I devoured @nizrite 's last three books so I was so excited for this one. It definitely did not disappoint!

We are transported back to the fictional island of Serendib where a seemingly deadly sloth – Karadi - bear befriends a young boy - Nuwan to save the island’s historical artefacts and save him from evil librarians. They encounter excitement and danger on their journey to the King’s compound.

The story is fast-paced, epic adventure, the hugely descriptive language draws the reader in and the short, sharp chapters make for a pacey read. Themes in the book include empathy, perseverance and resilience. If you have read Farook’s prior books (which you definitely should) you will appreciate the references to previous characters and their stories which are scattered throughout the book.

Thoroughly loved it! Highly recommend for KS2 readers but also great to be read to children aswell.

What a brilliant fast paced adventure this is! The atmosphere of this book is so evocative and we are on the edge of our seats as we follow the boy and the bear in their journey. Superb for all of key stage 2 and into year 7 👍

I loved this authors previous book and this new title is just as magical and whimsical as its' predecessor.

I received an advance reader copy of this book to read in exchange for an honest review via netgalley and the publishers.

The Boy who Saved a Bear is a fabulous adventure story for children about Nuwan, who longs to be recognised in his family. His older brother is the favourite child and rubs it in Nuwans face. When Nuwan watches the procession of elephants taking a special key to the queen, Nuwan sees his chance to prove himself by doing his brothers monthly trip, taking books from their library to the place the elephants are going to. It's a long journey that will take him two days there and back by foot. His parents rightly say no as Nuwan is only ten years old but determined to prove himself he sneaks off. Along the way, he is chased by villains who want something he has hidden within his books (unknowingly) and befriends a ferocious bear. The setting in this book was so beautifully written, and I found myself very vividly there! The book also has a great message for the reader to not compare yourself to others, believe in yourself, trust your intuition, and be brave. I've never read this author before, but I will definitely be reading more from them!

What a wonderful adventure!
This is the first book I have read from this author but these books have been on my radar for a long time.

This adventure is all about nuwan who one day discovers a hidden very important key in a book at the library. Not realising it’s importance he sets off on a journey to send the key back to the queen before the false key is found. Along the way he has to watch out for the sneaky thieves and happens to make friends with a terrifying bear…

I really loved the adventure and the setting of the story, I felt really immersed from the beginning. I loved the bear and how the book characterises her so the readers love her but also doesn’t shy away from the fact she is a wild animal. The illustrations also add to the story beautifully. I really liked the message of believing in yourself and not comparing yourself to others, to be brave and trust your instincts.

I am now planning to read all the other books!

Nizrana Farouk has a unique style that she has mastered perfectly. Another brilliant story, full of excitement and adventure, great for KS2 confident readers to be swept off into. Superbly written and cram packed full of delicious vocabulary.

A cozy adventure suitable for childrens!
Nuwan is a boy who always feel small compared to his brother Khris. One day, in his town library something big is happening! The librarians found a key that has been lost and hold secrets to a treasure and they’re going to give it to the Queen. But accidentally Nuwan found out that the key is fake, and he has the real key! He only has 5 days to prove to deliver the real key to the queen. So he started his journey where he met Karadi, the bear whom has been a legend in his village!

This is such a quick read! It’s fun to see how Nuwan-Karadi relationship grows along the journey. Makes you think that actually might be Bear is not as a beast as we think? I’ll recommend this book for any children!

One final outing in the most vividly described of settings. Serendib is one of the most beautifully realised locations in MG fiction at the moment. The plethora of new words and nouns that these stories expose the reader too is outstanding and makes for a fantastic learning experience. Similarly, the short punchy chapter structure means that drama and excitement is never far away either. Another new lead on a journey of self-discovery and a tensely brilliant animal encounter. Lots of teased connections to the other adventures of this land- another cracking story for 9+
(Thanks to Net Galley for this Amazing finale to the Nizrana Farook Quatrilogy).

