I was instantly intrigued by Suzanne Nelson’s book, A TAIL MAGNOLIOUS. A girl steals an elephant? An elephant!? Really? How is that possible? I had to find out more. And was delighted to discover a magical story about a 10-year-old orphan, her elephant, and a bag of extraordinary beans.

Nelson’s orphan, Nitty Luce, has hope. Hope for a better life away from the orphanage. Hope that she can find a place where she isn’t a ‘jinx’. Hope that she can one day have a family of her very own. So she finds the gumption to run away. Then she steals two things: a bag of jittering beans as green as her eyes and an elephant, Magnolious, who has been unfairly sentenced to death. They manage to escape during one of the many dust storms plaguing their world.

Maybe it was luck or a bit of magic or an elephant’s keen sense, because the pair eventually take shelter from the storm in a barn. The barn belongs to Windle Homes, a grumpy farmer living on the outskirts of Fortune’s Bluff. And his farm and the entire township has been ravaged by vicious dusters that squelch anything that attempts to thrive.

Confronted by the stubborn can-do attitude of Nitty (not to mention a huge protective elephant), Windle reluctantly agrees to allow Nitty and Mag to plant her seeds on his farm. As the seeds jitter and grow and stand their ground against the ever-worsening dusters, Nitty befriends Twitch Higgler, boy detective, and Bernice, the oldest daughter of the Sigh family. Twitch convinces Nitty that something is amiss with Mayor Snollygost and the constant loud whomping emanating from the mayor’s institute. Together, the children set out to discover the truth and along the way renew what Fortune’s Bluff has lost, hope.

I don’t believe in spoilers, so to find out what happens grab a copy today. You won’t regret it! Because our Nitty (yes, she’s mine; give her a chance and she’ll be yours; that makes her ours), Mag, a unique assortment of Fortune’s Bluff residents, and Nelson’s charming voice combine to create an unforgettable read.

If you enjoy books like A TALE MAGNOLIOUS, you will love my book PETDEMONIUM. Click here to download the first two chapters as a free PDF. 

FREE PROMOTION 

“Adventures of PB and Jay: A Short Story Collection”