the ranger to allow them to kill their elephants To compound the problem, the men and Jama see each other while money exchanges hands.

Even worse, one afternoon as Jama and Momma wash clothes in the nearby river, they notice the elephants; this is not typical and concerning for them to be so close to their village. Spooked, an elephant charges toward Jama and Momma. Momma pushes her daughter out of the way and is trampled by the elephant. Even though Momma does not survive, Jama blames her death on the ranger and the poachers;  their killing Mbegu’s mother spooked the elephants, causing abnormal behavior by coming too close to their village.

The villagers want revenge on the elephant who killed Momma, so they decide to kill her baby, Mbegu; Jama hears of it and jumps in to rescue her. Close to death, a warden from a conservancy shows up in an attempt to save Mbegu.

I hope you’ll read the action packed ending of The Elephant Girl to find out what happens to Mgebu and Jama who knows she must do something to end the corruption among rangers and poachers, and what she will do now that she’s without her Momma.

Age recs

Age recommendations for books are subjective based on numerous factors. The Elephant Girl  is designated a middle grade book. Jama is 12 years old and when the story ends, she is 18. Ultimately, you decide.

This is the point where I mention details that could be unsettling

It is heartbreaking to hear how poachers go about their work of trapping or killing animals. Leku’s father harshly punishes him. Jama feels responsible for her father’s death that happened 4 years ago, and now her mother’s.

Onto “Wondering who may be interested in this story? ” - after all that’s what we do here in the cafe’.

Readers who love animals will appreciate learning about elephants and what is being done and what can be done to stop poachers. As will readers who enjoy heart-pounding  stories with strong-willed protagonists.

Often reading inspires us to wonder about something and dive in a little deeper.

In the story, Jama is reading Jane Goodall’s memoir: readers may dive into learning about her lifelong work with animals.

Additionally, readers unfamiliar with the Maasai people may want to know more about their history, customs and traditions. In fact, Jama’s Momma has a sandal making business. I have a pair myself made by a Maasai artisan, purchased while in Tanzania. I’ll post a photo in the episode notes.

The Authors:

I love learning about authors and their inspiration for writing stories.

Co-author, James Patterson is a prolific author and recipient of numerous awards, and I found philanthropic work astounding. This struck me the most: Patterson is unwaveringly focused on one goal: turning kids into lifelong readers. Co-author and recipient of many awards,  Ellen Banda-Aaku lives in Zambia and “hopes that readers come away from this story with hope, because the story of Jama and Mbegu is a story of love and where there’s love, there’s hope.” Sopha Krevoy is passionate about elephant conservation and determined to end elephant poaching and to inspire a new generation of conservationists.

On these pages, there’s much to love:

• First, the cover it’s filled with emotion
• Secondly, the glossary is helpful while reading.
• Jama’s 100 year old aunt, Kokoo Naserian, is wise and has the perfect proverb at the perfect moment—such as: it is important to live in harmony with the animals around us. We are no better than any wild creature, so we have to share our resources and lands with them.
• I appreciate the author letting us know about Jama’s 18 year-old life as the story ends.

Until our next episode, I’d be grateful for your positive rating or comments wherever you’re listening. I can’t wait to recommend this book to the readers I know and love.

Check out the episode notes for a transcript with links and more.

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Above:

Beautiful handmade beaded jewelry and sandals made by Maasai artisans.