Hazel Rochman (Booklist, May 1, 2004 (Vol. 100, No. 17))
The actual history, found in a note at the back of the book, is fascinating: in the 1850s the U.S. army shipped camels from Egypt and tried to train them in the Texas desert, with hopes they would help the army "cope with desert terrain." Karr draws on the history, but she tells the story from the viewpoint of one brave camel, Ali, who is torn from his mother in Egypt, sold to Christians, and shipped to America to work with the Camel Corps--until the whole idea is abandoned and he escapes to blaze his own trail. History through the eye of a camel is a cute idea, perhaps for a picture book, but it's tedious here and seems contrived in a long novel, despite Karr's careful interweaving of the real events and people of the time. Even so, readers will have fun imagining the animal's physical experience with those clumsy "soldier-beasts" and "silly natives," and many will spot the parallels with slaves and indentured immigrants torn from their roots, never to return. Category: Books for Middle Readers--Fiction. 2004, Marshall Cavendish, $15.95. Gr. 4-8.

Karen Leggett (Children's Literature)
We're all familiar with stories and movies told in the voice of a mouse, even a badger or a dog. But a camel? Camels are mysterious and exotic. They smell and spit. But tell stories? Stories with pathos, intelligence and suspense? Yes to all of the above in Kathleen Karr's Exiled. The camel Ali is born near Luxor, Egypt, but he is soon captured, separated from his beloved mother and shipped to the United States to become part of the U.S. Camel Corps, a mid-nineteenth century experiment to help American soldiers function in the desert. Karr marvelously embellishes the real, historical "soldier-beasts" like Edward Beale as well as the Egyptian cameleer Hi-Jolly (Hadji Ali) , creating a touching story of camel-love for Ali and his beautiful, gentle mate Fatinah. The author's notes tell us that camels were no longer needed after the expansion of the railroad but were sighted in the southwestern desert as late as the 1920s. The skeleton of one of the key camel characters in the book is on display at the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History. Karr's studied original documents about the Camel Corps, rode camels over the sand dunes of Egypt and Morocco, even found appropriate references from the Muslim holy book, the Qur'an ("Do they not look at the Camels? How they are made?"), for Ali is a devoutly Muslim camel. Exiled is a perfect way to absorb history and culture and enjoy a good story all at once. You'll never look at a camel the same way again. 2004, Marshall Cavendish, $15.95. Ages 10 up.

Kirkus (Kirkus Reviews, March 15, 2004 (Vol. 72, No. 6))
In the tradition of Robert Lawson, a fascinating (if short-lived) chapter of US military history is brought to life by a most unusual narrator. His mother reared Ali the camel in the ancient city of Karnak to feel all appropriate pride in his heritage. Her message to him, in the event of capture: "Work, but never surrender." When he is inevitably captured, he makes himself so difficult that he's sold to the US Army in 1856 to become one of the new US Camel Corps. Working, but never surrendering, he and his camel comrades make their way from "Texas-America" to "California-America," Ali always plotting the moment for his escape. Ali tells his tale with the certainty of innate superiority, his voice an endearing combination of noblesse oblige and eagerness, peppered with just the right number of "Humph!"s. Karr presents a full cast of supporting characters, both camel and human, who provide the narrative tension that runs underneath the story: how does Ali reconcile his drive for freedom with the regard, and even love, he feels for the men-beasts? A gem. 2004, Marshall Cavendish, 240p, $15.95. Category: Fiction. Ages 9 to 13. © 2004 Kirkus Reviews/VNU eMedia, Inc. All rights reserved.

Joy Frerichs (The ALAN Review, Fall 2004 (Vol. 32, No. 1))
Allah in his wisdom created the camel, Ali. Ali was born in the land of the Ancient Ones. Raised Muslim amid the pyramids and sand dunes of Egypt, Ali was captured and tamed by men-beasts; but in his heart, Ali never submitted. Sold to an American soldier in 1856, Ali and other camels journeyed by ship to Texas. Becoming acclimated to his new environment, one sees life through Ali's eyes as he finds purpose, selects a mate, starts a family, and secures his freedom in the Mohave Desert. Based on actual events in the history of the United States, this fictional story from the point of view of a camel is a delightful tale that takes the reader into two very different worlds that also have many similarities. Category: Cultural Awareness/Point of View/ Adventure. YA--Young Adult. 2004, Marshall Cavendish, 240 pp., $15.95. Ages young adult.Chatsworth, GA

