I am thrilled to be hosting a spot
on the THE GIRL WHO LOST A LEOPARD by Nizrana Farook Blog Tour hosted by Rockstar Book Tours.
Check out my post and make sure to enter the giveaway!
About the Book:
Author: Nizrana Farook
Pub. Date: May 9, 2023
Publisher: Peachtree
Formats: Hardcover, Paperback, eBook, Audiobook
Pages: 224
Find it: Goodreads, https://books2read.com/THE-GIRL-WHO-LOST-A-LEOPARD
From the author of The Girl
Who Stole an Elephant comes another thrilling escapade set in
fictional Sri Lanka.
Selvi is a free spirit who loves climbing in the beautiful mountains behind her
home. There, she befriended Lokka, a leopard with a beautiful coat and huge
golden eyes. Together, they roam the wilderness as they please.
But when hunters come with bows and arrows, Selvi knows she must stop them
before they hurt Lokka. But what can she do against such powerful enemies,
especially when the friends and family she turns to for help are not all they
seem to be? To rescue her leopard friend, first Selvi must outwit the poachers
and expose the mastermind behind it all.
With breezy chapters and lush, atmospheric settings, this action-adventure is a
superb pick for young readers who enjoy stories with peril, friendship, and
close encounters with the natural wild.
A Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection
Grab the first 2 books in the
series now!
The
Girl Who Stole an Elephant
The Girl Who Lost a Leopard
By Nizrana Farook
Excerpt for Rockstar Book Tours
Excerpt from The Girl Who Lost a Leopard / Text ©
2022 by Nizrana Farook. Reproduced with permission from Peachtree Publishing
Company Inc. All rights reserved.
CHAPTER ONE
Selvi frowned as the man with the
bow and arrow took aim at something in the bushes. She bent low and watched him
from her hiding place. What was he hunting?
A whistling thrush
called from a tree above him, taking off in a flutter of sleek dark blue. The
man twisted in place slightly, as if following a moving target, one eye
narrowed in line with the nocked arrow. Next to him, partly obscured by trees,
two other figures watched silently.
Far above him in
the mountains, Selvi crouched down further. What was going on? She knew the man
with the bow by sight, though only vaguely. Jansz was a large man with a big
head and chipped teeth, and he and his two companions were known for being
troublemakers. If Selvi’s mother were here she’d tell her to stay away from
them.
From her vantage
point, Selvi had an eagle’s view of the mountain range. Misty green hills rose
around her to varying heights, all covered in a thick wilderness occasionally
broken up by exposed rock. Tall eucalyptus trees shot upward like arrows from
the slopes, their balmy fragrance sharpening the breeze. On her right and away
to the south lay a vast plain of velvety grassland.
The man exclaimed
angrily and lowered his bow. He moved toward the others underneath the tree.
Whatever he’d been aiming at, it was gone now.
The men’s voices drifted up and it
sounded like an animated discussion was going on. Selvi ran light-footedly
toward the other side of the mountain, anklets jingling softly. They wouldn’t
see or hear her here, as long as she didn’t make too much noise. She would
scale down this side of the mountain and be away from them.
Selvi set off
climbing down the bare rock face. She was adept at this. Even the dangerous
climbs that no one else could manage. She was small and light, and that helped
as she gripped the rock.
She’d learned to
climb by instinct, feeling the sun-hot surface with her feet and arms as she
used every hand- or toehold to help her down. She knew the type of vines to
hold on to, the tufts of bracken that could take her weight best. Her toes
curled into foliage and grasped on, as agile as the toque macaques that swung
around these parts.
She was partway
down the rock face when a movement below caught her eye. She paused and looked
down. A clump of yellow daffodil orchids swayed softly among their pointed
grassy leaves. Could it be . . . ? Her heart soared. But no, she hadn’t seen
Lokka in over two weeks. Maybe he’d moved on? It made her sad, but he was a
wild animal after all. She shook her head and turned back to the rock face. But
then she caught the soft swish of trees and knew that something was definitely
moving below. She held her breath and suddenly caught a glimpse of a sinewy
figure with a hint of gold rippling past the foot of a keena tree.
Selvi smiled
broadly, her heart singing in her chest. The familiar powerful body, the glossy
golden coat with
dark rosettes and dabs of softest
orange in them. Lokka! She’d missed him so much and was glad to see him sloping
around the mountains again.
A whisper floated
up in the breeze. Selvi froze as a sudden appalling thought came to her. The
men were being very quiet now. Too quiet. She scaled back up the rock
quickly and crawled to the edge she’d been on before, anklets jingling and
elbows scraping the rough ground.
All of a sudden,
several things happened at once. An arrow whistled through the air into the
bushes. A loud roar from an angry animal echoed up the mountains, followed by a
crashing sound coming from the bushes.
Lokka!
About Nizrana Farook:
Nizrana
Farook was born and raised in Colombo, Sri Lanka, and the beautiful landscapes
of her home country find their way into the stories she writes. She has a
master's degree in writing for young people, and lives in Hertfordshire,
England with her husband and two daughters.
Website | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram
| Goodreads
| Amazon | BookBub
Giveaway Details:
1 winner will receive a finished copy of THE GIRL WHO LOST A
LEOPARD, US Only.
Ends June 20th, midnight
EST
Tour Schedule:
Week One:
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6/5/2023 |
Excerpt/IG Post |
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6/5/2023 |
Excerpt/IG Post |
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6/6/2023 |
Excerpt/IG Post |
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6/6/2023 |
Excerpt |
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6/7/2023 |
Excerpt/IG Post |
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6/7/2023 |
IG Review/LFL Drop Pic/TikTok Post |
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6/8/2023 |
IG Review/TikTok Post |
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6/8/2023 |
Review/IG Post |
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6/9/2023 |
IG Review |
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6/9/2023 |
IG Review |
Week Two:
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6/12/2023 |
IG Review |
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6/12/2023 |
Review |
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6/13/2023 |
Review/IG Post |
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6/13/2023 |
Review/IG Post |
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6/14/2023 |
IG Review |
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6/14/2023 |
IG Review |
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6/15/2023 |
Review/IG Post |
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6/15/2023 |
Review |
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6/16/2023 |
IG Review |
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6/16/2023 |
Review |
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