The Lion Cub's Secret (The White Giraffe Series: Book 2)

By Author / Illustrator

Lauren St John

Genre

Animals

Age range(s)

Publisher

Orion Children's Books

ISBN

9781510113848

Format

Paperback / softback

Published

09-10-2025

Synopsis

Lauren St John's White Giraffe series has become internationally beloved. This is the perfect time to discover - or rediscover - this bestselling series.

After Martine rescues an orphaned lion cub from a market, she dreams of keeping him forever. But Tau, the cub, already has a home. He's been snatched from one of South Africa's most famous game reserves. When Martine and her best friend Ben are invited to the reserve to help settle Tau in, they leap at the chance. But the beautiful wilderness is riddled with mysteries and secrets, and the lion cub's secret is the biggest of all.

As Martine and Ben start asking questions, they quickly discover that there are those who'll stop at nothing to get to Tau. Will the lonely lion cub ever be truly free?

'The charm of this series lies in its fabulous setting and a wide cast of characters' The Times on selecting The Lion Cub's Secret as Children's Book of the Week

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Reviews

Rachel

It's difficult not to wish fiction was reality when reading this gorgeous story about a rescued lion cub, snatched from a South African game reserve. The Lion Cub's Secret is the second book in the "White Giraffe" series (although it isn't necessary to have read the earlier tale before this one), where Martine, orphaned in the UK, is sent to live with her grandmother in South Africa.

Following a small car accident, Martine and grandmother wait at a market where Tau, a lion cub, escapes from the man who has stolen him. Martine takes him back to her grandmother's wildlife sanctuary, where he thrives before being returned to the luxury estate he came from. As a reward for their care, Martine and her friend Ben are then invited to stay at the lodge where, aided by some locals, they uncover and then help resolve a series of unpleasant acts which will affect everything around them.

Right from the start I loved the descriptions of the South African countryside, with its dangers as well as its beauty. Animal lover readers will dream of being Martine as she snuggles into Tau’s fur and plays hide and seek with him but this cosy side to the tale is well balanced with the exposure of current environmental concerns such as animal and land exploitation. The book ends with a page of 'Fascinating facts about Lions' - who knew that a lion's roar can be heard up to 8 km away - and can be as loud as a live Rock band!

192 pages / Reviewed by Rachel Bolton