Yes, I welled up as soon as I closed the book. This is the fourth and final story by Nizrana Farook set on her imaginary island of Serendip (much akin to Sri Lanka). There are even ‘easter eggs’ to spot from The Girl Who Stole and Elephant, The Boy Who Met a Whale, and The Girl Who Lost a Leopard in honour of this final foray. So lovely! All these stories have at their heart a theme of conservation, respecting and living alongside wildlife. The heartfelt relationships all Farook’s characters develop whether with a whale or a bear, result in a symbiotic protective bond that allows them both to stay safe from whoever the baddies might be in the adventure, then return to their own natural habitat/community as it should be. In the last book, it was poachers, this time it’s thieves who want to steal a precious and ancient key, who replace it with a fake to present to the Queen. Meanwhile, a young boy, Nuwan is struggling to find his place in his family and it feels like he needs to do something to prove his metal. Being the middle sibling isn’t a walk in the park. Big brother gets all the responsibility and praise, and the baby gets all the coos and cuddles. Nuwan decides to take his older brother’s place delivering books from the library to monks far away in the King’s City. He happens upon the real key’s hiding place at the library, and unbeknownst to him is in mortal danger from both the thieves and the legendary ferocious wild bear Karadi!! In only a few days time the elephant procession with the fake key will reach the Queen, so Nuwan decides that he is going to take the real key to her himself and expose the baddies. It’s a long way to go, and there might be danger, lack of food and no safe bed for the night. Perhaps if one had a rather large fury sloth bear, useful for scaring off the persistent thieves, protecting the key and making memories of eternal friendship with - only then could such a quest succeed!!!! As always, I loved travelling through the wild of Serendip with Nuwan and Karadi. Along the way I learned all about some incredible fruits, plants and trees to fill my imagination with new tastes, smells and vistas. I can’t wait to find out what Nizrana Farook has in store for readers next. I sincerely hope there will be a new middle grade series in the not too distant future.

The Boy Who Saved a Bear
By Nazanna Farook
Published by Nosy Crow Ltd

From the author of The Girl Who Stole an Elephant comes another brilliant page-turner. Farook has done it again to bring us another story full of nature, adventure, determination and bravery.

This fourth thrilling adventure is set in a fictional Sri Lanka and tells the story of Nuwan who works at the library, delivering books. But when he accidentally takes away an undiscovered, valuable key that's been hidden inside one of the books, everything changes.

On the run from dangerous thieves, through unknown territory, Nuwan hides in a cave, only to discover that he is sharing it with a terrifying bear! Then here starts a relationship like no other; full of trust, love and commitment to one another, this relationship grows as does their journey to uncover the truth.

Travelling on together, evading the bad guys and hoping the key will unlock the answers to the mystery is their only choice.
jam-packed with peril, thieves and a

Nazanna Farook writes from the heart, teaching us to live in harmony alongside animals and nature. But she also gives us characters full of strength and love so we can learn from our mistakes and make amends.

A boy and a bear meet, become friends and have the adventure of their lives!
What’s not to love? Pick yourself up a copy and take yourself on a beautiful journey of discovery, commitment and hope.

Joanne Bardgett - teacher of littlies, lover of Children’s literature.

#Netgalley
#nosycrow

Another masterpiece from Nizrana Farook! Full of action and the most wonderful friendships. It was a dream to return to the beautiful world of Serendib. and I loved the relationship between Nuwan and Karadi.

Nizarana Farook does it again.
Set in Sri Lanka - The Boy who Saved a Bear features young boy named Nuwan, a stolen key and a terrifying bear.
Nuwan manages to get himself embroiled in a situation which takes him across the country to give the Queen a key that unfortunately is stuck around a bear's neck.
The book concentrates on themes of friendshio, love and persevereance.

A lovely, heartwarming tale.

I found this a really enjoyable read. Nuwan accidentally takes something from the library in a bid to help his brother and prove himself to his family. He begins a long journey and meets bear along the way.
I really enjoyed how he bonded with bear. A great addition to the series. Will recommend.

Wow wow wow! What a fabulous book! The descriptions are so vivid that I could picture myself there observing everything happening. The author has a great turn of phrase.
Can’t wait to share with my class - very descriptive , great range of vocabulary and interesting, well drawn characters. I think this will have such a big impact on their own writing.

With another stunning front cover, the fourth book is this gorgeous series is released on Thursday. Yet again, this is a story perfect for animal lovers, lovers of adventure and those who enjoy tales of strong bonds between animals and children.

When Nuwan tries to prove himself by taking over his brother's job of delivering books, he finds himself in big trouble. Having accidentally thwarting the plans of some ruthless thieves, he now needs to put things right and stop the thieves from catching him. But when he stumbles into the cave of a rumoured vicious bear, things take a terrifying turn. Can Nuwan form an alliance with a wild animal? And, if he can, will he just be leading the bear into grave danger?

