I’ve been pulled toward books featuring animals lately (a pull from my youth). So next up on my “Just Read” books is THE ELEPHANT’S GIRL by Celesta Rimington. Beautifully layered with multiple mysteries, it intrigued me from beginning to end.

The story centers around a Nebraska youth who is the tragic survivor of a tornado that ravaged an area around and through a zoo. She’s found as a toddler after the tornado in the elephant pen, protected from the storm by one of the zoo’s elephants, Nyah. With no memories of her life before the tornado and no trace of a family, she’s raised by her foster father, Roger, the zoo’s train engineer. He names her Lexington Willow.

Lex soon discovers she’s not like the others. For one thing, the wind speaks to her (not always kindly). Also her school mates taunt her as “that elephant girl.” So Lex retreats from their teasing into the comforting familiarity of her zoo.

Now Lex is twelve and the mystery of her past plagues her in more ways than one. She’s finally old enough to help with the training of the elephants. Nyah, her rescuer, seeks her out and sends her a telepathic message about the woods outside the zoo.

Nyah’s message catapults Lex into an adventure that changes her life forever. She meets a forgetful ghost who hints at a long lost treasure. She faces her own fears and ventures beyond the safety zone of her zoo. And she finally solves the mystery of “who is Lex Willow?”

I loved THE ELEPHANT’S GIRL (or I wouldn’t be posting about it). It’s unique and charming and includes a thread featuring THE ISLAND OF THE BLUE DOLPHINS (another favorite book from my past). Within the “Authors Notes” section Rimington includes a substantial list of resources about elephants as well as organizations devoted to protecting these marvelous animals, making this an excellent teaching tool for teachers as well. I’ll hope you’ll read ELEPHANT’S GIRL and enjoy it as much as I did.