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National Park
Have you ever had the feeling that
your life would end at an early age?
If you did; would you live your life to the fullest,
making every moment count?
What if you were convinced that your death
would be at the mouth of a lion?
Would you run or would you accept your fate?
Raja, the puggle of the house, is about to embark on his first family holiday. The destination has regrettably been confirmed as a national park. The recurring fear of his untimely death haunts his dreams and appears to be coming true.
A freak accident leaves Raja stranded in this hostile environment where he miraculously befriends the likes of an elephant, wild dog and amazingly, a lion. Together, this unlikely group of animals confront internal demons as they stumble upon conspiracies of the power hungry and a threat promising to unleash chaos on all.
Are you ready to join Raja and brave the national park?
“I found your story enjoyable and entertaining, and difficult to put down for the day. Nicely written! Honestly, a truly enjoyable, light read! I certainly wouldn’t mind reading more from you.”
Editor’s comment
Book 1 in the National Park Trilogy
www.nationalparktrilogy.com
your life would end at an early age?
If you did; would you live your life to the fullest,
making every moment count?
What if you were convinced that your death
would be at the mouth of a lion?
Would you run or would you accept your fate?
Raja, the puggle of the house, is about to embark on his first family holiday. The destination has regrettably been confirmed as a national park. The recurring fear of his untimely death haunts his dreams and appears to be coming true.
A freak accident leaves Raja stranded in this hostile environment where he miraculously befriends the likes of an elephant, wild dog and amazingly, a lion. Together, this unlikely group of animals confront internal demons as they stumble upon conspiracies of the power hungry and a threat promising to unleash chaos on all.
Are you ready to join Raja and brave the national park?
“I found your story enjoyable and entertaining, and difficult to put down for the day. Nicely written! Honestly, a truly enjoyable, light read! I certainly wouldn’t mind reading more from you.”
Editor’s comment
Book 1 in the National Park Trilogy
www.nationalparktrilogy.com
216 pages, Paperback
First published August 25, 2015
4 people are currently reading
511 people want to read
About the author
Hinesh Vithal
4 books20 followersHinesh Vithal was born in Johannesburg, South Africa and he is immortal. Well, he wishes that he was. He has lived most of his life in a previously segregated area of the country, a place voracious with hopes and dreams. He attained his honours degree in financial management and began his career at a large corporation. Working in the corporate environment, Hinesh assumed many roles but has always had a pressing feeling; an elusive idea that there was something missing. Hinesh combed the corners of his mind trying to understand what this gap constituted of in an attempt to fill this void. This search led him to his early years where he had created short stories as well as a series of poems. Through this journey of self-discovery and a brief holiday with ardent animal lovers to the famous Kruger National Park; the National Park Trilogy was born. Hinesh still resides in Johannesburg and lives happily with his wife and son in an environment arguably devoid of any wild animals.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
April 13, 2016
What a sweet story! A dog gets lost in a national park in South Africa and becomes a central figure in the political battle that ensues between the species. Satirical, clever and entertaining. And now I miss my dog. (Full review coming soon on www.reviewsonatrain.wordpress.com)
August 24, 2019
A lovely light read with a strong message of the value of diverse friendships.
July 20, 2017
I knew I was in for a treat when I received National Park for review. It’s not often that I’d choose to read a book with a dog as the main character. The prologue alone solidified my excitement in opting to review this book and as I read on I found myself immersed in a journey I hadn’t entirely anticipated and one which I see myself em-bark-ing on again. (Hahaha! You’ll get it once you’ve read the review)
The Book
Our main character is Raja, a puggle – and before I proceed, I’ll admit I had no idea what a puggle was. I googled it, assuming it’d result in Harry Potterish references to a pet muggles keep. No, a puggle is a cross between a beagle and a pug. And OMG. Soooooo cute!!!
Anyway, Raja is off on a another family vacation, which he usually looks forward to, except this one takes place over his birthday and he’s been experiencing awful and vivid dreams of his death. A not too pleasant encounter between a safari vehicle and a defensive Mommy Elephant results in Raja making the acquaintance of a few new friends, and with them he sets off on an adventure that he’ll likely never be able to experience again and will certainly never forget.
