A Perfect Friend

Starred review from September 4, 2000
HIn his first book for children, Price pens a slow, dreamy story of a boy wrestling with grief over his mother's death. Ben Barks, now 11, and his mother used to spend hours drawing elephants and reading about them. Ben still dreams of having an elephant of his own, a friend with whom he can share his deepest secrets, in the same way he confides in his dog Hilda, whose voice he sometimes hears in his thoughts. It's Hilda who tells him, "This thing that's coming will help your whole life"Dand she's right. When a small circus comes to town and Ben meets Sala, a lonely elephant who also knows tragedy, their encounter is both dangerous and magical, filling Ben with hope for the first time since his mother died. For all the boy-animal communication, the novel is driven more by its style than its plot. The languid pace may frustrate readers or leave some feeling strangely disconnected, and it's doubtful whether the target audience will linger over the poetic elisions. At the same time, however, the beauty of the language acts as lure (a house lit up at night looks like "an old-time ocean liner, afloat and steaming toward some destination that nobody knew"), and Ben is an exceedingly sympathetic character. For those up to the challenge, here is a sophisticated, haunting exploration of grief's flickering shadows, of friendship and love and of the elusive nature of happiness. Ages 9-12. (Sept.) FYI: The jacket illustration is by Maurice Sendak.

February 1, 2001
Gr 4-7-Ben Laughinghouse Barks adored his mother. She taught him to love elephants, long before he saw one. They drew pictures of them together. Now that she has died, he is left with a father, a cousin, and a friend, and struggles with his grief. He feels that he will never be happy again, and remains remote and alone in spite of their presence. He finds a perfect friend in an elephant named Sala, the greatest possession of a visiting one-ring circus. Ben finds that he can communicate with her, and they become trusty companions. Through this relationship, the boy begins to work through his sadness and is able to tell his mother about Sala when she presents herself to him in a dream. Ben tells her about his new hope and recent luck of finding his perfect friend and explains that he can now grow to be a trustworthy man with a useful job and a family. The mood is set from the start and the narrative maintains it throughout. It has a cadence of stepping footstep by footstep through Ben's life. Readers know that everything will come together and hear (rather than see) the story unfold. Unfortunately, the story is told in an adult voice, and from an adult perspective, rather than that of an 11-year-old, and it's unlikely that young readers will relate to Ben or feel his attachment to Sala.-Helen Foster James, University of California at San Diego

Copyright 2001 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

November 15, 2000
Gr. 5-8. In Price's first book for young readers, an exceptional boy rediscovers life after his mother's death. Ben loves elephants, a passion he shared with his mother. At a circus, Ben finally meets his first live pachyderm, Sal. Through his unique ability to communicate with animals, he discovers that Sal is also grieving over the death of loved ones, a profound experience that helps Ben reach out to others and move on. The book is set early in the twentieth century, and its nostalgia may jar contemporary readers: the kids play "Indian Braves," painting their faces with red clay, for example. And as in his adult fiction, Price's characters speak in a mannered style that may put off children who demand immediate, realistic dialogue and high-action plots. But the story is filled with a beautiful, subtle mysticism (Ben's quiet exchange of thoughts with animals; the appearance of his mother's spirit at his bedroom window) that's presented as both true and reassuring. Strong readers who know loss or imagine the inner lives of animals will be stirred by this layered, challenging novel. \plain\f2\fs17 (Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2000, American Library Association.)