When Elephants Fly

July 1, 2018

Gr 9 Up-This is as much a story about mental health as it is about compassion and evolution. Lily Decker survived her mother's schizophrenia-induced attempt at filicide as a young child. The fear of also having mental health issues shapes the rest of her life and her relationship with her father. She is a high school senior set on living as unremarkably as possible, devoid of stress, risks, and stimulation-anything that might exacerbate her symptoms. Despite avoiding excitement as much as she can, her unintentionally well-received articles on the new baby elephant at the local zoo put her at the center of unwanted drama. The baby is rejected by its mother and per contract, must be given up to the circus owning the father elephant. Lily is caught in the middle with the opportunity to write on an interesting subject and the conflicts of having wild animals in captivity. This, and the issues of the people she meets, are the backdrop of her dramatic, life-changing mental crisis. This novel manages to cover a wide range of topics: mental health, genetics, family trauma and the scars it can inflict, friendship dynamics, and animal rights. The narrative is occasionally scattered with flashbacks and Lily's internal dialogue, which is an effective storytelling technique showcasing her increasingly unsteady mental health. VERDICT A recommended addition to most YA collections.-Sarah Voels, Cedar Rapids Public Library, IA

Copyright 2018 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

July 1, 2018
Lily's schizophrenic mother almost threw her off a roof when she was 7. The Oregon senior's only confidant, Sawyer, is a wealthy, closeted gay boy who knows of her 12-Year Plan to live a quiet, substance-free life until age 30 to help prevent the onset of mental illness. After Lily writes an article for her newspaper internship about an elephant calf rejected by her mother, the Kenyan zoo director, Dr. Addie Tinibu, enlists her help. The Florida circus that owns its father claims the elephant, and Addie and Lily reluctantly accompany the baby to help acclimatize her. The pachyderm becomes a celebrity when Lily's articles are reprinted nationally. During an intense week, she falls in love with a boy who has his own issues and explores similarities between her childhood and the elephant's. Others help in her noble cross-country attempt to find an elephant sanctuary, but these connections often seem forced. Lily's knowledge of how schizophrenia affects different people will help readers realize that it is not a monolithic condition. Animal welfare issues are well-integrated, and scenes involving elephant care are realistic but repetitious. Many instances of animal and human abuse weigh the novel down, and a hopeful outcome is painfully slow in arriving. Lily and Sawyer are assumed white.The topic of animal conservation almost overwhelms the emphasis on mental health, but Lily's path is worth exploring. (author's note, resources) (Fiction. 14-18)

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