In the thick canopy of the North Indian jungle, we meet a young boy of 10 years old named Hastin. Hastin is from a little village. As his sister gets very sick, Hastin’s family borrows some money to pay the hospital. To pay off the debt, Hastin becomes an elephant keeper for a circus owner with a cruel heart. The elephant named Nandita is not just any ordinary elephant as she can balance milk bottles on its trunk and play soccer. Hastin quickly becomes attached to the elephant as he spends a lot of his time with the great animal and they soon become friends. But when the elephant under-performs, the cruel owner has the elephant chained up and hurt with a great, big hook until she finds it in her to learn the new trick. Hastin tries to protect Nandita, which creates conflict between him and the cruel circus owner and they both have to try and escape. Hastin is a hard working young kid who only wants the best for his family so he works for his sister’s hospital bill. The elephant Nandita is described through the book as a sweet little elephant and finds a way to get into the reader’s heart and makes the reader feel nice.

I enjoyed the book ‘Chained’ because the book I think is designed from ages 12 and up and the author paints a brilliant picture of the landscape and the feelings and shows the pain of Hastin when Nandita is chained and hurt with the hook. The story moves along throughout the novel so well that anyone of close to any reading capability can understand it and it perfectly conveys the stress of Hastin, although in my personal opinion I would have liked to have known more of the background of each character being introduced into the story and I have liked to have known a bit more about the North Indian village.

I recommend this book to most teens and most adults between the ages of 12 and 60 who likes a book based on a true story with sad moments which gives a heart warming aspect to the book. It’s also great for readers who are interested in Indian culture and history of the circus. I would rate ‘Chained’ by Lynne Kelly 4 and a half stars out of five.

Daniele, Year 9

……..

“A young elephant that is chained will try hard to free itself but once it gives up, it gives up forever. Even when it is strong enough to break its chains, it will not. So it is that the smallest chain can hold the largest elephant.”

Chained by Lynne Kelly is set in villages and camps situated in a forested area such as Cambodia. The main character is a young boy named Hastin, whose young sister Chanda has fallen so ill she has been rushed to hospital. However there’s one problem: Hastin’s family doesn’t have the money to pay for the hospital bills. Because of this Hastin sets out to find a job and eventually ends up working as a caretaker for an elephant named Nandita for a circus owned by a horrible man by the name of Timir. There are also two other men that work for Timir: Ne Min the cook and Sharad the trainer. Timir treats everyone badly including Nandita. Nandita was meant to be trained by Sharad, but Sharad was lazy and never did any work. He orders everyone around and takes credit for their work. When Hastin sees the opportunity to free Nandita, does he succeed or does the story go in another direction?

I enjoyed reading this book, as it was filled with emotions that kept me reading more. It was filled with mystery, it had many twists and unexpected turns. It showed realistic scenarios that occur today, families not having enough money to pay for medical help, child labour and animal cruelty. I would recommend this book to readers of all ages that enjoy an emotional mysterious story. Overall this was a good read that I would recommend to most people.

Liam, Year 9

……..

“A foolish man believes he can trick an elephant.”

The story is based in the villages of North India where Hastin lives. After the home setting it quickly moves into a circus set where a lot more of the story is based.

The main character Hastin has an extreme drive to help his sister with her medical bills and to set his elephant, Nadita, free. This makes Hastin a very likeable character because of his determination. He is only 10 years old and is younger than his sister and pretty sneaky to be able to try and help Nadita who is getting very messed treated as an elephant.

Chained by Lynne Kelly, is set in villages in North India. The main character is a boy named Hastin whose older sister Chanda has fallen so ill she has been sent to hospital. However, Hastin’s family is extremely poor and cannot afford to pay for the hospital bills. Because of this Hastin sets out to find a job and eventually ends up working as a caretaker for an elephant named Nandita for a circus owned by a horrible man by the name of Timir. There are also two other men that work for Timir, Ne Min the cook and Sharad the trainer. Timir treats everyone badly including Nandita. Nandita was originally meant to be tamed by Sharad, but Sharad was lazy and never did any work. He orders everyone around and takes credit for his or her work. When Hastin sees the opportunity to free Nandita, does he succeed or not?

The reason I liked the book is because it goes through multiple emotions and makes you think about how much poverty people are living in and the conditions they are under.

I would recommend this book to anyone who likes to read emotional books and like a good story line. It also has a touch of adventure from Hastin trying to escape with the elephant Nadita from the circus they both are in.

Eric B., Year 9.7