Author: Celesta Rimington
Genre: magical realism
Similar books: Forever Glimmer Creek by Stacy Hackney
Breadcrumbs by Anne Ursu
Rating:
 |
| a solid read that gives us something to consider |
Summary (provided by publisher): An elephant never forgets, but Lexington Willow can't remember what happened before a tornado swept her away when she was a toddler. All she knows is that it landed her near an enclosure in a Nebraska zoo; and there an elephant named Nyah protected her from the storm. With no trace of her birth family, Lex grew up at the zoo with Nyah and her elephant family; her foster father, Roger; her best friend, Fisher; and the wind whispering in her ear.
Now that she's twelve, Lex is finally old enough to help with the elephants. But during their first training session, Nyah sends her a telepathic image of the woods outside the zoo. Despite the wind's protests, Lex decides to investigate Nyah's message and gets wrapped up in an adventure involving ghosts, lost treasure, and a puzzle that might be the key to finding her family. As she hunts for answers, Lex must summon the courage to leave the secure borders of her zoo to discover who she really is--and why the tornado brought her here all those years ago.
My opinion: Rimington leans hard into the magical realism, giving us a protagonist who can communicate with the wind and elephants as well as a ghost. The presentation of ghosts in this particular novel is fairly unique and creates a metaphor for exploring the changes to a friendship in adolescence. Lex's devotion to the ghost parallels her changing relationship with Fisher and reinforces the message that one person shouldn't be somebody else's everything. Add in our ties to the past, the ways that the people who came before us influence our present, and we have a solidly interesting read. The metaphors are a bit blunt but this is not uncommon in books for this age group.
More information: The Elephant's Girl releases May 19.
Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley
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