The Warm Place

By Raine Rivas
In Nancy Farmer's The Warm Place, Ruva is a curious, young giraffe living in Africa with her family and friends. Her curiosity leads her straight into adventure... and trouble. The Slopes, nasty ancestors of the devil, have captured Ruva. They ship poor Ruva to a cruel zoo in America. All seems lost for the scared little giraffe. That is, until she meets some friends.

Join little Ruva, wise Rodentus, clever Troll, pessimistic Nelson and the boy Jabila as they make their way toward the Warm Place that they call home.

The Warm Place is one of my favorite books because the plot is so simple, yet so compelling. The development of Ruva’s character throughout the story is a big part of the tale. Ruva would cry whenever she was scared, and just wanted to go home. At the end of the novel, she has begun to believe in herself, and that is the key to their escape from the terrible zoo.

I have read this book literally dozens of times, and it never gets old. This is one of those perfect stories for young children that anyone can enjoy. It is a relatively short book, but its humor and meaning fill up those pages in the perfect amount. Truly a great read.

Reading Level: Intermediate
Age Recommendation: 8+ years
Pages: 152

(1/30/10)