The Golden Rhino - by Griffin Shea (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

Never Mashamba's 12th birthday couldn't go worse.

His father, the scientific genius Dr. Mashamba, is shot and wounded by poachers. But what the criminals are really after is the hybrid rhino calf, Sipho, which his father crossbred against all odds.

The Mashambas must flee Zimbabwe for a game farm in South Africa, where Dr. Mashamba can recuperate, and Sipho can get the care he needs. When Never soon realizes that Sipho is in danger, his father doesn't pay attention to his fears.

Who exactly is after Sipho the rhino calf, and why? Can Never trust his new friends, Becks and Dumisani? And what does a mysterious Ganesh pendant--the only thing Never has from his birth family--have to do with it all?

Set against the real history of Zimbabwe and South Africa's Mapungubwe region, The Golden Rhino is a unique middle-grade adventure novel that weaves science, mystery, and history into a thrilling story of friendship, identity, and survival.

About the Author

Griffin Shea is the author of The Golden Rhino and the picture book The First Story Ever Told. Before turning to fiction, he spent 15 years as a journalist, mostly with the international news agency AFP, with work appearing on CNN, France24, and in newspapers and outlets worldwide.

Griffin owns Bridge Books, an independent bookstore in downtown Johannesburg focused on African literature. Its non-profit arm, the Joburg Literary District, brings together booksellers, the local library, and readers in the city center. The group runs three community libraries, storytime sessions, book clubs, and park activities. Bridge Books also publishes new editions of classic South African books, as well as new books for children. This work has been covered by The Financial Times, The New York Times, El Mundo Negro, Carte Blanche, SABC, and 702, among many others.

He holds master's degrees in creative writing and journalism and a doctorate in publishing at the University of the Witwatersrand.