A Circle of Elephants

From the author of What Elephants Know, a 2017 ALA Notable Children's Book and the 2017 South Asia Book Award for Children's and Young Adult Literature award winner, comes this stunning companion novel about the complex relationship between people and nature and the harsh realities of life in the Borderlands of Nepal. Twelve-year-old Nandu lives in the newly established Royal Elephant Breeding Center on the edge of the jungle. Here, the King's elephants are to be raised under the protective watch of the stable. Nandu—along with his adoptive father Subba-sahib, his mentors, friends, and the rest of the elephant drivers—is tested by man and nature as earthquakes, drought, wild herds, and rumors of poachers threaten the Center. When Nandu's world is thrown into turmoil, so too is the world of Hira Prashad, the Center's powerful bull elephant. An unbreakable bond of brotherhood drives Nandu and Hira Prashad together as they struggle to maintain the delicate natural order of life in the Borderlands. Dinerstein's poetic prose and scientific expertise come together in this breathtaking tale that puts the reader on the frontlines of brutal conflicts and heartbreaking friendships.