Tamburlaine's Elephants

Geraldine McCaughrean

Average Rating 7/10 (1 Review)

Tamburlaine the Great is a powerful, brutal ruler. His sights are set on Delhi, City of Gems, and Rusti, one of his young warriors, rides out into the flames of battle for his first taste of war.

Rusti is a Mongol warrior, fighting for the bloodthirsty Tamburlaine, Congueror of the World. He intends to show the enemy neither fear nor mercy... until he comes face-to-face with his first elephant.

Kavi is the elephant's rider. Captured by the terrifying Mongol Horde, he fears for his life. But the boy who takes him prisoner does not kill him. And soon it seems they might almost become... friends. Then Rusti uncovers a terrible secret, and the unlikeliest of friendships is put to the ultimate test.

A tale of friendship, destiny and revenge set in the war-ravaged lands of fourteenth-century India.

Shortlisted for the UKLA Children's Book Award

Key Stage: KS2/3 E; Age 10+

Review by Jessica (301108) Rating (7/10)

Review by Jessica
Rating 7/10
Geraldine McCaughrean is one of today’s well-known and most loved children’s authors. She won the Carnegie Medal, the Whitbread Children’s Book Award (three times) and the Guardian Children’s Fiction Award amongst many, many others. Currently Geraldine lives in Berkshire with her husband, daughter and their beloved golden retriever Daisy.

Tamburlaine’s Elephants is a book for the younger audience. Within these pages we are transported on a journey with the Mongol horde of Tamburlaine who ride on elephants in a truly fascinating world. The author does explain a little part of the history surrounding this time in this tale but she does it in a way that does not over-whelm the reader with boring historical facts. She writes in a way that would immediately capture the younger reader’s attention.

Rusti dreams of honour and many riches as he rides beside the legendary Horde of Tamburlaine. A wonderful friendship is forged in spite of horrific dangers.

To sum it up this is at times an amazing and quite engrossing story. Worth a read.
Jessica (30th November 2008)