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pipn_t's review against another edition
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I loved it, very fun.
aliwhitley's review
2.0
I had really high hopes for this book, and it might be absolutely beloved by my middle grade students, but I felt like it progressed at a weird pace and wrapped up quickly and didn’t give the full satisfaction of resolving the issues at hand.
deschatjes's review
3.0
Fun adventurous middle grade book with great plot developments which don’t take the easy way out but allow the protagonists to face consequences.
Like the Arabic/Sri Lanka links of culture
Like the Arabic/Sri Lanka links of culture
mimi_t22's review against another edition
I'm just not feeling it. It might be a cool book for later in life when I have kids.
fiji_123's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This was a fun book I flew through, it was a good break from all the fantasy and dystopian worlds building I have to remember.
pages_oflau's review
2.0
I read this book for the first book club pick for Middle Grade Monthly hosted by 2 of my favourite booktubers - Jade (Jadeyraereads) & Gavin Hetherington (How To Train Your Gavin).
I had never heard of it before and to be honest I wasn’t sure if it would be my kind of book but I really wanted to support Jade & Gavin so I decided to pick it up. As the month wore on I slowly became a bit more hyped for it and couldn’t wait to start it.
Ultimately, this book was a big bit of disappointment for me, because I really wanted to love this book, but I just didn’t.
I didn’t like any of the characters, apart from Ananda - the elephant.
- Chaya is our main character who is written in a way to make her seem like a hero, and that she cares about those she loves, but I honestly just found her so mean and she treats everyone basically like crap. She steals and causes so much havoc but never faces any consequences for her actions which I find really unbelievable.
- Neel is Chaya’s best friend and takes the blame for the Queens jewels getting stolen, he owns up to it when it was infact Chaya.
- Nour is someone that Chaya really doesn’t like but gets stuck with. I found their bickering and arguing really silly.
I binge read this in less than 4 hours mainly because the writing is so big in the book but also because the chapters were nice and short. It was a very fast and easy read, I just didn’t enjoy it very much but I really wanted to finish it before tomorrow. There was hardly any atmosphere and the plot just seemed a little far fetched for me. Chaya and her actions probably didn’t help much.
I also want to say that ending was...I don’t even know what to say. It was just there, it just happened and it was rushed. It felt so conveniently and neatly wrapped up even though there was supposedly going to be a war for the throne...
There was honestly nothing exciting about this book apart from an elephant that keeps coming and saving those that don’t deserve it.
I had never heard of it before and to be honest I wasn’t sure if it would be my kind of book but I really wanted to support Jade & Gavin so I decided to pick it up. As the month wore on I slowly became a bit more hyped for it and couldn’t wait to start it.
Ultimately, this book was a big bit of disappointment for me, because I really wanted to love this book, but I just didn’t.
I didn’t like any of the characters, apart from Ananda - the elephant.
- Chaya is our main character who is written in a way to make her seem like a hero, and that she cares about those she loves, but I honestly just found her so mean and she treats everyone basically like crap. She steals and causes so much havoc but never faces any consequences for her actions which I find really unbelievable.
- Neel is Chaya’s best friend and takes the blame for the Queens jewels getting stolen, he owns up to it when it was infact Chaya.
- Nour is someone that Chaya really doesn’t like but gets stuck with. I found their bickering and arguing really silly.
I binge read this in less than 4 hours mainly because the writing is so big in the book but also because the chapters were nice and short. It was a very fast and easy read, I just didn’t enjoy it very much but I really wanted to finish it before tomorrow. There was hardly any atmosphere and the plot just seemed a little far fetched for me. Chaya and her actions probably didn’t help much.
I also want to say that ending was...I don’t even know what to say. It was just there, it just happened and it was rushed. It felt so conveniently and neatly wrapped up even though there was supposedly going to be a war for the throne...
There was honestly nothing exciting about this book apart from an elephant that keeps coming and saving those that don’t deserve it.
amyandbooks's review
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
jonnaandherwails's review
2.0
NOTE: Thanks to Nosy Crow and the author for providing me a copy via Edelweiss+ in exchange for an honest review! Any quote used in this review is taken from the provided copy, and the final print of the book may differ. Also, please know that this post may contain affiliate links for Amazon.
The premise? Promising. The book cover? Brilliant. Unfortunately, even an amazing book cover cannot cover the fact that the main character is a privileged and mean kid.
