Author: Susan Tan
Genre: magical realism
Similar books: Spirit's Key by Edith Cohn
The Elephant's Girl by Celesta Rimington
Rating:
Summary (provided by publisher): Mo is not afraid of toast. Just to be clear. She is afraid of fires, though. Which can be caused by everyday appliances, like toasters. So toast isn’t the problem, but you could say it’s the start of a slippery slope. Since her family's recent move, Mo's been eating oatmeal for breakfast.
Moving to a new town is never easy, but it’s even harder when you’re dealing with a stepdad who just left and a mom who can’t get out of bed long enough to find a new a job.
But Mo doesn’t have time to dwell on these things. Because it’s her job to keep her family together. To keep them safe.
So when an elephant starts to haunt her dreams—and a mysterious spirit attacks her home—Mo knows it’s up to her to intervene before things get too dangerous.
With her new friend, Nathaniel, she embarks on an investigation, searching for the truth about the town, its people, and their history. But things are much more complicated and tangled than she thought.
To find out what’s really going on, Mo might have to live a little dangerously after all.
My opinion: How do you tell a ghost story without making it scary? You tell this story. You have a ghost that has an effect on the world but without really haunting anything. Now, it becomes apparent pretty early on that the ghost is a symbol for change and loss. It is, after all, a literal elephant in the room. It is the pain that Mo and her family don't want to acknowledge. While that metaphor is a bit heavy-handed for an adult reader it's about perfect for a young reader starting to read more deeply in a text. Tan uses specific sensory details to great affect so we truly experience the ghost and the junkyard along with the characters. With a decent level of character development this is a solid choice for a solo read or a book club or classroom setting.
Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley
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