Elizabeth Bush (The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, May 2004 (Vol. 57, No. 9))
As both a good Muslim and a good son, the camel Ali takes his mother’s words to heart: "Work, but never surrender." He accepts his Allah-ordained destiny, but that doesn’t mean that the humans who claim his service will master his spirit. The doughty dromedary, captured and trained for labor in Egypt, is sold to the United States Camel Corps; Ali is packed off on a transport ship, where he meets not only fellow travelers Fatinah (his love interest), Seid (a recalcitrant bull), and Omar (an arrogant wrestling camel), but also their new trainer Hi-Jolly (Hadji Ali), who truly understands the nature of the beast. Together the team face many adventures common to Western humans in the Year of the Infidel 1856--arduous labor, Indian raids, Army discipline--while pursuing their own camel-y concerns in matters of love and one-upmanship. Admittedly, enjoyment of the book depends heavily on a reader’s tolerance of anthropomorphization, and the camel’s-eye view of this quirky chapter in U.S. military history is hardly well enough developed to satisfy historical fiction fans. Ali is, however, a fully developed character in his own right, and readers with a strong faculty for suspension of disbelief will find themselves thoroughly absorbed by his dignified narration. In a closing note, Karr comments on the Camel Corps, the humans who ran the service, and the fate of the camels abandoned when the Corps disbanded. Review Code: R -- Recommended. (c) Copyright 2004, The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois. 2004, Cavendish, 240p, $15.95. Grades 5-8.

Horn Book (The Horn Book Guide, Fall 2004)
Born in Egypt, Ali the camel is shipped overseas to train for the United States Camel Corps in Texas, spends several years on a California ranch, and eventually escapes to freedom in the Mojave Desert with his mate and son. Ali is an inconsistently rendered narrator in this overlong, awkward blending of the talking animal and historical novel genres. Category: Intermediate Fiction. 2004, Cavendish, 240pp, $15.95. Ages 9 to 12. Rating: 5: Marginal, seriously flawed, but with some redeeming quality.

Becky Young (The Lorgnette - Heart of Texas Reviews (Vol. 17, No. 1))
Born on the banks of the Nile, descended from the royal camel line of Mahazi of Bechaniah, Ali and his mother live among the ruins of the temples of Luxor, where he learns about the man-beasts from the pictures and the hieroglyphs on the walls and from the unbroken line of camel memories. One of the lessons his mother teaches him is that Allah had intended that the camels should never submit willingly to mankind. Soon Ali learns the meaning of submission. Before his first birthday, he is captured by men and taken to a camel market where the abusive Abdullah buys him to be trained as a racing camel. One day, Abdullah sells him to Major-Sir Wayne and Ali finds himself loaded onto a great ship along with camels of many other tribes. One man, Hi-Jolly, the master of camels, becomes his friend on the long journey. Other camels, the beautiful Fatinah, Seid the proud, and Omar the strong, journey with him to a place called Texas-America. Once there, Edward Beale selects him as part of an historic caravan to forge a road across the deserts of the Southwest to faraway California. His journey is difficult; his encounters with thieves and Indians are perilous. After months, they complete the journey, only to be abandoned and neglected on a ranch. Finally, Ali manages to free his beloved Fatinah and lead her into the wilderness of the Mojave Desert where they live free until his friend Hi-Jolly needs help to return to the land of men. Throughout the story, Ali tries to remain true to the lessons his mother had taught him and the teachings of the Koran. Karr based this story on Jefferson Davis’ great camel experiment in the Southwest. Hi-Jolly, Major Wayne and Edward Beale really existed as did Seid the camel. The Civil War put an end to the experiment and the camels were either sold to circuses, mines, or set free. There were reports of wild camels in the Mojave as recently as the 1920s. Ali’s voice is full of the nuances of Arabia and quotes from the Koran. His explanations of camel behaviors, like spitting and biting, make perfect sense. This camel’s memoir is delightful. The pen and ink drawings of different cacti at the beginning of each chapter add a special flair to the book that is intended to look like someone’s old diary. Students reading about the camels in Texas history will enjoy the book. Teachers looking for a good example of a first person narrative will want to keep EXILED on their lists. Fiction. Grades 5-9. 2004, Cavendish Children's Books, 240p., $15.95. Ages 10 to 15.

Jane Van Wiemokly (VOYA, August 2004 (Vol. 27, No. 3))
An unlikely narrator, a young camel in Egypt named Ali, tells his life story beginning with his birth near Luxor in the 1850s. His wise mother imparts much useful information during his first year, including the all-important rule that if captured, "work, but never surrender." After a stint with a mean owner for whom Ali shows his willingness to surrender, he is sold to an American soldier to become part of the United States Army Camel Corps, a short-lived part of U.S. history. Disembarking in Texas, Ali and his fellow camels move from unsuccessful artillery unit training to blazing roads in a caravan all the way to California. Ali finds that the desert suits him, yet always in the back of his mind, he plans his escape to freedom. The joy of this book is in seeing Ali grow. His introduction to and wonder of the different countryside customs of the American "infidels," so different from his old home, and how he interacts with the other camel characters and with humans, calling them "men-beasts," will delight the reader. Karr successfully and often humorously communicates a camel's point of view, in particular Ali's ambivalence toward some humans whom he has come to regard with respect. Part adventure, part love story-yes, Ali falls in love with Fatinah, a fellow Camel Corps member-part history, this story is wonderfully engaging and well written. VOYA CODES: 4Q 3P M (Better than most, marred only by occasional lapses; Will appeal with pushing; Middle School, defined as grades 6 to 8). 2004, Marshall Cavendish, 240p., $15.95. Ages 11 to 14.