Saving Thandi
Kate Richards
Green Room Press
Pub. 2019

 

July 05, 2021

Saving Thandi is the beautiful sequel to Kate Richards’ Trainsurfer. It is a story that takes you on an adventure with the setting being an African savanna and the cold sea.

It is about Jabu who meets Thandi, a baby rhino whose mother was killed by poachers. Poachers are now trying to kill Thandi, but Jabu prevents this and while doing so uncovers a black market for poached rhino horns. Through this journey, Thandi and Jabu form an even stronger bond since their first meeting in Trainsurfer.

The story starts at Greenhouse Rooms where Jabu is telling a bedtime story to the children about how he met Thandi, the baby rhino. These kids are part of the Kids Surf 4 Life programme which is run by a young professional surfer called Alexa, aka The Flying Gecko, who helps orphaned kids learn to surf.

Saving Thandi takes the reader on an adventure involving helicopters, street life, kidnapping and a daring rescue.

It also deals with the issue of saving baby rhinos when the mother has been poached for her horns. Through Ice and Jabu’s eyes, the reader really gets to feel for the baby rhinos. You don’t only learn about rhinos, but you also feel the depth of teenagers’ emotions.

Saving Thandi is a very good book that highlights a group of teenagers and their courage, kindness and other emotions. The book gives some insight into the black market operations of rhino poaching. I definitely recommend it to readers of all ages.

– Jakob Abernethy is 12 and lives in Palmerston North.