One Amazing Elephant

January 16, 2017
High’s (Planet Pregnancy) well-balanced novel about love, forgiveness, and the tightrope walk of friendship and family is centered in Gibsonton, Fla., “the strangest town in the nation.” Unlike the flamboyant circus side of 12-year-old Lily Rose Pruitt’s family—including her dear Grandpa Bill, dubbed “the Giant” at more than seven feet tall, and her estranged mother, Trullia, a trapeze artist—cautious Lily bottles up her emotions and avoids risks: “Keep it inside. That’s my motto.” Lily lives with her father in West Virginia, but when her grandfather dies unexpectedly, she flies to Florida alone for the funeral. There, she confronts her fear of the Amazing Queenie Grace (her grandfather’s elephant), forms friendships and makes a few enemies, tries to protect Queenie Grace from harm, and eventually comes to terms with her mother. The chapters alternate gracefully between Lily’s and Queenie Grace’s perspectives, and High effectively sketches how Lily gradually champions the elephant and recognizes larger issues around the ways performers abuse circus animals. Ages 8–12. Agent: Rosemary Stimola, Stimola Literary Studio.

November 15, 2016
A middle-grade friendship and family story plays out against a circus backdrop. Twelve-year-old Lily Pruitt's mother left her and her father to rejoin the circus as a trapeze artist, and the white girl's beloved grandfather performs with an elephant, Gracie. Grandpa Bill and Gracie's close relationship is broken when Grandpa Bill dies suddenly. Lily, who lives with her father and is terrified of the elephant, travels alone to Florida to attend the funeral and lend comfort to her grandmother. Upon arriving, Lily quickly learns that elephants experience grief and begins to feel sympathy for the creature. The only person who doesn't seem affected is Lily's emotionally distant mother, who has a creepy new boyfriend. When Gracie the elephant begins to act out, the other circus folks think that Gracie should be sent away for good, including the boyfriend, a cardboard cutout of a villain (he even smokes to prove it). With Gracie's fate up in the air, Lily and her new pal Henry Jack, a young circus boy with the skin disease ichthyosis, plot to save Gracie from exile. Lily and Gracie narrate in alternating chapters, offering the elephant's perspective on the unfolding drama. This sentimental, comfortingly predictable story stands out due to its spotlight on the plight of circus elephants. Given the subject matter, it shouldn't be surprising that scenes of abuse erupt, but they make the overall narrative feel off balance. Interesting but uneven. (Fiction. 8-12)

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November 1, 2016

Gr 4-6-If your mother were a trapeze artist and your grandparents traveled with a circus, you might imagine that you'd get such perks as free cotton candy, the chance to befriend sideshow performers, and behind-the-scenes tours. While this lifestyle might excite most tweens, Lily Pruitt views the circus as dangerous. She fears even being near her grandparents' beloved elephant Queenie Grace and dislikes that the demands of circus life have separated members of her family. Rather than travel with the performers, Lily lives with her father on Magic Mountain Campground, leading a quiet, simple life with her paints, her Christmas traditions, and her yearly visits from her grandparents and mother. Following a tragic death in the family, Lily flies to Gibtown, FL, where circus performers flock in the winter months. During this visit, Lily overcomes fears, learns forgiveness, and befriends a boy with alligator skin. The author's use of changing perspectives between Lily and Queenie Grace provides readers with a deep understanding of and empathy for the elephant's experience. Through Queenie Grace's senses and Lily's interpretation of social cues, readers gain a heightened awareness of the many characters in Gibtown. High's deeply emotional yet realistic novel untangles Lily's twisted relationship with her mother and shines a light on the lasting impact that relationships between humans and animals can have, even through death. VERDICT Hand this to animal lovers and readers looking for a tear-jerking family drama.-Mary-Brook J. Townsend, Episcopal Collegiate School, Little Rock, AK

Copyright 2016 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

January 1, 2017
Grades 3-6 Lily's grandfather Bill always tries to get her to be friends with his elephant, Queenie Grace, but Lily has never really been able to get over her fear of the huge animal. When Bill passes away, Lily travels from West Virginia to Florida for her grandfather's funeral, all the time wishing she could go back home. But when she encounters Queenie Grace, Lily finds someone who is just as heartbroken about her grandfather's death as she is, and she begins to see the kind, beautiful elephant her grandfather always wanted her to see. When Queenie Grace's freedom is threatened, Lily draws on memories of her grandfather and her new friendship with optimistic Henry Jack to find the strength to save her. Told in alternating chapters from the points of view of Lily and Queenie Grace, this warm story discusses life and death and what it means to be a good friend and do the right thing. The calm pace is perfect for exploring the sensitive topics in Lily's life, including abandonment, loss, fear, and friendship.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2017, American Library Association.)