Last Leopard (White Giraffe) [Import] [Paperback]

Lauren StJohn (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 28, 2009 | Series: White Giraffe

Martine is looking forward to the holidays and riding Jemmy, her white giraffe, until an accident sends her and Ben on a journey to the Matobo Hills wilderness in Zimbabwe. It is a lawless land, where nothing is as it seems. When they uncover a plot in which the fate of a magnificent leopard and the lost treasure of an African King are mysteriously linked, their friendship faces its greatest test. Far from home and the help of Grace and Tendai, and with Gwyn Thomas languishing, under false accusations, in jail, Martine and Ben must use every survival skill they possess. They'll come face to face with Griffin, Mercy, Mr Ratcliffe (known as Rat), Magnus the hornbill, and a witch doctor, not to mention Khan, the last leopard. They must decide who their friends are, and who are enemies, as they race against time to save the world's rarest leopard and each other. This third African adventure is written with all the zest and skill that have endeared so many readers to THE WHITE GIRAFFE and DOLPHIN SONG.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 4–7—In this third book about Martine and her amazing gift for healing animals, the 11-year-old, her grandmother, and her friend Ben leave their South African home for Zimbabwe. They are going to help her grandmother's friend, who has had an accident, but the trip turns into much more. A giant leopard said to be in hiding in the hills near the ranch where they are staying desperately needs Martine's help. Many legends surround the creature, and the place of his death is ostensibly where a long-hidden treasure will be found. Because of this, many are determined to hunt the animal down. Through Martine's eyes, readers discover many issues plaguing modern Zimbabwe, from police corruption to animal poaching and the opportunism and tourism that threaten the traditional way of life. This fast-paced adventure story, inspired by an actual leopard now in a game preserve in Zimbabwe, includes elements that will appeal to a broad audience. Although having read The White Giraffe (2007) and Dolphin Song (2008, both Dial) gives fuller insight into Martine's story, St. John does a good job of catching readers up on the past without retelling those plots. Considering that the movie version of The White Giraffe is due out this year, there is sure to be particular interest in this series.—Genevieve Gallagher, Buford Middle School, Charlottesville, VA
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

Like its prequel, The White Giraffe (2007), this uncomplicated adventure offers plenty of narrow squeaks and a strong animal-conservation message while being shot through with threads of mysticism. Traveling with her grandmother and her best friend, Ben, to an isolated lodge in Zimbabwe, 11-year-old Martine finds herself immediately pitched into a desperate search for a particularly huge and elusive leopard. Also on the trail are both treasure hunters and a ruthless organizer of “canned” safaris—the kind that offer up captured animals for easy slaughter. Along the way to a breathless, if predictable, climax, Martine and Ben see mysterious leopard images, receive cryptic but significant advice from two shamans, and are chased, confined, and nearly killed in landslides. In the end, the bad guys get what’s coming to them, and thanks to her ability to communicate with animals, Martine is not only able to heal the wounded leopard but to form a lasting attachment with it. The author makes heavy use of convenient coincidences, but readers with a predilection for tales spun around close encounters with magnificent wild creatures won’t be bothered. Grades 4-7. --John Peters --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Orion Childrens; UK Edition edition (May 28, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1842556673
• ISBN-13: 978-1842556672
• Product Dimensions: 7.7 x 5 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #449,461 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good Story, But Not as Captivating as Previous Works, April 3, 2009

By 

L. Furrow "Electrologist, Master Esthetician,... (VIRGINIA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Last Leopard (Kindle Edition)

Following "The White Giraffe" and "Dolphin Song" - "The Last Leopard" is the third book in the adventures of 11-year-old Martine, who lives on an African game preserve with her grandmother. "The Last Leopard" has a strong animal-conservation theme and takes place in Zimbabwe, where Martine and her friend Ben travel to become involved in a search for the elusive Leopard, whose capture is linked to a lost treasure. Poachers and treasure hunters are the villains in Martine's world, where she is fearlessly willing to risk her life in her quest to save the last leopard.

In keeping with St. John's earlier works, this story is full of African mysticism, legends, and hocus-pocus events, which were used to give the plot a convenient save, or to advance the plot by magical events, drawings, visions, or people.

Characters in this story were not as well developed as in the two earlier works, which could definitely stand alone. Of course, this may be a more important factor for those who have never read the White Giraffe or Dolphin Song, and didn't "know" Martine and Ben.

Some portions of the book are slow, and others could use better transition. It seemed it was put out in a rush with not enough time spent in revision.

Whole sections of the book nearly lost me several times, when the plot wasn't flowing well, or when too many foreign names and their strange spellings were used (too many too close together) to give the African names and meanings for people, places, and things. This was like studying the language and took me out of the story several times to the point that I could have laid the book down and forgotten about finishing it. It was a love for Martine's character from the previous works that caused me to want to reread some sections to try to get back into the story.

"The Last Leopard" is a good story, and I did enjoy reading about little Martine and her knowledge and supernatural abilities with wild animals. The descriptions of the African landscape, wildlife, and people were informative and added to the adventure.

4.0 out of 5 stars The Last Leopard, July 7, 2011

By 

Jessica Nolan-bowers (Tahoe USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Last Leopard (Legend of the Animal Healer) (Paperback)

I read this book to my eight year old girl. It is a sequel yet it is not as good as the White Giraffe from the same author. The book becomes exciting near the middle to the end, however it lacks enough momentum at the beginning to hook the young reader. This is a shame since my daughter adored the White Giraffe that was compelling from the first page to the last!

5.0 out of 5 stars The Last Leopard, April 13, 2010

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C. Bodine - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Last Leopard (Hardcover)

My two children really enjoy this series and so do I. It is hard to find books that they both enjoy.