Small as an Elephant

April 1, 2011

Gr 5-8-Jack, 11, has a bit of an obsession with elephants. The day after he and his mother argue about whether or not they could stop to see an elephant named Lydia at an animal park in York, ME, as part of their vacation, Jack wakes up in his tent at a campground in Acadia National Park to find his Mom, her gear, and her car are gone. Jack is worried, but not totally surprised, as readers learn that this also happened when he was seven. That incident resulted in Jack being placed temporarily with his grandmother, whom his mother always warned him against. So to avoid a repeat of that fate, Jack goes on the lam, stealing an elephant figurine from a gift shop and vegetables from a garden, and arousing suspicion at the library in Bar Harbor. Reminiscent in plot, tone, and quality of Paula Fox's well-regarded Monkey Island (Orchard, 1991), the story certainly provides enough gritty details to make it clear that Jack is lucky to get along as well as he does, but avoids the worst predations that children alone in the world might confront. In the end Jack learns important lessons about his familial relationships and understands that his mother's unresolved mental health issues need not prevent him from moving forward with confidence.-Joel Shoemaker, formerly at South East Junior High School, Iowa City, IA

Copyright 2011 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

February 1, 2011

Eleven-year-old Jack is older than his years; he has to be. His mother, suffering from an unnamed mental disorder, has left him behind again. This time he is in a campground on Mount Desert Island in Maine, far from his Boston home. When he wakes up, there is no sign of his mother--no rental car, camping gear or food. Jack only has his cell phone (which his mother is not answering), $14, a tent and his love of elephants--a near-obsession that gives structure to his otherwise chaotic life. Because Jack is used to his mother's manic behavior, he quickly goes into survival mode, figuring out ways to get food and coming up with plans to get home to Boston while evading curious adults. Jack's mother has told him what will happen if he gets turned into the authorities: He will be put into foster care or, worse, sent to live with his maternal grandmother. While there are moments when Jack's journey relies on coincidence, and his ability to elude intervention stretches credibility slightly, Jacobson masterfully puts readers into Jack's mind--he loves and understands his mother, but sometimes his judgments are not always good, and readers understand. His love and knowledge of elephants both sustains him and pleasingly shapes the story arc. Jack's journey to a new kind of family is inspiring and never sappy. (Fiction. 10-14)

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Starred review from June 1, 2011
Grades 4-7 *Starred Review* This simply written but emotionally rich tale of an 11-year-old boy abandoned by his bipolar single mother will kindle profound responses in young readers. Waking up in a campground on Maine's Mount Desert Island to find his mother gone, Jack's initial worry is tempered by the knowledge that she has vanished before during episodes of what he calls her spinning times. But now she has left him with little more than his clothes and a few dollars in his pocket. Justifiably afraid that he will end up forcibly separated from his mother if he seeks any adult help, he sets out on foot for their Boston home. Jacobson credibly reconstructs his route and thought processes as his increasing physical exhaustion mirrors his inner turmoil, and he tries to stay out of sight while finding food and shelter over several days. The trek ends on a less believable but ultimately satisfying turn; Jack is finally caught after his fascination with elephants prompts him to change course in hopes of seeing Lydia, the only live elephant in Maine, and a youth worker who has been searching for him actually takes him for a visit before contacting the authorities. Though Jack's mother never does appear, she does exert a strong presence on the tale by being constantly on his mind and in his memories. Each chapter is introduced with a quote or fact about elephants, mirroring Jack's obsession with the animal, illuminating aspects of the boy's identity, and harmonizing with the events of his journey. A deeply perceptive look at the universal fear of abandonment, and how one child copes with a damaged parent.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2011, American Library Association.)