Ten Years

 Happy Anniversary, my Cody Aaron!

For me, it's you.

Let's Bust a Recap : The Elephant in the Room

(It's actually a little ridiculous how much time I spent trying to balance those elephants on top of each other for this photo.)

But anyways, let's start this post off with a little True or False.

True or False: It's May 2nd and we're still recapping books I read last year.

Answer: True. But after today's post, I think we're down to four books read in 2021 that I'm still planning to recap. So...progress?

This surprise book showed up one day in my mailbox from my best friend, and I sat down to read it pretty much immediately. Given that it was right before Christmas and I was down to the wire with my unread book bingo, this book filled the "a book bought for the cover" slot. Even though I didn't technically buy it (I had not even heard of it), I definitely would have upon sight (which is why my best friend sent it to me), and even if I had absolutely hated it (I loved it!), it would have sat on my shelf for the rest of time just for that perfect cover. Elephants are my favorite animal, and actually the book I was planning to read for the bingo card was another book I had bought with an elephant on the cover (still haven't read that one). 

But enough about me and my love affair with the most majestic creatures God ever created: on to the recap.

The Elephant in the Room is a brand new middle grade book by Holly Goldberg Sloan. It just came out in March of last year. In it, we meet Sila who's mom has been in Turkey for almost a year trying to clear up an immigration issue. Through the course of the novel, Sila and her dad befriend Gio, a widower who recently won the lottery, and because of this friendship, Gio ends up purchasing Veda the elephant from a traveling circus. Sila and her new friend Mateo end up spending their summer at Gio's helping out with Veda. 

This book tackles some heavy topics—loss, friendship, immigration, autism, animal welfare, injustice—but it does so with a hopefulness and joy that were absolutely irresistible. I loved every word. I loved Sila and Mateo's friendship. I loved Gio's generosity. And I absolutely loved Veda. 

Holly Goldberg Sloan actually got her start writing, producing, and directing movies. She was the first woman to direct a live action film for Disney when she wrote and directed The Big Green (one of my favorites) in 1995. Her first novel was published in 2011, and her second novel (Counting By 7s) has won or been nominated for a whole slew of awards. I don't know how she's completely missed my radar for so long, but I'm so glad my friend sent me this book, and I'll definitely be following her from now on. 

100% would recommend The Elephant in the Room. It was so sweet, and it's one I'd definitely read again.

What's your favorite animal and do you have a favorite book featuring that animal?