Follow the Elephant
Follow the Elephant
by Beryl Young
$12.95
- Spring 2010
- ISBN 978-1-55380-098-9
- 5-1/4″ x 7-5/8″ Trade Paperback, 248 pages
- Young Reader Novel – Ages 9 to 12
What thirteen-year-old boy wants to travel on a hopeless quest to India with his grandmother? Not Ben Leeson, whose anger about his father’s recent death has led him to escape into the isolated world of computer games. India is the last place Ben ever thought of visiting and his grandmother is the last person he’d ever dreamed of travelling with, but the ticket is already bought and Ben finds himself in India on a search for Gran’s long lost pen pal, Shanti.
In the midst of insufferable heat, strange food and the constant haggling of street beggars, Ben and Gran meet magicians and snake charmers and see bodies burning on funeral pyres. As they search for clues across the huge continent, Ben finds himself strangely compelled to follow the magnificent elephants and the elephant boy-god Ganesh. The challenges of the journey teach Ben that real life can be more exciting than any computer game and that by accepting the dark mysteries of India, he can come to terms with his father’s death.
This adventure quest for children ten and up takes its place among the many captivating adult books about India, and is an invaluable resource for school curriculum studies on world religions.
Click here to read an excerpt from Follow the Elephant.
Reviews & Awards:
- Winner of a Chocolate Lily 2012 award in the novel category
- Winner of Silver Medal, Moonbeam Children’s Book Awards
- Selected for Resource Links’ Year’s Best Books 2010
- Finalist in The National Chapter of Canada IODE Violet Downey Book Award, 2011. Described by the awards committee as “an exceptional book.”
“A richly colourful, adventure-packed novel — thirteen-year-old Ben’s unlikely trek across the South Asian continent keeps you turning page after page, while the sights, sounds and flavours of India permeate the senses.”
—Pamela Porter, Governor General’s Children’s Literature Award Winner 2005 for The Crazy Man“Beryl Young has written a rich travelogue that brings the sights, sounds, and smells of India to life. Readers who dream of visiting far off places will escape into the pages of this well-paced novel, and Young’s superb descriptions will make India very real in their minds. Young has expertly woven historical and cultural facts about India in with the prose of the novel, making this story one that will not only entertain readers, but teach them as well. Recommended.”
—CM Magazine“A seat of the pants adventure waltzing across the great Indian sub-continent.” Rated G–E (“Good” to “Excellent”)
—Resource Links“This book was a page-turner! I just couldn’t put it down. The book grabbed my attention from the very first pages. . . . five stars out of five!”
—Sarah’s Stars“Fast-paced and full of interesting encounters with Indian people, culture, and food. At the foundation of the story, however, lies a theme: how to live a good life.”
—Jeunesse: Young People, Texts, Cultures 3.1 (2011)“An engaging read with realistic characters on a realistic journey.”
—Keen Readers blog