My Thoughts
What I liked
1. I just love the concept of talking animals, Vithal makes the point from the animals perspective that humans cannot understand ‘animal speak’ due to the disconnect from nature that they (humans) have experienced – this is actually a belief I’ve held for quite sometime so I loved seeing this thought shared – even if just fictionally.
2. Beautifully characterized. Moving on from the fact that they’re animals, Vithal has stitched his characters together in such a way that I often forgot these were in fact animals. It’s humanlike wildlife.
3. As I read through this book, all I could ask myself was; who would you recommend this to? And all I could respond with was; “Anyone who has questions they need answered”. Now. Yes I get this sounds rather hippy dippy, but really. I have always felt a deep seated connection to nature, and there is just this thing that came through for me in this book; there are laws in the bush as there are laws in cities, and while we may not see or comprehend them, they’re there. Just as ours are. Fine. I’m hippy-dippy, that’s OK with me
4. It’s quirky AF. Meaning – while there is drama and there is a touch of politics and seriousness, there is this quaint, quirky, humourous tone throughout which really holds attention and elicits a few giggles.
What I disliked
1. I am battling to identify any faults with this book, perhaps only that in the beginning chapter or two there were a few to many exclamation marks used where it wasn’t entirely necessary to include them
Yes. That really is all I disliked. Oh. And now I need Book 2. Because it’s another trilogy. Someone remind me to check if a book belongs to a series before allowing me to read Book 1 please? I’m too impatient for this waiting thing.
Opportunities for discussion
The biggest appeal of this book for me was the broad range of subjects mentioned some of which are built on and others which are merely mentioned in passing. I’ve provided them below – I feel this is the type of book parents could read to their kids (maybe 10 and over) and use it as a starting point to discuss the type of experiences and self-reflective lessons that life often throws at us.
Bullying, self-confidence, leadership, community values, family values, support for loved ones, belief in oneself; it’s all covered and it all makes sense, and is woven into what has to be one of the most precious stories I’ve read in a long time.
Conclusion
I feel this is one of those books that can be picked up by almost anyone, and be enjoyed. I’d recommend this to anyone who enjoyed Animal Farm as there is a deeply animal-political story line which made me think of the Farm, and while there was that sense of familiarity – it didn’t influence the story line, it was similar but different. The chapters are a comfortable length and the action and dialogue are such that you could easily finish this in one, rainy, cuddled up in bed day.
The Book
Our main character is Raja, a puggle – and before I proceed, I’ll admit I had no idea what a puggle was. I googled it, assuming it’d result in Harry Potterish references to a pet muggles keep. No, a puggle is a cross between a beagle and a pug. And OMG. Soooooo cute!!!
Anyway, Raja is off on a another family vacation, which he usually looks forward to, except this one takes place over his birthday and he’s been experiencing awful and vivid dreams of his death. A not too pleasant encounter between a safari vehicle and a defensive Mommy Elephant results in Raja making the acquaintance of a few new friends, and with them he sets off on an adventure that he’ll likely never be able to experience again and will certainly never forget.
My Thoughts
What I liked
1. I just love the concept of talking animals, Vithal makes the point from the animals perspective that humans cannot understand ‘animal speak’ due to the disconnect from nature that they (humans) have experienced – this is actually a belief I’ve held for quite sometime so I loved seeing this thought shared – even if just fictionally.
2. Beautifully characterized. Moving on from the fact that they’re animals, Vithal has stitched his characters together in such a way that I often forgot these were in fact animals. It’s humanlike wildlife.
3. As I read through this book, all I could ask myself was; who would you recommend this to? And all I could respond with was; “Anyone who has questions they need answered”. Now. Yes I get this sounds rather hippy dippy, but really. I have always felt a deep seated connection to nature, and there is just this thing that came through for me in this book; there are laws in the bush as there are laws in cities, and while we may not see or comprehend them, they’re there. Just as ours are. Fine. I’m hippy-dippy, that’s OK with me
4. It’s quirky AF. Meaning – while there is drama and there is a touch of politics and seriousness, there is this quaint, quirky, humourous tone throughout which really holds attention and elicits a few giggles.
