One Amazing Elephant

by Linda Oatman High

Overview

A poignant middle grade animal story from talented author Linda Oatman High that will appeal to fans of Katherine Applegate’s The One and Only Ivan. In this heartwarming novel, a girl and an elephant face the same devastating loss—and slowly realize that they share the same powerful love.

Twelve-year-old Lily Pruitt loves her grandparents, but she doesn’t love the circus—and the circus is their life. She’s perfectly happy to stay with her father, away from her neglectful mother and her grandfather’s beloved elephant, Queenie Grace.

Then Grandpa Bill dies, and both Lily and Queenie Grace are devastated. When Lily travels to Florida for the funeral, she keeps her distance from the elephant. But the two are mourning the same man—and form a bond born of loss. And when Queenie Grace faces danger, Lily must come up with a plan to help save her friend.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780062455857
Publisher:	HarperCollins Publishers
Publication date:	02/14/2017
Sold by:	HARPERCOLLINS
Format:	eBook
Pages:	272
Sales rank:	415,443
File size:	662 KB
Age Range:	8 - 12 Years

Editorial Reviews

01/16/2017
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. (Feb.)

Publishers Weekly

11/01/2016
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

School Library Journal

2016-10-26
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)

Kirkus Reviews