The Girl Who Stole an Elephant, by Nizrana Farook

The Girl Who Stole an Elephant, by Nizrana Farook (Peachtree, March 1, 2021, middle grade), is a very fun adventure with a young Robin Hood type heroine.  Chaya pilfers from the rich to help the poor and unfortunate, and there are many poor and unfortunate folks living in the local villages. But when she goes too far in her pilfering, and takes some of the queen's jewels, she sets in motion a rapid fire chain of events that she can't stop.   It involves elephant stealing, an unwelcome ally (Chaya has no interest being friends with the rich merchant's daughter, but friendship happens), a perilous journey (with the elephant, who is very helpful) through the jungle, and ultimately the overthrow of the tyrannical king.  Along the way there are also wild animals, bandits, and Chaya's own people turning against her when the king takes out his anger on them because he can't catch her....

I think this one will have lots of Gen Z appeal.  In true Gen Z style, Chaya has identified a problem the adults aren't dealing with, and is plunging in to fix things by redistributing wealth. She is pretty certain she is always right and that her moral compass is the correct one, she's totally loyal to her best friend, and, of course, she's young and so not great at predicting long-term consequences (many are the moments during the book in which she realizes that she's being bludgeoned with consequences on all sides, and finds it rather annoying/worrying). Probably many Gen Z kids would befriend elephants if they had the chance, too.

I enjoyed it lots, and appreciated the Sri Lankan setting (Sri Lanka is Nizrana Farook's family homeland).  Which leads to one little niggling question in my mind--is this fantasy, because it's a slightly imagined version of Sri Lanka, or is it realistic fiction? A girl jewel thief stealing an elephant and setting in motion events that bring down a king is possible in the real world, though unlikely....thoughts? (Is Robin Hood realistic fiction????).

Sort answer--give this to kids who love elephants, jungle adventures, and things being fair.

disclaimer: review copy received from the publisher