The first book in the heartwarming White Giraffe series by Lauren St John, featuring the African adventures of Martine and her magical white giraffe. Abridged edition.

At eleven years old, Martine is orphaned and sent to live with her grandmother on a game reserve in South Africa. Her grandmother seems strangely unwelcoming and Martine has a difficult time settling in at her new school. But she has an ally in Tendai - one of the keepers on the reserve, from whom she learns the lore and survival techniques of the bush, and in Grace - who instantly senses there is something special about Martine.

There are secrets about Sawubona Game Reserve just waiting to be revealed, and rumours about a fabled white giraffe. One night, Martine looks out of her window and sees a young albino giraffe - silver, tinged with cinnamon in the moonlight. This is the beginning of her mysterious and magical adventures - her discovery of her gift of healing and a secret valley that she travels to with the giraffe, where she'll find clues about her past and future.

Above all it's a heart-warming story, full of charm, atmosphere and Martine's sheer delight in her giraffe friend and the fantastic landscape which is theirs to explore.

Read by Ruth Wilson

(P)2004 Orion Publishing Group.Ltd