Genre: Historical fiction
# of pages: 318 p.
RAC Book: Yes
Iowa Teen Award 2010
Nick Freestone is living with his mother in London during 1941. When the blitz begins she sends him to live with his dad in Burma, only life isn’t much better there as the Japanese invade his father’s plantation. Nick is held captive and forced to work as a slave and his father is sent to a prison camp. Mya, a native girl whose family has always worked the plantation, is trapped as a slave with Nick because her brother has been sent to a prison camp as well. When life begins to get worse for them on the plantation they decide to make a clever, but risky escape attempt in order to save Nick’s father and Mya’s brother.
Roland Smith always does a nice job of telling unique stories from different cultural places and times. Elephant Run is no exception as Smith delves into WWII from an angle many adults and students do not usually hear about. The invasion of Burma by the Japanese will be interesting to young readers studying this time or who just like adventure books. The cultural aspects of life in Burma are described well and the characters are well developed. A very unique adventure story that will keep Roland Smith fans coming back to find out what he will write about next.
Young Adult Book Reviews 
His book Peak was good so it should be a good read.
I’m nine and in fourth grade and read it
His book The Last Lobo was so much better!
I found this book to be kindaboring and not want to read it at times…