Follow the Elephant

Joining the many captivating adult books set in India comes Follow the Elephant, an exciting Indian adventure quest for children ten years and up. Thirteen year old Ben Leeson who is grieving the recent death of his father, is burying himself in computer games. Reluctantly he agrees to travel across India with his grandmother in what seems like a hopeless search for her childhood pen pal. In the midst of insufferable heat, strange food and the haggling of street beggars, Ben finds clues to lead them to the lost pen pal. As he crosses the huge continent, Ben finds himself strangely compelled to follow the magnificent Indian elephants and the elephant boy god, Ganesh. Ben witnesses snakes being milked for venom, a man levitating in the air and bodies burning on funeral pyres and he struggles to confront both the dark mystery of India and the reality of death. Like a frustrating game of Snakes and Ladders, Ben and Gran follow one false clue after another. The challenges of the journey teach Ben that real life can be more exciting than any computer game, and that by accepting the dark mysteries of life, he can come to terms with his father's death.