What I disliked
1. I am battling to identify any faults with this book, perhaps only that in the beginning chapter or two there were a few to many exclamation marks used where it wasn’t entirely necessary to include them
Yes. That really is all I disliked. Oh. And now I need Book 2. Because it’s another trilogy. Someone remind me to check if a book belongs to a series before allowing me to read Book 1 please? I’m too impatient for this waiting thing.
Opportunities for discussion
The biggest appeal of this book for me was the broad range of subjects mentioned some of which are built on and others which are merely mentioned in passing. I’ve provided them below – I feel this is the type of book parents could read to their kids (maybe 10 and over) and use it as a starting point to discuss the type of experiences and self-reflective lessons that life often throws at us.
Bullying, self-confidence, leadership, community values, family values, support for loved ones, belief in oneself; it’s all covered and it all makes sense, and is woven into what has to be one of the most precious stories I’ve read in a long time.
Conclusion
I feel this is one of those books that can be picked up by almost anyone, and be enjoyed. I’d recommend this to anyone who enjoyed Animal Farm as there is a deeply animal-political story line which made me think of the Farm, and while there was that sense of familiarity – it didn’t influence the story line, it was similar but different. The chapters are a comfortable length and the action and dialogue are such that you could easily finish this in one, rainy, cuddled up in bed day.
September 7, 2017
I received a copy of this for free through Goodreads First Reads
This was such a cute story. It was quick and easy to read. Overall a very entertaining book.
This was such a cute story. It was quick and easy to read. Overall a very entertaining book.
October 5, 2016
An interesting tale narrated by Rajah, a puggle comfortably ensconced with the Patel family in suburbia. When the family decides they will take a vacation trip to the game preserve, he is excited but remains haunted by a dream that his life will be cut short by a lion attack.
Readers will learn about life in the wild as they meet lions, cheetahs, elephants, rhinos, crocodiles, buffalo, and wild dogs. As the family ride through the game preserve, readers feel as if they are a part of nature. The personified animals have a complicated system of government to which all inhabitants of the national park adhere led by a Council of the Big Five. When the vehicle in which Rajah is riding is overturned, he is injured and rescued by the animals. Rajah becomes an integral part of a habitat that is far out of his comfort zone, yet he is rapidly assimilated into their culture and conflicts. When internal discord threatens to wreck the government of the animals and their safety, Rajah becomes an unwilling hero.
This book contains one or two curse words, but is appropriate for readers twelve and older. The plot is cleverly done, if sometimes a bit wordy. Readers will take away factual knowledge of the game preserve, its inhabitants, and some messages that animals and humans might well take note of. Looking forward to see what happens in the rest of the trilogy.
Readers will learn about life in the wild as they meet lions, cheetahs, elephants, rhinos, crocodiles, buffalo, and wild dogs. As the family ride through the game preserve, readers feel as if they are a part of nature. The personified animals have a complicated system of government to which all inhabitants of the national park adhere led by a Council of the Big Five. When the vehicle in which Rajah is riding is overturned, he is injured and rescued by the animals. Rajah becomes an integral part of a habitat that is far out of his comfort zone, yet he is rapidly assimilated into their culture and conflicts. When internal discord threatens to wreck the government of the animals and their safety, Rajah becomes an unwilling hero.
This book contains one or two curse words, but is appropriate for readers twelve and older. The plot is cleverly done, if sometimes a bit wordy. Readers will take away factual knowledge of the game preserve, its inhabitants, and some messages that animals and humans might well take note of. Looking forward to see what happens in the rest of the trilogy.
January 17, 2017
An exciting adventure in a national park with creative characters and great life lessons. A lost pug becomes an unexpected hero to all the animals through his journey with a lion, elephant, and wild dog. The story is unique - filled with adventure, charm and the majesty of South Africa's wildlife. I fell in love with little Raja (the pug) and could not put this book down. Looking forward to the next two books in the series.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews