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Oct 12, 2008

Relyn rated it:

10/10/08
Audiobook format
I have been listening to this book for about three days now. It is wonderful. Really great. One of the many wonderful things about it is the audiobook reader. This woman is nothing but incredible. I mean it! She is the best audiobook reader I have ever heard. OK. She ties with the reader of Shadow of the Wind. I'm going to be looking for more books narrated by her.

I love having Sloane come to school with me. It is so wonderful to be in t More...

5 comments like (1 person liked it)

Aug 20, 2011

Nobies57 rated it:

Martine
Sawubona
Grace

Martine is orphaned when her house in England burns down. With no other relatives she is sent to live in South Africa with a grandmother she never even knew existed.
Her grandmother acts non-to-happy to be the caretaker of Martine who is refused answers to the many questions she has about her parents, her grandmother and even the game reserve where she now lives. Rumor has it that there is a white giraffe living there, but most believe that is a my More...

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Feb 02, 2011

Hannah rated it:

REALLY liked this one but it was really sad. Martine just turns 11 years old and she and her family live happily in London. Until a horrible thing happens when her house catches on fire in the middle of the night and her parents die in it. She now is forced to move in with her Grandmother who lives in South Africa. The journey goes on when she gets there she never knew she had a Grandma. On the reserve she lives in, Her grandma tells her stories the people always tell about a white giraffe, sayi More...

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Aug 06, 2010

Erin rated it:

Overall, this tale of a girl reluctantly sent to live with her grandmother on a game preserve in South Africa is a fun adventure with a lot of animals and a tiny bit of culture thrown in. However, I found the inclusion of magic somewhat disturbing, similar to other semi-fantasy books set in Africa. The portrayal of blacks as some sort of shaman always tends to disturb me, as it seems somewhat unlikely that this is an attitude that they would be comfortable with. Most blacks are Christian and More...

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Dec 09, 2009

Carol rated it:

Grades 4-7

Black and white sketch drawings are interspersed through this captivating story set in modern-day South Africa. The author does not dwell on the opening tragedy, framing it as something that is necessary for the main character to fulfill her destiny, but it feels a bit inauthentic because most children in the target audience understand that the implications of losing one's parents are immense.

That this incongruity does not weigh down the story is a testament to More...

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May 20, 2009

Rosalia rated it:

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

May 14, 2009

Barky rated it:

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here

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Aug 26, 2009

Donna rated it:

After a fire kills her parents, 11-year-old Martine leaves England to live with her grandmother on a game reserve in South Africa. On her first day there she meets a healer who claims that Martine has a powerful gift. Her grandmother doesn't seem to want her and the kids at her new school call her a witch. Her only real friend is the shy white giraffe that she sometimes sees at night. When the giraffe is threatened by poachers, Martine resolves to protect him. Who told the poachers about th More...

3 comments like (1 person liked it)

Mar 23, 2011

Mrs. Pam Browning rated it:

I just finished The White Giraffe by Lauren St. John and it was wonderful. A student recommended it to me and she was right this book was a fun and fast read. Martine, and middle school aged girl loses her parents in a fire right at the beginning of the book and has to move to South Africa (Cape Town) to live with a grandmother she didn't know she had and one who seems not too excited to have her there. The book centers around several mysteries about Martine's past and the possibly mythical w More...

1 comment like

Apr 10, 2010

Austin rated it:

martine's parents are killed in a fire, and she must leave her home in England to live on a wildlife reserve in Africa with a grandmother she never knewshe had. As soon as Martine arrives at the reserve, she hears whisperings of a mythical animal living there-a white giraffe. No one has ever seen te animal, but i leaves footprints behind

2 comments like (1 person liked it)

Jan 18, 2012

Marianna rated it:

I liked this book and I think it was very interesting. It is about a girl named Martine who moves to South Africa to live with her grandmother because her parents died in a fire on the day of her 11th birthday. Her grandmother lives in an African wildlife reserve called Sawubona and there are many rumors about a mythical white giraffe that lives there. Nobody believes the white giraffe exists, but some people say they have seen it’s footprints. Martine’s grandmother and the people that work in t More...

