Elephant Run
Encyclopedia
Elephant Run is a young adult historical novel by Roland Smith, first published in 2007. It takes place mainly in Burma in the midst of World War II
. The main character is Nick Freestone, a 14-year-old boy who is sent to live with his father on the family teak
plantation
to escape the bombing in London
. When the Japanese invade Burma, they take over the plantation, sending Nick's father to a prison camp
and leaving Nick to survive alone.
Elephant Run was chosen as one of the ALA Best Books for Young Adults in 2009, and received several nominations for book awards.
. He meets Nang the foreman, his daughter Mya, and his son Indaw, a mahout
. At the time of Nick's arrival, there is much talk about the recent Japanese bombing of Rangoon, predicting the British defenses in Burma will soon fall. The next day Nick is at the village and Hannibal, a koongyi (timber elephant) with a grudge against tigers, attacks Nick and his ribs are cracked; out of embarrassment, Nick keeps the incident to himself until his father hears of the accident from Hilltop (Taung Baw in Burmese), a monk who was one of the two original mahouts to come with the Sergeant Major, who founded Hawk's Nest. Hilltop is Mya & Indaw's great-grandfather, who some people rumor is over 100 years old. Hilltop is said to know the secret language of the elephants. Rumor says he lives in the forest, and disappeared for sixty years before returning to the Freestone Plantation.
On Christmas, Nick, his father, Nang, and his family are travelling to the nearby Freestone Island when the Japanese invade. Japanese soldiers soon overrun and capture the Freestones' camp, taking into custody all its inhabitants while Nick and the elephants go into hiding. Not long after, though, Nick is captured by an amiable soldier, Sergeant Sonji, whom Nick initially takes to be crazy. Nick is returned to the elephant village by the sergeant, at which point the brutal extent to which the Japanese are taking in their conquest becomes clear. Under the newly erected Japanese flag lie the corpses of Nang, who has been beaten to death, and Captain Josephs, a British officer who has been decapitated. His father and Indaw have been taken as POWs, and Nick is taken hostage at Hawk's Nest. He remains there for ten months as a servant of sorts to Colonel Nagayoshi, the Japanese commander of Hawk's Nest. While there, Nick is routinely beaten by a crippled elderly Japanese sympathizer named Bukong, but is otherwise left unscathed by the Japanese.
Later, Nick gets a letter from his father saying he was transported from a camp for British and Australian prisoners in Singapore to one in Burma. One night a Buddhist monk from India named Taung Baw (Hilltop) shows a secret passage that was in the house to Nick and Mya. Everyone later believes that they escaped when they were actually in the tunnel. From then on Hilltop shows the passages that link to Hawk's Nest. On their escape day, Nick and Mya disguise themselves as novice monks and escape the Hawk's nest with Hilltop and Hannibal. In a nearby village, they are trapped by Captain Moto who wants to find and catch the infamous thief Kya Lei (Tiger's Breath), a Burmese Robin Hood
. The next day Hilltop writes a letter saying that he was at the prison camp and would be back. Kya Lei helps Nick and Mya to get to the first camp. Each day, they progress closer to Jackson and Indaw. One day the group see some men bury the seemingly dead Jackson who was breathing through a bamboo cross. They dig him up and cover up the hole. Hilltop then points out that Sonji (who now worked at the camp) leaves a message about Nick's haiku about the graveyard. After they leave with Jackson and Indaw, they are caught by Captain Moto and Bukong. They say that Jackson and Indaw will be executed and Mya will marry Bukong after the war. Moto also demands to know where Kya Lei is. Luckily, Hannibal saves them not because of Bukong threatening his mahout, but because of the tiger skin seats and him being in musth
. Bukong and Moto are killed and their guards are shot. It was Bernard, Kya Lei, and a Kachin guerrilla. Bernard decides to send Nick, Mya, Hilltop, Jackson, and Indaw to Bengal. Hilltop rejects the offer to go to India because he must stay with Hannibal. At the end of the war and when Nick’s mother decides to go to the U.S. Nick chooses to stay with his father. When they move to Alice Springs the people make fun of the methods Nick's father used in Burma but the cattle business turns out to be one of the most successful businesses in the region. Soon afterward at Nick's 18th birthday they hear the great news that World War II
has ended.
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. The main character is Nick Freestone, a 14-year-old boy who is sent to live with his father on the family teak
Teak
Teak is the common name for the tropical hardwood tree species Tectona grandis and its wood products. Tectona grandis is native to south and southeast Asia, mainly India, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Burma, but is naturalized and cultivated in many countries, including those in Africa and the...
plantation
Plantation
A plantation is a long artificially established forest, farm or estate, where crops are grown for sale, often in distant markets rather than for local on-site consumption...
to escape the bombing in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. When the Japanese invade Burma, they take over the plantation, sending Nick's father to a prison camp
Prison camp
Prison camp may be:* Concentration or internment camp* Federal prison camp, low-security facility among those on list of U.S. federal prisons* Labor camp* Death or extermination camp* Prisoner-of-war camp...
and leaving Nick to survive alone.
