The Girl Who Lost a Leopard

March 15, 2023
Adventure, friendship, and activism intertwine in this middle-grade novel. Set in the island country of Serendib, which reads like an alternate Sri Lanka, this story brings readers into the world of leopards, toque macaques, and nelu flowers, which bloom every 12 years. Eleven-year-old Selvi is a loner and outsider in her school class. To fill the loneliness, she often romps with Lokka, a wild leopard she has befriended. One morning she is horrified to discover hunters illegally pursuing her beloved Lokka. She screams and the poachers come after her instead. Fleeing, Selvi stumbles upon the home of Amir, a boy in her class who hangs out with the mean kids. Amir becomes curious about Selvi and follows her, discovering her friendship with the leopard. Meanwhile, Selvi is desperate to protect the leopard from the poachers and at first shuns Amir's offer of help, not trusting him. But eventually the two bond and work together to expose a poaching ring. While the story is not a nuanced one--characters are good or bad--and Amir's transition from untrustworthy to trustworthy is delivered swiftly, it is full of well-written adventure and presents the time-honored theme of the value of friendship. Its evocation of setting is a strong point, as it includes descriptions of many flowers, birds, and animals, creating a strong sense of place. A straightforward, well-written storyline with a strong setting and atmosphere. (map) (Adventure. 8-12)

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April 1, 2023
Grades 3-6 Keeping both the South Asian setting ("Serendib," an island kingdom that closely resembles the author's native Sri Lanka) and villain from The Girl Who Stole an Elephant (2021), Farook pits young Selvi against a ring of smugglers out to kill or capture Lokka, a magnificent leopard living in her rural area. Ultimately, Lokka and Selvi end up rescuing each other as the suspenseful story carries the two from one hazardous situation to the next, with both help and hindrance coming from Selvi's undependable schoolmates and, climactically, matters being complicated by a horrifying revelation that her own family has connections to the illegal trade in rare animals. Though the trade in big cats is depicted in a bad light here, the author also provides glimpses of its potential rewards in terms of money and public safety, giving readers something to ponder. In the end, it's a dramatic, feel-good story--no one dies, the wild and noble leopard runs free to the cheers of the onlooking children, and the poachers get their just deserts.

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