The White Giraffe by Lauren St. John
Reviewed by James, Gr. 8
This is one of the best mystery books that I know (but I don't really read a lot of mystery books). Imagine you’re a girl living in London in the middle of winter. You are sleeping and having a nightmare while kids shout "WITCH" at you because you saved a goose then waking up to a fire in your house, climbing out a window and being left an orphan. Oh, did I mention you're an only child and don't even know your grandparents. Then you find yourself being shipped off to Africa to live with your grandmother, you didn’t even know existed, on a game reserve she owns. So you can see this girl has been through a lot and when she hears about a mythical white giraffe she thinks she’s nuts but one night during a storm a flash of lightning lights up the sky and she sees a white giraffe looking right at her.
Reviewed by Varun, Gr. 8
This book was okay. At times it got really slow and it seemed like the story just stopped. Also the beginning was really boring. But I liked the witch part and I also liked how the white giraffe was stolen. The ending was a bit too abrupt for me though. But overall, it was a pretty good book. I give it 3 out of 5 stars.
Reviewed by Reah, Gr. 6
This book is exactly like a movie in your head. You can perfectly imagine Tendai, Grace, Gwyn, Alex, Martine and Ben. I really liked this book and, if you've read it, hope you did too. I can't wait to start reading the sequel, Dolphin Song.
Reviewed by Maria, Gr. 6
When Martine's house catches fire, she loses everything... including her parents. So, she moves in with the grandmother she never knew she had, who lives in Africa! She soon finds a new friend, who she must keep a secret. Anyone who enjoys a thrilling mystery will like this book.
Reviewed by Robert, Gr. 9
This book was probably my least favorite out of all the Battle Books. I felt that the author had an excellent idea when writing this book but I thought that the characters and plot were underdeveloped. The story is focused on a young girl names Martine is orphaned when her parents are killed in a house fire. Martine is then sent to live with her cold and gruff grandmother who manages a game preserve. Martine soon finds out that animals on the preserve are being hunted and killed by poachers and Martine must stop them before her friend the White Giraffe is found and captured.
Additional thoughts by Miss Catherine:
I liked White Giraffe- it was a nice mix of realistic fiction with a dash of fantasy. I enjoyed the setting of the game preserve in Africa and almost wished the author could have delved deeper into that part of the story more so than Martine’s schoolmates. I like the mystical nature of the native folklore and thought the characters of Ben, Tendai, Gwyn and Grace could have been more developed. Maybe if this story took place over summer vacation the author could have forgotten about the stories of the other classmates. I found it unnecessary and distracting to meet the five-star gang and watch them go from nice to evil. But even with these few points of contention, I did enjoy the book.
Reviewed by James, Gr. 8
This is one of the best mystery books that I know (but I don't really read a lot of mystery books). Imagine you’re a girl living in London in the middle of winter. You are sleeping and having a nightmare while kids shout "WITCH" at you because you saved a goose then waking up to a fire in your house, climbing out a window and being left an orphan. Oh, did I mention you're an only child and don't even know your grandparents. Then you find yourself being shipped off to Africa to live with your grandmother, you didn’t even know existed, on a game reserve she owns. So you can see this girl has been through a lot and when she hears about a mythical white giraffe she thinks she’s nuts but one night during a storm a flash of lightning lights up the sky and she sees a white giraffe looking right at her.
Reviewed by Varun, Gr. 8
This book was okay. At times it got really slow and it seemed like the story just stopped. Also the beginning was really boring. But I liked the witch part and I also liked how the white giraffe was stolen. The ending was a bit too abrupt for me though. But overall, it was a pretty good book. I give it 3 out of 5 stars.
Reviewed by Reah, Gr. 6
This book is exactly like a movie in your head. You can perfectly imagine Tendai, Grace, Gwyn, Alex, Martine and Ben. I really liked this book and, if you've read it, hope you did too. I can't wait to start reading the sequel, Dolphin Song.
Reviewed by Maria, Gr. 6
When Martine's house catches fire, she loses everything... including her parents. So, she moves in with the grandmother she never knew she had, who lives in Africa! She soon finds a new friend, who she must keep a secret. Anyone who enjoys a thrilling mystery will like this book.
Reviewed by Robert, Gr. 9
This book was probably my least favorite out of all the Battle Books. I felt that the author had an excellent idea when writing this book but I thought that the characters and plot were underdeveloped. The story is focused on a young girl names Martine is orphaned when her parents are killed in a house fire. Martine is then sent to live with her cold and gruff grandmother who manages a game preserve. Martine soon finds out that animals on the preserve are being hunted and killed by poachers and Martine must stop them before her friend the White Giraffe is found and captured.
Additional thoughts by Miss Catherine:
I liked White Giraffe- it was a nice mix of realistic fiction with a dash of fantasy. I enjoyed the setting of the game preserve in Africa and almost wished the author could have delved deeper into that part of the story more so than Martine’s schoolmates. I like the mystical nature of the native folklore and thought the characters of Ben, Tendai, Gwyn and Grace could have been more developed. Maybe if this story took place over summer vacation the author could have forgotten about the stories of the other classmates. I found it unnecessary and distracting to meet the five-star gang and watch them go from nice to evil. But even with these few points of contention, I did enjoy the book.
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