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Brief overview:
Chaya steals from wealthy people to give to those in need, but when she takes it a step too far she sends her friends on a treacherous adventure through the Sri Lankan jungle.
Recommended age range: 8-12
Strengths:
- Story moves at a quick clip to keep readers engaged.
- Great way to learn about a different culture for young readers.
- Chaya is a compelling, intriguing, and likable character who makes kids want to trek alongside her.
- An entertaining narrative well-suited for fiction and enables middle-grade students to take a wild ride with a spunky character.
- My 10-year-old son enjoyed reading this together because of how different Chaya and the storyline is from him/his life.
Additional Notes:
- Topics potentially worth unpacking with your child from this book:
- Chaya steals from the rich to help the poor and this is held up as a good virtue throughout the book. She doesn't change her behavior even when there's no obvious need by the end.
- Parents don't seem to play any role in being a place of wisdom and support in this story.
- The friends sometimes lie to try to protect others.
- While done in a kid-friendly way, political upheaval becomes key to the second half of the story.
- I expected the elephant would be more central to the story.
- Author Nizrana Farook has more Sri Lankan-based adventures with different characters if you enjoy this one.
Overall rating: 7 (out of 10)