Leopard Trail

Wild Things #1

by Elizabeth Laird

Tom Wilkinson, kes on äsja Inglismaalt Aafrikasse kolinud, leiab, et tema uus kodumaa on üks imetabane paik. Eksootilised linnud laulavad akna taga. Ahvid ronivad katusel ringi. Otse koduaia taga laiub tohutu looduspark. Ja kõrvalmajas elab kummaline tüdruk, kelle kodu on täis orbunud loomi. Ent öösiti peavad jahti ohtlikud kiskjad. Kui elumajade naabrusse kolib elama näljane leopard, hauvad Tom ja tema uus sõber Afra üheskoos välja pöörase plaani, päästmaks seda imekaunist olendit mahalaskmisest. ...Miski liigatas kõrges kollakas rohus. Sõrgadega vaevu maad puudutades pistis põgenema antiloobikari. Pühvel tõstis musta, vägevate sarvedega pea ja kammis vilava pilguga hoolikalt ümbritsevat maastikku. Sebra nähvas sabaga üle oma tihedavöödilise tagumiku ning põrutas musta läikiva kabjaga vastu punast paakunud maapinda.

160 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 2000

About the author

Laird was born in New Zealand in 1943, the fourth of five children. Her father was a ship's surgeon; both he and Laird's mother were Scottish. In 1945, Laird and her family returned to Britain and she grew up in South London, where she was educated at Croydon High School.
When she was eighteen, Laird started teaching at a school in Malaysia. She decided to continue her adventurous life, even though she was bitten by a poisonous snake and went down with typhoid.

After attending the university in Bristol, Laird began teaching English in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. She and a friend would hire mules and go into remote areas in the holidays.

After a while at Edinburgh University, Laird worked in India for a summer. During travel, she met her future husband, David McDowall, who she said was very kind to her when she was airsick on a plane. The couple were married in 1975 and have two sons, Angus and William.

Laird has also visited Iraq and Lebanon. She claims to dislike snakes, porridge and being cold but enjoys very dark chocolate, Mozart, reading and playing the violin in the Iraq Symphony Orchestra.

She currently lives in Richmond, London with her husband.

Reviews

[Seili · Rating 4 out of 5]

Olen kunagi varem lugenud aga ei mäletanud küll midagi. See ei ole ainult lugu metsikust lodusest ja piirkondade erinevusest vaid ka sõprusest ja eelarvamustest.
Hea lihtne, kerge ja põnev ikka ka :)

[Irina (Lohe Loeb) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tom kolib koos oma vanemate ja noorema õega Aafrikasse ja leiab eest metsiku looduse ja uued sõbrad, kellega koos igasugustesse sekeldustesse sattuda. Minu jaoks äärmiselt nostalgiline lugemine, sest selle sarja raamatuid võis leida minu öökapilt põhikooli ajal päris tihti. Praegu üle lugedes tundus see raamat ehk veidi naiivsena, kuid koolilapsele oli tegu küllaltki põneva seiklusraamatuga.

[Shlok Pandey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Surely a nice and small, quick read. The three main characters: Tom, Afra and Joseph, according to me, are really brave and above all, more than ordinary children. The way they plan to save the leopard from being shot is worth reading. Wanted to read the entire series, sadly it is out of print.