1 comment like

May 17, 2011

Patricia rated it:

A girl whose parents are killed in a house fire must move to South Africa where her only remaining relative, her grandmother, lives. Martine has never met her grandmother. She does not even know if her grandfather is still alive. The stuff that this girl doesn't know is just plain puzzling, for instance, if her mother ever lived in South Africa with her grandmother. Or what her grandmother did for a living. It strains credulity. When the girls goes to school at first she is a member of t More...

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May 07, 2009

Jessica rated it:

After Martine's parents are killed in a fire she is sent to Africa to live with the grandmother she has never met and who at first glance doesn't seem to want her there. When she arrives in Africa she hears the myth of the white giraffe, but all the adults in her life tell her there is no truth to the myth. Then one night while looking out her window, Martine sees the giraffe and this beings a wonderful journey and adventure.

While I did enjoy this unique story I don't know that I wo More...

1 comment like

Jan 10, 2009

Shauna rated it:

In the manner of The Secret Garden, A Little Princess, and Pollyanna, an orphaned girl is sent to live with a relative who may or may not want her. This time, Martine, is sent to Grandmother's game preserve in South Africa.

I'm not sure who recommended this book to me, but it reminds me so much of a show I've seen on BBC America, that it might have been one of those "based on the book" captions that appear on tv.

I wonder if there is a sequel? It was uplifting a More...

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Nov 29, 2011

Kelsey rated it:

After Martine's parents are killed in a house fire she is sent to live with her grandmother in South Africa. Adapting to a new home and getting to know her grandmother, who she has never meet before, has become a challenge; she has minimal friends at school and seldom support at home, it seems like a nightmare for Martien.Until she hears the legend of the White Giraffe: The White Giraffe is famous at the Swabona animal reserve for having magic powers for the individual who can successfuly ride t More...

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Dec 14, 2011

Karen rated it:

When Martines home in England burns down, killing her parents, she must go to South Africa to live on a wildlife game preserve, called Sawubona, with the grandmother she didnt know she had. Almost as soon as she arrives, Martine hears stories about a white giraffe living in the preserve. But her grandmother and others working at Sawubona insist that the giraffe is just a myth. Martine is not so sure, until one stormy night when she looks out her window and locks eyes with Jemmy, a young silver More...

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Jan 04, 2010

Gabrielle rated it:

"The White Giraffe" engages me to the point where I began to feel as if I am one of the characters or in the journey/adventure of one of them. The events that take place towards the beginning of this book lead to a young girl (Martine Allen) being sad, lost, and confused, but in return she is placed in a "magical," and amazing adventure. Martine is sent to live with her grandmother on an African wildlife reserve where she is determined to find- The White Giraffe. This giraffe More...

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Oct 12, 2010

Kori rated it:

This is about a young girl, who loses her parents in a fire and has to live with an unknown grandmother on a game reserve in Africa. Her destiny is fulfilled as she discovers a friend in a white giraffe. The book is magical and cute. I believe it dismisses the devastation that would realistically come from losing both parents, but I enjoyed the story and the characters. I liked the ending where the main character speaks to an elderly tribal "medicine woman," who says, "We all More...

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Feb 18, 2010

Susan P rated it:

This was great! It's not brand new, and I only heard about it when a kid came in asking for it and we didn't own it. I bought it for my library and I'm glad I did. Martine's parents die in a fire, so she is shipped from England off to South Africa, where her grandmother runs a nature preserve. There is a legend about a magical white giraffe that roams the reserve - but most people say it's only a fairy tale. Then one night Martine sees the giraffe from her window. It turns out that her des More...

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Oct 12, 2011

Libby rated it:

I read The White Giraffe with Anna and it is a great one for her age group (8-10 years). After a family tragedy, Martine is sent to live with her grandmother on a game reserve in Africa. She is immediately captivated by the wildlife and drawn by the mystery of a legendary white giraffe.

In this first of a four book series, Lauren St. John's writing appeals to children who love animals, mystery, and adventure. Drawing from her own childhood experience in Africa, St. John brings the be More...