Set on the same fictional Sri Lankan island as all the other stories in this series, Nizrana Farook weaves another adventurous tale that places wild animals at its centre. Although the main characters develop a bond with these creatures, Farook ensures that respect is always key to the story: the child characters learn to respect the wildness of the animal and readers are made aware of the dangers and persecution facing them. Meanwhile the animals themselves are portrayed as having all the emotions and fears that we do, with the wish of being left to thrive in their natural habitat.

But that is only one strand of the story. As Nuwan inadvertently crosses some ruthless criminals, he becomes embroiled in a race against time as he journeys across the island, trying to outwit them. Here, the setting and the adventure become centre stage, with high stakes and obstacles galore. These are not just animal stories, that are animal-action stories, pairing a thrilling adventure with a equally edgy wild beast and giving us a glorious insight into life on different parts of the island.

So, if you fancy something cosy, comforting and heart-warming but with a bit of a bite, this is definitely a series worth checking out.

Nizrana Farook transports is back to the fictional Serendib for yet another heart-warming adventure.
Nuwan feels constantly in the shadow of Krish, his seemingly perfect older brother. His parents are always comparing him to Krish, who Nuwan believes can do no wrong in their eyes.
So, when Krish falls ill and is unable to do his book deliveries, Nuwan sees his chance. He will deliver the books to the King’s City and prove to his family that he isn’t useless after all.
However, when Nuwan uncovers a plan to steal an important historical artefact, it becomes a race against time to reach the Queen before she is presented with a fake and the thieves get away. And to make matters worse, he must save Karadi the bear from the hunters determined to track her down and destroy her.
This is a heart-warming, feel good adventure, with an exciting but easy to follow plot for younger middle grade readers. Nuwan and Sani are great characters; Sani providing some great dry wit!
I loved the development of self-discovery we see in Nuwan and his relationship with Karadi is delightful.
Fans of Farouk’s Serendib series will certainly not be disappointed with this latest instalment.

Following Nuwan, a young boy who feels like he is constantly being compared to his bigger, and better brother.
He goes on a journey after discovering a hidden secret, while trying to get it to it's rightful owner he adventures through Serendib, meets a bear and adventure just follows. Nuwan discovers a lot about himself and he tries to keep the secret and his new friend safe.

After reading Nizrana’s previous three books, I couldn’t wait to get my hands on a copy of her latest book (thank you @netgalley and @nosycrow for the ARC). This is another story full of adventure, nature, peril, friendship and bravery - really, what more could you ask for?

🐻The blurb…
Nuwan is fed up of playing second fiddle to his older brother, Krish. So when across falls ill, Nuwan decides to take his place, delivering library books to a monk in the King’s City. But upon collecting the books from the library, Nuwan realises he’s picked up more than just books (and he’s not the only to realise this!). What follows next is a journey of a lifetime for Nuwan; an epic journey across Serendib to return his findings to their rightful owner. Accompanied by an unlikely companion, Karadi the sloth bear and Sari, his best friend, they encounter peril and danger at every turn. Will they make it to the King’s City in time?

Just like Nizrana’s previous books, this fourth offering is packed full of delicious, descriptive language. We return to the fictional island of Serendib for this tale - after reading all four of Nizrana’s books, I feel like I’ve actually been to the island! The short, sharp chapters of the book keep the story moving along at pace and leave the reader wanting to read more.
And did I mention the glorious illustrations heading up each chapter? Simply stunning!

Definitely one I’ll be putting on my classroom bookshelf and recommending to my class.

Another thrilling, fast-paced adventure from Nizrana Farook. This is my fourth visit to the beautiful island of Serendib and I love this journey just as much as the previous three. In perhaps the most unlikely child-animal pairing yet, a bear renowned for being vicious befriends a young boy to protect him from some evil
librarians, and save the island’s historical artefacts. Once again, we are drawn into a world of rich descriptions, epic adventure and animal empathy.
It’s a fantastic five stars from me!

My students and I really enjoyed The Girl who Stole an Elephant and so I was really keen to read this new adventure. It was everything I hoped it would be. The child characters are feisty and brave and face challenges head on. A bit far-fetched but also based in a mythological fantasy means that kids enjoy the adventure and the imaginative way that it's described.
Full of lovely lessons about perseverance and resilience, youngsters in KS2 and early KS3 will love this story. From one of my favourite kids publishers, Nosy Crow, this is highly recommended title - brilliant for read aloud or read along. Fun stuff!