“This is an acclaimed and original novel with a strong voice and compelling plot—a stand-out.”
Giraffe Island
Far away in the middle of the sea there is an island shaped like a giraffe. Nine-year-old Vega lives there with her father and grandfather—a gardener and former ringmaster. Their shed—the Paraphenalium—is filled with every possible thing you didn’t know you needed. Vega’s bathroom is home to a gray bear with shampoo-lathered fur, and every day she talks with the asphalt beaver and crosswalk zebra on the way to school. Her best friend is Nelson, who observes things others don’t notice and keeps a notebook of mysteries and facts. Vega and Nelson set out to save Vega’s father and find her mother in a search that leads them to a unique circus and unexpected answers. Giraffe Island is a magical realist mystery adventure driven by longing to be part of a family. It is playful, fresh and beautifully written.
This title is not available in the United States.
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Book Details
Country of Origin Finland Reader Age 8-12 year Book Size ISBN
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Reviews
Available worldwide from your local bookstore or online.
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Books for Keeps –
This is magical realism that draws in the reader completely so that the boundaries between the real world and the imaginative world are non- existent. Here is a world that compels active engagement and belief from its audience. The narrative is presented with such confidence that there is no doubt as to the geographical existence of Giraffe Island. There is no need for a magic portal. The characters are engaging and believable; both children and adult step off the page. Vega has no magical powers beyond the imagination, a power all can exercise whether child or adult, ensuring a willing suspension of disbelief . . . The prose is immediate and direct thanks to the translation by Julia Marshall. It is exciting that young readers in the UK can join young readers in Finland to appreciate the world created by Sofia and Amanda Chanfreau whose detailed soft- focus pen and ink illustrations both enhance the magical and the real. —Books for Keeps