Set in our world with hints of magic, All the
Impossible Things is a middle-grade novel about finding home and finding
family.
This book beautifully weaves the all-too-real struggles of a girl in foster
care with the near-magical experience of a foster family not quite like any
sheās experienced before. The blending of the real and the fantastical serves
to highlight the emotions of the young protagonist in poignant ways, and, in the
end, offers a beautiful note of hopeānot easy, and not perfect, but, one might say,
a little magical.
I adored the way the author blended all these notes together
into a book that hits deep into the heart of kids, teens, and adults alike.
Red's inexplicable power over the wind comes from her mother. Whenever Ruby "Red" Byrd is scared or angry, the wind picks up. And being placed in foster care, moving from family to family, tends to keep her skies stormy. Red knows she has to learn to control it, but can't figure out how.
This time, the wind blows Red into the home of the Grooves, a quirky couple who run a petting zoo, complete with a dancing donkey and a giant tortoise. With their own curious gifts, Celine and Jackson Groove seem to fit like a puzzle piece into Red'sā¦
I was born and grew up in India and Iāve always been fascinated by elephants. When I wrote The Problem with Being Slightly Heroic, it felt natural to have Mini, the elephant, become part of its world. Sheās not the main character, yet her presence raises questions about the place of these amazing animals in our world and in our hearts. I picked five titles in which elephants are secondary characters, raising similar questions for readers about who these extraordinary creatures are and why we should care. Curiously, I couldnāt find a single novel featuring African elephants.
I love historical fiction, and I love stories within stories and this novel is both! Itās set at the end of World War II, just after the Allied bombing of Dresden. Weāre following 16-year-old Elizabeth, her Mutti, her little brother Karli, and a downed Swiss-Canadian airman as they flee to safety near Heidelberg in the company ofāyes, reallyāan elephant! A story of survival, of endurance, of building lives. The human relationships, in a dark and dangerous time, are brightened by the unexpected presence of one remarkable animal.
A thrilling and moving new novel about an extraordinary animal caught up in a very human war, for anyone who loved The Amazing Story of Adolphus Tips or The Butterfly Lion...
Dresden, 1945. Elizabeth and Karli's mother works at the zoo, where her favourite animal is a young elephant named Marlene. Then the zoo director tells her that the dangerous animals - including the elephants - must be shot before the town is bombed. Unable to give Marlene up, their mother moves her into the back garden to save her... and then the bombs start to fall.
The older I get, the more fascinated I am with family history and the way certain traits or talents get passed down ā or not. Unfortunately, we donāt always know much about our own ancestors. Maybe thatās why I appreciate a multigenerational story that shows all the forms a young personās āinheritanceā can take, whether money, looks, a special skill or talent, or even a disease. And because Iāve always loved a good mystery, I enjoy books where a young person seeks to uncover a family secret. Finally, now that Iām on the older side of the generations, I appreciate a book that portrays older family members realistically and with respect.
The premise of this book gets big points for originality: Lexington Willow is orphaned as a toddler by a tornado, literally blowing into the life of elephant Nyah, who protects and comforts the little girl in the storm and forms a mysterious connection with her. The wind is also a character in the book, hanging around long after the tornado. It knows things Lex doesnāt, and sometimes whispers to her.
The Elephantās Girl portrays friendship, secrets, and a familyās pain in search of healing. Toss in a ghost for good measure, and whatās not to love?
A magical adventure for fans of Katherine Applegate and Jennifer Holm about a girl with a mysterious connection to the elephant who saved her life.
An elephant never forgets, but Lexington Willow can't remember her past. Swept away by a tornado as a toddler, she was dropped in a nearby Nebraska zoo, where an elephant named Nyah protected her from the storm. With no trace of her family, Lex grew up at the zoo with her foster father, Roger; her best friend, Fisher; and the wind whispering in her ear.
Years later, Nyah sends Lex a telepathic image of theā¦
