Lexington Willow is not her real name, but nobody knows what her real name is. The school kids taunt her by calling her “Elephant Girl,” but that is not who she is either. Roger, her guardian guided by a ghost, found her sheltered by an elephant after a tornado ripped through the town and zoo. Advertising failed to locate parents looking for a little girl. Guessing at the age she must have been when she was found, she and Roger have concluded she is now twelve.
Elements of magical realism, in addition to Roger’s ghost who keeps turning up, include the wind who has a contentious relationship with Lex and the friendly elephant Nyah who sends her telepathic visual messages. Her best friend Fisher, who also lives at the zoo, takes time from his obsession with baseball to help her follow trails that may reveal her identity and answer questions that Nyah has sent about her own elephant family. In the end, Lex must leave the safe confines of the zoo to find the answers to her questions about who she really is and if there is some connection between her family and the elephants.
Included in the book, and woven into the storyline in a non-didactic way, are issues about the ethical and humane treatment of elephants. Back matter gives satisfying answers to some of the questions that might occur to a discerning reader. The book keeps the reader engaged, even in the midst of a pandemic, and eager to read the next page. Although it is targeted for middle grade, I wouldn’t let them have all the fun. I read The Elephant’s Girl, scheduled for release tomorrow, May 19, in an advance reading copy from Net Galley and found just the right amount of magic to season a really good story.