The synopsis describes Chaya as "a no-nonsense, outspoken hero," but that doesn't give her an excuse to stomp on her friends—Neel and Nour. Chaya makes fun of Nour for not knowing nor recognizing that she is privileged than most. Although she does try to defend Neel when Nour—unaware of Neel's background—starts talking about her privileged life, Chaya does this by talking over Neel. Also, this wasn't the only time that she talks over Neel. She knows that she's better off than Neel, but she acts like he needs her to be his voice. That's already a red flag for me. Neel has his own voice, and if you would just shut up and listen, you'd hear him. It's 2020/21, we're no longer trying to be the voice of marginalized people. What we should be doing is amplifying their voices. Avoid QRT-ing; simply RT.
Don't get me wrong. I love a strong, female character; however, I don't love an arrogant, privileged character acting like she's not as privileged in compared to other people—which is also true, but still! Chaya gives off this impression that she's aware of her own privilege and the huge gap of social inequality around them which is why she wants to help the other marginalized people. What she's unaware of though is the fact that her being able to steal and not receive any consequence from it is a privilege in itself. Sure, Chaya is also a member of the marginalized community, but in terms of status, she is still more privileged than the rest of them. I feel like we should widen the privilege narrative and start including the fact that it has various forms.
Farook's writing is perfect for young readers though. It's easy to grasp and includes enough details to provide an immersive experience. The context between the queen and king was initially confusing because Chaya continually repeats that she stole from the queen (and even goes as far as correcting Neel a few times whenever he says "king" instead of "queen"), but about 50% into the book, it chooses to stick with king and only mentions the queen again after several chapters.
While I appreciate how the story ended, I did not appreciate Chaya's character arc and the very little consequences she received from all the actions that she chose to do. All throughout the book, I tried to think if this is the kind of book that I would like young readers to have, and my definitive answer is no. Despite its inclusivity points, The Girl Who Stole an Elephant is unable to properly add into the privilege and social awareness narrative as it may have hoped to do.
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The premise? Promising. The book cover? Brilliant. Unfortunately, even an amazing book cover cannot cover the fact that the main character is a privileged and mean kid.
The synopsis describes Chaya as "a no-nonsense, outspoken hero," but that doesn't give her an excuse to stomp on her friends—Neel and Nour. Chaya makes fun of Nour for not knowing nor recognizing that she is privileged than most. Although she does try to defend Neel when Nour—unaware of Neel's background—starts talking about her privileged life, Chaya does this by talking over Neel. Also, this wasn't the only time that she talks over Neel. She knows that she's better off than Neel, but she acts like he needs her to be his voice. That's already a red flag for me. Neel has his own voice, and if you would just shut up and listen, you'd hear him. It's 2020/21, we're no longer trying to be the voice of marginalized people. What we should be doing is amplifying their voices. Avoid QRT-ing; simply RT.
Don't get me wrong. I love a strong, female character; however, I don't love an arrogant, privileged character acting like she's not as privileged in compared to other people—which is also true, but still! Chaya gives off this impression that she's aware of her own privilege and the huge gap of social inequality around them which is why she wants to help the other marginalized people. What she's unaware of though is the fact that her being able to steal and not receive any consequence from it is a privilege in itself. Sure, Chaya is also a member of the marginalized community, but in terms of status, she is still more privileged than the rest of them. I feel like we should widen the privilege narrative and start including the fact that it has various forms.
Farook's writing is perfect for young readers though. It's easy to grasp and includes enough details to provide an immersive experience. The context between the queen and king was initially confusing because Chaya continually repeats that she stole from the queen (and even goes as far as correcting Neel a few times whenever he says "king" instead of "queen"), but about 50% into the book, it chooses to stick with king and only mentions the queen again after several chapters.
While I appreciate how the story ended, I did not appreciate Chaya's character arc and the very little consequences she received from all the actions that she chose to do. All throughout the book, I tried to think if this is the kind of book that I would like young readers to have, and my definitive answer is no. Despite its inclusivity points, The Girl Who Stole an Elephant is unable to properly add into the privilege and social awareness narrative as it may have hoped to do.
FOLLOW ME FOR MORE WAILS: Instagram | Twitter | Goodreads | WordPress
amberinpieces's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Classism
Minor: Fire/Fire injury and Injury/Injury detail
hwillivick's review against another edition
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5