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Dec 13, 2008

Heather rated it:

It's 1941 and World War II is literally at Nick's doorstep in London. In an effort to keep Nick safe, his mother sends him to live with his father on a teak plantation in Burma. Unfortunately, the Japanese army arrives just after Nick does, literally making him a prisoner in his own home. After ten brutal months, Nick decides it's time for an escape and to try to rescue his father, who is being held at a POW camp.

This is such a different look at WWII. I am so used to just reading abo More...

0 comments like (5 people liked it)

Feb 14, 2009

Christina rated it:

To protect him from the bombing in London, fourteen year-old Nick is sent to live on his father's plantation in Burma a few days before the Japanese invade during World War II. As an adult reader, I enjoyed viewing WWII from the Japanese/Burmese angle and I thought this was the best crafted of the four Roland Smith novels I've read, but I'm not sure whether many of my sixth-grade students will enjoy this book. The plot is fairly complicated and dark. All in all, I probably will continue to re More...

3 comments like (3 people liked it)

Jul 28, 2008

J-Lynn rated it:

I wasn't expecting a deep historical fiction novel from Roland Smith, but I really liked this story. I enjoyed learning about a part of WWII that I had no knowledge of, I loved being introduced to the concepts of Buddhism and the vows of priesthood, I found the information about training wild elephants to be workers fascinating, and I thought the description of the Burman jungle was frightening.

As with all of Smith's books, the main characters are resourceful and intelligent. I rea More...

0 comments like (3 people liked it)

Apr 03, 2008

Tuckerm added it

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0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Oct 21, 2009

Prairie rated it:

This is a book that draws the reader in page by page. It is the story of Nick Freestone and his father, a teak plantation owner in Burma (Myanmar). Set against the backdrop of World War II, Nick is sent by his mother and stepfather to his father's plantation when the bombing in London comes a little too close to home. The plantation harvests timber using elephants. Hannibal is the largest and most unruly of the elephants. Mya, is a young Burmese girl whose family has a long and storied trad More...

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Oct 05, 2011

Alex rated it:

Elephant Run is an exciting action-packed story, set in 1941/2 in Burma (now Myanmar) just as Japan is turning its sites on it for military purposes.

Nick Freestone, 14, has been living with his mother and step dad in London, but now it is 1941, the Blitz is in full swing and one night, the building they are living in is destroyed by a bomb. His parents have become increasingly involved in wartime activities and Nick’s mother decides to send him to Burma, to live on his father’s timb More...

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Sep 22, 2011

Michelle rated it:

Wow, I have this year reached my quota on elephant books and books set in the jungle. I don't mean that in a bad way, it's just weird, right?, that this is my second elephant book in the past few months? And my previous book I was in the Amazon and now I'm in a Burmese jungle. Just a bit much. Bad timing on my part, like when I OD'ed on Charlaine Harris.

Anyhoodle, Burma was at least new for me. And any book set during WWII is usually A-OK with me. This novel begins with a boy, Nick, w More...

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Mar 17, 2011

Jetro-isb rated it:

This is a fantastic book. Once I started reading, I couldn't stop until...until my mom asked me if I had done my homework yet. The plot is very fast moving, exciting, and has lots of suspense because it has alot to do with the survival of the main characters. To be honest, there was not a part that was boring. The story is set in the midst of the second world war, where readers can learn about Burma under the British colonial rule and also the oppression from the Japanese. I think that this topi More...

1 comment like

Oct 14, 2010

Ashley rated it:

(This book is a: historical fiction )
This book shows what some people and families went through during wars and periods when homes were being taken over. Families are split, beaten and even sometimes killed! To keep only the ones that can be used to work.
In every midst there is at least one traitor and this book certainly has one. This book also shows that even though some people may seem mean and are forced to do mean things they are not always bad people.
This book starts ou More...

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Sep 07, 2009

Sherrie rated it:

"Elephant Run" by Roland Smith
(from the back cover)
The year is 1941, and bombs are being dropped from the night sky, blanketing the city of London. When fourteen-year old Nick Freestone's apartment is demolished, his mother decides the situation in England has grown too unstable, Nick will be safer, his mother hopes, living with his father in Burma on the family's teak plantation.
Nick arrives at the plantation eager to learn about the timber elephants raised and trained More...