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Aug 20, 2010

Kelsey rated it:

Loved the fact it was set in both SA and England

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Nov 24, 2011

Dayna rated it:

Eleven-year-old Martine goes to live with her grandmother on a game preserve in South Africa after the death of her parents in a house fire. Her grandmother doesn't seem to want her and she doesn't fit in at school. But Grace, a local native, tells her she has the "gift" and her coming has been foretold by the ancestors. Then Martine discovers a rare white giraffe and everything begins to change for her. But there are problems as well, who killed her grandfather? Who is poaching animal More...

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Oct 14, 2010

Sarah rated it:

Listened to this on audio while driving, and it was a definite upgrade in narrator from the last audio book I listened to. I found the story to be pretty compelling, considering that animal narratives are never my favorite genre. BUT, I have some major concerns with the way race is dealt with in this book. Here we have a white girl who moves to Africa and gets to be the long awaited savior of the animals who the mysterious, wise tribal woman assures us is going to save them all. Ugh. It's not ju More...

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Sep 25, 2009

Dalilah rated it:

I loved the book called The White Giraffe! It is kind of an action book and if you like the out doors or like the PBS’s TV show called Nature then I think you will adore this book. A girl named Martine lived in England until a tragedy happened to her Family. Now she has to move to Africa with her grandmother. When she gets to Africa she begins to wonder who she really is. There are all sorts of legends there about a white giraffe and the one who can ride the white giraffe will have power over al More...

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Apr 19, 2009

Brynn rated it:

The protagonist in this story is an 11-year-old girl from England who moves to South Africa to live with her grandmother on a game preserve after her parents pass away. I thought what would follow would be a good story for 5th and 6th graders who like animals with a bit of information on a different part of the world. The story, however, is very weak. The language is far too complex for the target age group, the story is boring and often too descriptive, the main character isn't sympathetic a More...

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Jul 17, 2009

Jackie rated it:

Destiny becomes reality as Martine's young life is shattered by the untimely death of her parents. Living a serene, idyllic life in England is commonplace for this 11-year-old only child. When a tragic fire tears her world apart, she is sent to live with her grandmother in South Africa. There she finds that these series of events have been foretold. She has 'the gift' and although her grandmother chooses to ignore the signs, its prophecy becomes clearly evident shortly upon her arrival. Martine More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Sep 18, 2011

Helena rated it:

This book is about a girl Martine that goes and lives in Africa, when her parents die. She finds out that she has a gift for healing animals, but one night when she couldn't fall asleep, she found the White Giraffe Jemmy that everyone thought was just a myth. Martine did everything to protect her as all the hunters wanted to kill the animal and that was when the adventure of the young girl and the mysterious white giraffe started. It is beautifully written I thought and I like how the author des More...

2 comments like

Feb 22, 2011

Lisa rated it:

Marine feels lost after the death of her parents and unwelcome move to Africa. Her grandmother is keeping secrets but Martine just wants to know why her grandmother doesn't want her there. Living on a game preserve brings excitement to Martine and soon she develops friendships with animals. Her greatest interest, though, is the legend of the White Giraffe. When she is saved from a cobra bite by The White Giraffe her world takes turns she never saw coming. The flow of this book is smooth. I More...

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Feb 08, 2011

Cynthia rated it:

My seven year old has thoroughly enjoyed this series which includes this book as well as Dolphin Song and The Last Leopard. He is an animal lover so the books have really captured his imagination and heightened his interest in animals. My husband has been reading the series to him and when they come across an animal that they don't know about my husband looks it up on his iphone. The vocabulary is sometimes a bit of a stretch for him at his age, but I see that as a positive thing. It's a goo More...

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Nov 25, 2011

Lamir rated it:

The White Giraffe is contemporary fiction book Lauren St. John. I would give this book 4 out of 5 stars because its theme is something different from what I have read before, and this book is really well written. This book is about a girl named... and her parents die on her birthday, so she is sent to South Africa against her will to live with her grandma, that doest want her. Soon she hears about the White Giraffe from the villagers that makes her curious. Does she find the white giraffe? Can s More...

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