Small as an Elephant (Compact Disc)
Spring 2011 Kids' Next List
“Over Labor Day weekend, 11-year-old Jack's mom takes him camping in Maine. When he wakes up that first morning and finds her gone along with the car and all their food, he knows he'll have to find his own way home. Jack's mother has always been unpredictable, but if she's 'spinning' she won't be making good decisions, and if he turns himself in, Social Services will probably make him live with his grandma. This is a great read about a young boy's determination to see things through to the end, and his realization that, although he was abandoned, he was never really alone.”
— Jamie Schildknecht, The Rediscovered Bookshop, Boise, ID
When eleven-year-old Jack Martel crawls out of his pup tent on the first morning of his camping trip with his mom in Acadia National Park, he notices right away that something isn't right. Where is his mom's tent, and their rental car? And where is his mom? Any other kid might panic, might even go to the police. But Jack isn't like other kids. And his mom isn't like other moms. Jack knows that it's up to him to find his mom before someone figures out what's happened and separates them forever. But finding his mom in the state of Maine isn't the same as finding her in their neighborhood back in Boston. With nothing but a small plastic elephant to keep him company, Jack begins his search, starting with all the places they'd planned to visit together. But as the search drags on, a dark thought plagues him: once he finds his mom, will he ever be able to forgive her?