Missing her mother who has returned to Turkey to resolve an immigration problem, sixth-grader Sila welcomes a very large distraction in her life when she helps a surprising new friend rescue a circus elephant. - (Baker & Taylor)

Separated from her mother during a long immigration waiting period, young Sila accompanies her mechanic father outside their Oregon hometown before forging connections with an elderly lottery winner, an abused circus elephant and an unusual boy. Simultaneous eBook. - (Baker & Taylor)

From the New York Times bestselling author of Counting by 7s comes a heartfelt story about "the importance of compassion and bravery when facing life’s challenges” (Kirkus) for fans of The One and Only Ivan and Front Desk.

It's been almost a year since Sila's mother traveled halfway around the world to Turkey, hoping to secure the immigration paperwork that would allow her to return to her family in the United States.

The long separation is almost impossible for Sila to withstand. But things change when Sila accompanies her father (who is a mechanic) outside their Oregon town to fix a truck. There, behind an enormous stone wall, she meets a grandfatherly man who only months before won the state lottery. Their new alliance leads to the rescue of a circus elephant named Veda, and then to a friendship with an unusual boy named Mateo, proving that comfort and hope come in the most unlikely of places.

A moving story of family separation and the importance of the connection between animals and humans, this novel has the enormous heart and uplifting humor that readers have come to expect from the beloved author of Counting by 7s.
 
“I couldn’t stop reading—I had to find out what would happen. An unusual and lovely real-life fairy tale.” —Linda Sue Park, New York Times Bestselling author of A Long Walk to Water

“A gorgeous and emotional novel. I loved every page.” —Cynthia Kadohata, Newbery Medal-winning author of Kira-Kira
- (Penguin Putnam)

Holly Goldberg Sloan was born in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and spent her childhood living in Holland; Istanbul, Turkey; Washington, D.C.; Berkeley, California; and Eugene, Oregon. After graduating from Wellesley College and spending some time as an advertising copywriter, she began writing family feature films, including Angels in the Outfield and Made in America. She is the author of the New York Times best sellers Counting by 7s and Short, among other novels. - (Penguin Putnam)

Booklist Reviews

Since her mother returned to Turkey to rectify an immigration problem, life has been difficult for American-born Sila Tekin. Sila and her father meet and quickly bond with Gio, an elderly widower and recent lottery winner living on a nearby farm. Sila's relationship with the old man strengthens after Gio purchases Veda, an elephant from a disbanded circus, and a pat of flamingos to keep the pachyderm company. Throughout the summer, Sila and her friend Mateo bike to the farm daily to help care for the animals, and in the process, both children are distracted from their own problems. Sloan's strength is her attention to character development and the empathy for animals (particularly those held captive) that she imbues. Using multiple narrative perspectives, she touches on many weighty topics (grief, autism, deportation, animal cruelty), handling each with sensitivity. Although the ending feels overly rosy, the upbeat ending is sure to please, especially younger readers. Grades 4-7. Copyright 2021 Booklist Reviews.

Horn Book Guide Reviews

Sila is having the worst year of her life. Her mother, a Turkish immigrant to the U.S., has returned to her homeland to sort out some immigration troubles and has been gone for months, leaving Sila and her father worried and depressed. The tide turns when they meet Gio, a retired carpenter, recent lottery winner, and fairy godfather figure. All the story needs is a link between these characters, handily provided by a traveling circus, down on its luck and wanting to off-load Veda, its Asian elephant. Lonely Gio installs Veda in the grounds of his mansion, and life gets much more expansive for Sila as she helps to care for the animal. A clutch of subplots -- one involving an autistic boy who joins Sila in her project and another focusing on a labor dispute, a wrongful dismissal case involving Sila's mother -- mutes the off-beat story's impact. Once we encounter a circus bear (who seems introduced for his role in an admittedly hilarious slapstick scene) and the adoption of a flock of flamingos, the narrative loses some focus, but the friendship of old man, child, and giant pachyderm is convincing, touching, and just odd enough. Copyright 2023 Horn Book Guide Reviews.

Kirkus Reviews

Sila's mom is forced to return to Turkey to retrieve documents needed for her to remain in the U.S., where the family has lived for years and where Sila was born. What was supposed to be 8 days away turns into 8 months. Sila and her dad try to stay hopeful, but they fall into despair. All this changes when they meet Gio, a widowed carpenter who quit his job when he won the lottery. Now he lives on a large farm in Eugene, Oregon, and, through his relationship with elephant-loving Sila, rescues Veda, a circus elephant in search of a home—and later flamingos and a wide array of local animals in need. The farm gives Gio and Sila a new sense of purpose. For Sila, it also ignites a friendship with her autistic neighbor and classmate, Mexican American Mateo, with whom she was paired at school, as both were perceived as being isolated and in need of social support. Writing from multiple points of view, old and young, animal and human, Sloan captures the importance of compassion and bravery when facing life's challenges. While the shifts in perspective limit character development, themes of collectivity and community in the face of isolation and stigma are brought to the surface and themselves offer depth to this heartfelt and sincere story. Accessibly captures the human impact of harsh immigration laws and the power of connection. (Fiction. 9-14) Copyright Kirkus 2021 Kirkus/BPI Communications. All rights reserved.

Publishers Weekly Reviews

Book and animal lover Sila Tekin finds hope, joy, and friendship when Veda, a traumatized circus elephant, enters her life. After an immigration issue arises for the sixth grader's mother, her planned eight-day trip from Oregon to Turkey becomes an eight-month separation for the family. Sila misses her mother desperately, withdrawing at school and with her Kurdish father, a mechanic who moved to America to seek political asylum. When Sila accompanies her father to work one day, she befriends Gio Gardino, an elderly widower and lottery winner who purchases Veda from a defunct circus troupe that passes through their town. With the help of new friend Mateo Lopez, an autistic Mexican American classmate, Sila cares for Veda and fights to reunite her with her mother; the girl also begins to come out of her shell and feel hope again. Though the final chapters rush to an implausibly tidy end, Sloan (To Night Owl from Dogfish) fully builds the emotional interiors of each character, including Veda. This heartfelt tale thoughtfully conveys the agony of family separation, the beauty of nature, and the power of friendship to overcome tremendous difficulties. Ages 10–up. Agent: Amy Berkower, Writers House. (Mar.)

School Library Journal Reviews

Gr 4–8—Sila Tekin lives in Oregon's Willamette Valley with her parents, who immigrated from Turkey 14 years ago, but a problem with her mother's paperwork means she has to return to Turkey to sort it out. What was supposed to be an eight-day trip stretches into months, and Sila misses her mother desperately. Two chance meetings provide the only thing big enough to take her mind off missing her mother: an elephant named Veda, purchased by an elderly lottery winner Sila met when her auto mechanic dad helped fix his truck. Gio Gardino—coincidentally, the widower of Sila's beloved second grade teacher—is perfectly positioned to set up an elephant sanctuary, and Sila convinces her dad to let her work there over the summer. Sila includes her autistic school friend Mateo Lopez in her plan, and his mother, a Mexican American lawyer, later proves helpful to the Tekin family. Sila is at the heart of the story, told in close third person, but narration shifts in some sections to focus on Gio and Mateo and even, briefly, Veda. Each character wrestles with love and loss and struggles with decisions about when to act and when to wait; each in their own way has insight into the others, and empathy for them. VERDICT Sila wonders if people are more compassionate because of their own difficult experiences; in this unique, touching book, the answer is yes. Recommended for all collections.—Jenny Arch, formerly at Winchester P.L., MA