BOOK NAME: The White Giraffe
AUTHOR: Lauren St. John

Martine is your average eleven year old girl living in England. But that all changes the night she loses her parents in a house fire. She has no other place to go but her grandmother’s home on a wildlife reserve in South Africa. Now she’s expected to live with this woman who is a stranger to her. Her grandmother turns out to be a kindly lady, but she seems to be hiding something. Martine is especially worried that the kids at her new school won’t accept her and that her traditions will be too different. Fortunately, she meets a boy named Ben with whom she confides her adventures with. He always has a kind ear for listening and helps Martine face challenges that she is intimidated by. Despite all her adjustment troubles, the thing that keeps her motivated is her secret friend, the white giraffe, who is only rumored to exist. The animal lives safely in the reserve, but Martine gets worried when she and her grandmother are finding more and more poacher traps. Do they know of her friend and if so, how can she protect her sacred secret?

The first thing that drew me to this book was the beautifully illustrated cover. The author uses such beautiful descriptive language that it definitely makes the book live up to its cover. I found it compelling, so it was really hard to put down until I got to the end. It has simple black and white illustrations throughout the book too. I recommend this book for almost anyone, but especially if you like adventure books or ones about different countries. This book was fast paced but also had nice sweet slow parts and is a great read for almost everyone.