Nick Freestone lives with his mother in London in 1941 when a bomb is dropped on his apartment complex. Nick's mother decides to send him to Burma to live with his father to escape what was happening in London. Nick hasn't seen his father in several years but is looking forward to returning to his father's Teak plantation. Nick has been waiting for the chance to go back and live with his father. The first day in Burma, Nick gets knocked down by the most dangerous Elephant on the plantation, Hannibal. Nick meets Mya a young girl living on the plantation who is determined to be an elephant handler (manhouts) even though females aren't allowed. Nick will soon find out that he is in just as much danger in Burma as he was in London. Japanese soldiers invade Burma and life on the plantation is drastically changed. Soon Nick and Mya must put their courage to the test and risk everything to save the people they love most in the world. Roland Smith offers us a glimpse into a side of World War II that is not well known.
This book is a great read for any age group interested in reading a different side of World War II. I think this book is a good read for boys, especially reluctant readers. This book would be a great companion to any YAL book concerning World War II. I would suggest pairing this book with Number the Stars by Lois Lowry or The Devil's Arithmetic by Jane Yolen.
Some themes of this book are Family, Relationships, Coming-Of-Age, War, Oppression, Sacrifice, Power, Honor, Prejudice and Courage.
A great resource for using this novel in the classroom can be found on Roland Smith's website curriculum.