Elephant Run was chosen as one of the ALA Best Books for Young Adults in 2009, and received several nominations for book awards.
Plot summary
Nicholas Gillis Freestone is sent to Burma after his mother's apartment is destroyed in the Battle of BritainBattle of Britain
The Battle of Britain is the name given to the World War II air campaign waged by the German Air Force against the United Kingdom during the summer and autumn of 1940...
. He meets Nang the foreman, his daughter Mya, and his son Indaw, a mahout
Mahout
A mahout is a person who drives an elephant. The word mahout comes from the Hindi words mahaut and mahavat. Usually, a mahout starts as a boy in the 'family business' when he is assigned an elephant early in its life and they would be attached to each other throughout the elephant's life.The most...
. At the time of Nick's arrival, there is much talk about the recent Japanese bombing of Rangoon, predicting the British defenses in Burma will soon fall. The next day Nick is at the village and Hannibal, a koongyi (timber elephant) with a grudge against tigers, attacks Nick and his ribs are cracked; out of embarrassment, Nick keeps the incident to himself until his father hears of the accident from Hilltop (Taung Baw in Burmese), a monk who was one of the two original mahouts to come with the Sergeant Major, who founded Hawk's Nest. Hilltop is Mya & Indaw's great-grandfather, who some people rumor is over 100 years old. Hilltop is said to know the secret language of the elephants. Rumor says he lives in the forest, and disappeared for sixty years before returning to the Freestone Plantation.
On Christmas, Nick, his father, Nang, and his family are travelling to the nearby Freestone Island when the Japanese invade. Japanese soldiers soon overrun and capture the Freestones' camp, taking into custody all its inhabitants while Nick and the elephants go into hiding. Not long after, though, Nick is captured by an amiable soldier, Sergeant Sonji, whom Nick initially takes to be crazy. Nick is returned to the elephant village by the sergeant, at which point the brutal extent to which the Japanese are taking in their conquest becomes clear. Under the newly erected Japanese flag lie the corpses of Nang, who has been beaten to death, and Captain Josephs, a British officer who has been decapitated. His father and Indaw have been taken as POWs, and Nick is taken hostage at Hawk's Nest. He remains there for ten months as a servant of sorts to Colonel Nagayoshi, the Japanese commander of Hawk's Nest. While there, Nick is routinely beaten by a crippled elderly Japanese sympathizer named Bukong, but is otherwise left unscathed by the Japanese.
Later, Nick gets a letter from his father saying he was transported from a camp for British and Australian prisoners in Singapore to one in Burma. One night a Buddhist monk from India named Taung Baw (Hilltop) shows a secret passage that was in the house to Nick and Mya. Everyone later believes that they escaped when they were actually in the tunnel. From then on Hilltop shows the passages that link to Hawk's Nest. On their escape day, Nick and Mya disguise themselves as novice monks and escape the Hawk's nest with Hilltop and Hannibal. In a nearby village, they are trapped by Captain Moto who wants to find and catch the infamous thief Kya Lei (Tiger's Breath), a Burmese Robin Hood
Robin Hood
Robin Hood was a heroic outlaw in English folklore. A highly skilled archer and swordsman, he is known for "robbing from the rich and giving to the poor", assisted by a group of fellow outlaws known as his "Merry Men". Traditionally, Robin Hood and his men are depicted wearing Lincoln green clothes....
. The next day Hilltop writes a letter saying that he was at the prison camp and would be back. Kya Lei helps Nick and Mya to get to the first camp. Each day, they progress closer to Jackson and Indaw. One day the group see some men bury the seemingly dead Jackson who was breathing through a bamboo cross. They dig him up and cover up the hole. Hilltop then points out that Sonji (who now worked at the camp) leaves a message about Nick's haiku about the graveyard. After they leave with Jackson and Indaw, they are caught by Captain Moto and Bukong. They say that Jackson and Indaw will be executed and Mya will marry Bukong after the war. Moto also demands to know where Kya Lei is. Luckily, Hannibal saves them not because of Bukong threatening his mahout, but because of the tiger skin seats and him being in musth
Musth
Musth or must is a periodic condition in bull elephants, characterized by highly aggressive behavior, accompanied by a large rise in reproductive hormones - testosterone levels in an elephant in musth can be as much as 60 times greater than in the same elephant at other times...
. Bukong and Moto are killed and their guards are shot. It was Bernard, Kya Lei, and a Kachin guerrilla. Bernard decides to send Nick, Mya, Hilltop, Jackson, and Indaw to Bengal. Hilltop rejects the offer to go to India because he must stay with Hannibal. At the end of the war and when Nick’s mother decides to go to the U.S. Nick chooses to stay with his father. When they move to Alice Springs the people make fun of the methods Nick's father used in Burma but the cattle business turns out to be one of the most successful businesses in the region. Soon afterward at Nick's 18th birthday they hear the great news that World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
has ended.