A Maasai girl's bond with a baby elephant catapults her into the world of wildlife conservation.Jama is a 12-year-old Maasai girl in Kenya who feels troubled by the path to maturity most of her friends seem to want. Jama's mother remained single after the death of her father and ran the family business alone. However, Jama's desire for a different version of womanhood, one that includes an education and autonomy, causes her best friend, who dreams of boys and marriage, to slowly begin withdrawing from her. Jama starts to feel isolated as her old friends begin to exclude her. She is hiding near a watering hole, her special secret place, when she witnesses the birth of a baby elephant. Jama immediately feels a bond with the baby elephant and returns to check on her. But when their new wildlife ranger seems to be collaborating with poachers, Jama fears for the elephant herd. Dramatic events lead to tragedy and Jama's banishment from the village. Poaching, conservation efforts, and elephant behavior are explored through Jama's experiences with the baby elephant. Creating the life you want from the ashes of your old one is a prominent theme in this narrative as Jama sheds old friendships and becomes a young woman.Emotionally thrilling and richly satisfying. (glossary, authors' note) (Fiction. 8-13)

In this powerful novel based in true events, Maasai 12-year-old Jama Anyango’s life is irrevocably changed when she befriends a herd of elephants near her Kenyan village. As her best friend begins to focus on crushes, Jama, who longs for “the same freedom and power” as boys have, instead seeks refuge in the gorgeous natural landscapes around her, disobeying her widowed mother’s rules that she stay near the village. An assured first-person perspective connects readers with Jama as she bonds with the elephant herd at a watering hole she loves, particularly a baby elephant whose birth she witnesses and whom she names Mbegu. But poachers roam the land, looking to kill elephants for their tusks, and the neglect of a seemingly corrupt wildlife ranger further threatens the elephants’ safety. After a tragic accident, Jama’s courage is put to the test, and her home life and well-being are imperiled, when the other villagers seek to kill Mbegu in revenge. Patterson and Banda-Aaku’s well-developed, vividly set story is thoroughly grounded in Jama’s bravery, moral strength, and genuine love for the animals that share her home. An authors’ note discusses elephant poaching. Ages 10–14. (July)

Gr 4–6 —Twelve-year-old Maasai girl Jama lives with her mom in their Kenyan village; her dad passed away four years ago. While her best friend and others at school are focused on boys and marriage, Jama is more interested in education and nature. She finds refuge at the watering hole outside her village, where she befriends the elephants who visit, including a baby elephant named Mbegu. Poachers arrive, attempting to kill the elephants for their tusks, which leads to a tragic accident involving Jama's mom and the elephants. Jama suspects that the new ranger at the conservancy is collaborating with the poachers. When the other villagers want to kill Mbegu to seek revenge, Jama's life is changed forever when she stands up for the animal and helps save it. Inspired by real events, this story vividly depicts Kenya as it explores the relationship between humans and animals. The back matter includes a glossary and author's note explaining how poaching and population expansion threaten the elephant species. VERDICT Readers will be inspired by Jama's courage and root for her and Mbegu's future. Recommended for young fiction collections.—Sarah Polace