A thrilling debut, rich in the joyous adventure of friendship, flight and righting wrongs.

The first of four stories in an electrifying jungle adventure series!Longlisted for the Blue Peter Book Awards and the Jhalak Children's & Young Adult Prize, 2021.

Waterstones Children's Book of the Month for January 2020. THIEF. REBEL. BANDIT. HERO?Chaya, a no-nonsense, outspoken hero, leads her friends and a gorgeous elephant on a noisy, fraught, joyous adventure through the Sri Lankan jungle where revolution is stirring and leeches lurk. Will stealing the queen's jewels be the beginning or the end of everything for the intrepid gang?

Can Chaya leave village a thief but return a hero?Have you read these exhilarating escapades in the series?The Boy Who Met a WhaleThe Girl Who Lost a LeopardThe Boy Who Saved a Bear"Farook embeds her message in a cracking narrative ... the pace rarely slackens ... a deceptively dense adventure that will appeal to readers well into their teens." - Emily Bearn, Telegraph"Atmospheric, full of colour and passion, Farook is a writer to watch." - Daily Mail"Positively rustles with the textures of rural Sri Lanka ... an author keen to write a love letter to her culture, and upend preconceptions." - Observer"As rich, dazzling and alluring as a pouchful of royal jewels, and as triumphant as a trumpeting elephant!" - Sophie Anderson, author of The House with Chicken Legs"Chaya, schoolgirl by day, thief by night, will steal your heart in this incredibly assured debut" - Aisha Bushby, author of A Pocketful of Stars"A beautifully paced story of friendship and revolution." - i