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Sep 06, 2009

Becky rated it:

3 1/2 stars. A 2010 Rebecca Caudill selection
The Japanese invasion of Asia seems to be a little explored topic in kid’s lit, making this an important book to add to the collection of WWII historical fiction titles for kids.

Burma is the unique setting of this story which takes place just as the Japanese are invading the country. All the elements are here for a great adventure. There are interesting characters, including elephants. There is the exotic setting on a teak plantatio More...

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Jul 02, 2009

Paige Y. rated it:

After the London apartment in which Nick Freestone lives with his mother and stepfather is bombed during World War II, Nick is sent to live with his father in Burma. Unfortunately, by the time he arrives at his father’s teak plantation, it is obvious that the Japanese are going to take over the country. Nick’s father is determined to get Nick out of the country and to safety in Australia, but before that can happen, the Japanese arrive and take everyone captive. Nick’s father is sent to a wor More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Jun 20, 2009

Barky rated it:

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Jul 20, 2009

Lisa rated it:

This is a book that draws the reader in page by page. It is the story of Nick Freestone and his father, a teak plantation owner in Burma (Myanmar). Set against the backdrop of World War II, Nick is sent by his mother and stepfather to his father's plantation when the bombing in London comes a little too close to home. The plantation harvests timber using elephants. Hannibal is the largest and most unruly of the elephants. Mya, is a young Burmese girl whose family has a long and storied trad More...

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Jul 08, 2010

Adrienne rated it:

The Blitz is raging, and Nick's mother sends him away from the dangers of London to the relative safety of his father's plantation in the midst of the Burmese jungle. Nick loves the plantation and has greatly missed it, his father and the elephants in the years that he lived with his mother and step-father. But Nick's stay in Burma is anything but peaceful. The war has followed him to southeast Asia; the Japanese are taking over the continent, and many of the Burmese workers on the plantation ar More...

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Feb 29, 2008

Abbi rated it:

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0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Sep 20, 2011

Jean Ann rated it:

Elephant Run, by Roland Smith, tells the story of fourteen-year-old Nick Freestone. Nick, a typical city kid, lives in London with his mother while WWII rages around them. With the Germans regularly bombing the city, Nick’s mother decides to send her only son to live with his father in Burma to protect him from the war. In reality, Burma is the last place Nick should have gone. Instead of reconnecting with his father and learning to work with the trained timber elephants on the family teak p More...

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Mar 06, 2010

Philip rated it:

I liked this book. It took a while for the story to develop and for me to care about the characters, but once it did it was fine.

There are so many books out there that kids read in school about WWII that take place on the Western Front. This was a nice change, and we may ask the LA dept. to switch one of their current titles with this one.

We're looking for books that we could tie into our content area - so, any suggestions would be great...

Content Area (7th More...

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

Jun 21, 2009

Christina rated it:

Wonderful book about a boy who gets caught up in World War II events in Burma. Nick is sent from the bombings of London to live with his (divorced) father on his teak plantation. Nick is learning how to train elephants to log timber, and other details for eventually taking over his father's job, but soon the Japanese invade and everything changes. Nick and his new friend Mya, a Burmese girl whose father is an elephant "mahout," are taken prisoner in their own home, while Nick's father More...

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Oct 18, 2011

Michael rated it:

This book is in the time of WW2 where the Germans are bombing London. And for Nicks safety his mother sends him out to live with his father out in the Burmese jungle with him on his plantation. I like this book because it is in war time and I like those kind of books that have to do with history but aren't exactly true. My favorite quote from the book is where the Japanese Colonel says "You will be going with them, Mr.Freestone. It is only fitting that you stay with the men who are loyal to More...

