The White Giraffe

by Lauren St John, illustrated by David Dean

Interest age: 9+
Reading age: 10+

Published by Hachette, 2007

  • Adventure
  • Around the world
  • Coming-of-age

About this book

Devastated by her parents' death, Maxine is sent to South Africa and a grandmother she didn't know existed. Grieving, and puzzled by her decidedly cool welcome, Maxine instinctively loves the landscape and animals in the wildlife reserve her grandmother manages. She's curious about the legendary white giraffe and when Maxine glimpses it one night, the connection between them is instantaneous.

So begins an exhilarating, dangerous adventure as she uncovers a deadly threat from poachers - and secrets about herself and her history. There is plenty of excitement and tension but also striking descriptions of the beauty of the African bush, of wildlife under threat, and a strong sense of the legends that underlie the present in this readable novel.

About the author

Lauren St John was born in Gatooma, Rhodesia, now Kadoma, Zimbabwe. Aged 11, she and her family moved to Rainbow's End farm and game reserve, the subject of her acclaimed memoir, and she grew up surrounded by animals, including eight horses, two warthogs and a pet giraffe. After nearly a decade as golf correspondent to The Sunday Times, followed by a sojourn in the US, riding the tour buses of alt. country stars like Emmylou Harris, Steve Earle and the Dixie Chicks, she wrote the bestselling White Giraffe series. Dead Man's Cove, the first in her new mystery series about 11-year-old detective, Laura Marlin, won the 2011 Blue Peter Favourite Story and Book of the Year Awards.

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