The Elephant in the Room

January 25, 2021
Book and animal lover Sila Tekin finds hope, joy, and friendship when Veda, a traumatized circus elephant, enters her life. After an immigration issue arises for the sixth grader’s mother, her planned eight-day trip from Oregon to Turkey becomes an eight-month separation for the family. Sila misses her mother desperately, withdrawing at school and with her Kurdish father, a mechanic who moved to America to seek political asylum. When Sila accompanies her father to work one day, she befriends Gio Gardino, an elderly widower and lottery winner who purchases Veda from a defunct circus troupe that passes through their town. With the help of new friend Mateo Lopez, an autistic Mexican American classmate, Sila cares for Veda and fights to reunite her with her mother; the girl also begins to come out of her shell and feel hope again. Though the final chapters rush to an implausibly tidy end, Sloan (To Night Owl from Dogfish) fully builds the emotional interiors of each character, including Veda. This heartfelt tale thoughtfully conveys the agony of family separation, the beauty of nature, and the power of friendship to overcome tremendous difficulties. Ages 10–up. Agent: Amy Berkower, Writers House.

January 1, 2021
Grades 4-7 Since her mother returned to Turkey to rectify an immigration problem, life has been difficult for American-born Sila Tekin. Sila and her father meet and quickly bond with Gio, an elderly widower and recent lottery winner living on a nearby farm. Sila's relationship with the old man strengthens after Gio purchases Veda, an elephant from a disbanded circus, and a pat of flamingos to keep the pachyderm company. Throughout the summer, Sila and her friend Mateo bike to the farm daily to help care for the animals, and in the process, both children are distracted from their own problems. Sloan's strength is her attention to character development and the empathy for animals (particularly those held captive) that she imbues. Using multiple narrative perspectives, she touches on many weighty topics (grief, autism, deportation, animal cruelty), handling each with sensitivity. Although the ending feels overly rosy, the upbeat ending is sure to please, especially younger readers.

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February 1, 2021
Sila's mom is forced to return to Turkey to retrieve documents needed for her to remain in the U.S., where the family has lived for years and where Sila was born. What was supposed to be 8 days away turns into 8 months. Sila and her dad try to stay hopeful, but they fall into despair. All this changes when they meet Gio, a widowed carpenter who quit his job when he won the lottery. Now he lives on a large farm in Eugene, Oregon, and, through his relationship with elephant-loving Sila, rescues Veda, a circus elephant in search of a home--and later flamingos and a wide array of local animals in need. The farm gives Gio and Sila a new sense of purpose. For Sila, it also ignites a friendship with her autistic neighbor and classmate, Mexican American Mateo, with whom she was paired at school, as both were perceived as being isolated and in need of social support. Writing from multiple points of view, old and young, animal and human, Sloan captures the importance of compassion and bravery when facing life's challenges. While the shifts in perspective limit character development, themes of collectivity and community in the face of isolation and stigma are brought to the surface and themselves offer depth to this heartfelt and sincere story. Accessibly captures the human impact of harsh immigration laws and the power of connection. (Fiction. 9-14)

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Starred review from March 1, 2021

Gr 4-8-Sila Tekin lives in Oregon's Willamette Valley with her parents, who immigrated from Turkey 14 years ago, but a problem with her mother's paperwork means she has to return to Turkey to sort it out. What was supposed to be an eight-day trip stretches into months, and Sila misses her mother desperately. Two chance meetings provide the only thing big enough to take her mind off missing her mother: an elephant named Veda, purchased by an elderly lottery winner Sila met when her auto mechanic dad helped fix his truck. Gio Gardino-coincidentally, the widower of Sila's beloved second grade teacher-is perfectly positioned to set up an elephant sanctuary, and Sila convinces her dad to let her work there over the summer. Sila includes her autistic school friend Mateo Lopez in her plan, and his mother, a Mexican American lawyer, later proves helpful to the Tekin family. Sila is at the heart of the story, told in close third person, but narration shifts in some sections to focus on Gio and Mateo and even, briefly, Veda. Each character wrestles with love and loss and struggles with decisions about when to act and when to wait; each in their own way has insight into the others, and empathy for them. VERDICT Sila wonders if people are more compassionate because of their own difficult experiences; in this unique, touching book, the answer is yes. Recommended for all collections.-Jenny Arch, formerly at Winchester P.L., MA

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