1 comment like

Sep 03, 2011

Ollie rated it:

Cameron bought this book for himself. I had finished all the books that I got at the workshop I attended and didn't want to go out -- so I started reading Elephant Run myself. I have really enjoyed this story. It is a historical novel that is set during WWII. Nick Freestone is sent to Burma to escape the bombings in London. His father runs the family teak plantation. Nick has not been on the plantation very long when the Japanese arrive and take over the plantation. Nick's father and the More...

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Jan 14, 2012

Mike rated it:

My son read this. After about the fourth or fifth time he read it he insisted I read it. He's into adventure and the WWII aspect also held his interest I'll bet. It's a coming-of-age type story that starts in London during the Blitz (only briefly though) but takes place mostly in Burma as the Japanese are invading. Nick, the protagonist, is sent there by his mother, who is in London, to live with his father, who runs a teak plantation that has been in his family for generations. As the title sug More...

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Aug 20, 2010

Carol rated it:

We read this book because it's on the 5th grade Battle of the Books list. The edition we have has a cover that is extremely unappealing to me, with a soldier and military planes. Honestly, I tried to get G to choose another book from the list. I'm glad that he stuck with his choice, however, as this turned out to be an interesting book. (What a wonderful break for me from those dreadful cat warrior books!!) The novel is set in Burma at the beginning of World War II, just as the Japanese are i More...

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Jul 11, 2010

Danelle rated it:

Nick is living in London with his mother during the German 'blitzes'. After their apartment is destroyed by a bomb, she decides to send him to his father's teak plantation in Burma for safety. Shortly after he arrives in Burma, the Japanese invade and Nick becomes a servant/prisoner in his own home and his father a P.O.W.

What follows is an adventurous story of Nick's escape, his trek through the jungle with a monk and an elephant and his friend Mya to save his father and her broth More...

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Mar 07, 2011

Corrie rated it:

At the onset of World War II, Nick is sent to Burma to live on a teak plantation with his father in order to be safe from the conflict in Europe. However, he is anything but safe from the first day, when he is attacked by a mad elephant. When the Japanese come soon after, Nick's father is taken to a prison camp while Nick remains prisoner at the plantation. Readers will be glued to the drama and impressed with Nick's dedication and loyalties as he deals with his truly horrible situation.

More...

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Apr 28, 2011

Nick rated it:

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1 comment like

Jun 18, 2009

Hilary rated it:

As World War II rages, and bombings become more and more frequent in Nick's London neighborhood, his mother decides it will be safer for him to return to Burma, where his father owns an elephant timber farm. Nick is ecstatic to return to the farm he remembers from his childhood, but isn't there long before the Japanese invade Burma and find their way to the timber farm, taking Nick, his father, and any mahouts (elephant trainers) who sympathize, as prisoner. Elephant Run takes a part of World Wa More...

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Feb 02, 2009

Bradley rated it:

Elephant Run by Roland Smith is a great book with non stop action, revenge, and even a tiny bit of romance. This book is about a kid named Nick who lives in londen but londen is being bombed so Nick is sent to live with his dad in Burma. Nicks dad is a plantation owner in Burma. Little did they know that Burma would soon be in danger. The japenese take over Burma and turn everybody in to slaves, they also give heavy beatings that sometimes lead to death. Nick meats a girl named Mya and he has a More...

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Nov 14, 2010

Michele rated it:

This is a great historical fiction / adventure book that takes place in Burma during WWII.

A young boy, Nick, is sent to Burma to his father's plantation where his parents feel he would be safe from the bombings in England. But then the Japanese occupy Burma, Nick's father is sent to a prison camp, and Nick is forced to work for the Japanese who take over his fatherís plantation.

With the help of his fatherís Burmese friends, a friendly Japanese officer, and an elephant calle More...

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Dec 12, 2009

Claire rated it:

WWII story. Nick Freestone is living in London during the blitz- his mother is a diplomat and his step father is a covert operative on assignment. Hoping to protect Nick, his mother sends him to the Burmese Teak Plantation that his father owns. Alas, the Japanese have strategic interest in Burma and most specifically the plantation where Nick is.

This is an in depth story of the Japanese war front in WWII. The plantation is occupied and Nick imprisoned by traitorous Burmese who hope More...

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