I was a teacher at the time, and was already thinking of how I could use the story in the classroom with my students, since I loved incorporating picture books into math lessons. Initially, I was writing it as a picture book about two elephant friends, one of whom is captured to be a show elephant. The protagonist, Hastin, actually came into the story after Nandita the elephant and the circus owner Timir did. How did you discover and get to know your protagonist? How about your secondary characters? Your antagonist? Still he wonders–will they both survive long enough to escape? With the help of Ne Min, a wise old man who seems to know all about elephants, Hastin protects Nandita as best as he can. The crowds that come to the circus see a lively animal who plays soccer and balances on milk bottles, but Hastin sees Nandita, a sweet elephant and his best friend, who is chained when she’s not performing and punished until she learns her tricks perfectly. He thinks it will be an adventure, but he isn’t prepared for the cruel circus owner. To work off the debt, Hastin leaves his village in northern India to work in a faraway jungle as an elephant keeper. Ten-year-old Hastin’s sister has fallen ill, and his family must borrow money to pay for her care in the hospital. The story of a boy and an elephant who have a friendship stronger than any lock, shackle, or chain. Lynne Kelly is the first-time author of Chained (FSG, 2012).
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