Tiger Lilly Decker is hoping to make it through the next twelve years. Her genetics have predicted her future and it doesn't look good. Lilly's mom had schizophrenia and attempted to kill Lilly and herself by jumping off the top of a building when Lilly was seven years old. Now, as a senior in high school, the danger zone for the onset of schizophrenia is approaching. Lilly follows a strict regiment to ensure that she will not trigger any of the symptoms including reducing stress, getting plenty of sleep and avoiding certain foods. Lilly's handsome, rich, popular and not yet out of the closet, best friend, Sawyer supports her through. With Lilly's internship at the local paper, she has been reporting on the birth of an Asian Elephant Calf, Swifty. After the calf is born however, the mom rejects Swifty and Lilly is triggered to run in front of the charging elephant mother to protect Swifty. With a strong bond to the calf, Lilly is invited to follow Swifty as she is sent to the circus to be with the father that sired her. Lilly continues to report on Swifty and the circus conditions and digs until she uncovers the cruelty that happens there. With Swifty slowly dying, Lilly decides to break all of her rules and the law to get Swifty to safety.

When Elephants Fly is a powerful story of one person's journey with schizophrenia. If that weren't enough, the story also focuses on animal rights and sexuality. Lilly's story is an important one, putting into focus that people with a mental illness are people first and should not be characterized by their illness. Lilly is careful, guarded, and has an amazing heart. Her fear of inheriting schizophrenia is understandable, but rules her life. Lilly's journey to accept that she can not change her genetics is very meaningful especially when it is tied into the story of saving the life of Swifty. With Swifty's story Lilly learns that there are bigger things in life than herself. Swifty brings to light the plight that all elephants are facing now in the wild and the role of zoos in animal conservation along with the difficult decisions that people make on the elephant's behalf. Along with that, Lilly learns that some people aren't what they seem as she uncovers that hidden animal abuse at the zoo. The writing does a wonderful job of showing the complex emotions that elephants have as well as the complicated nature of a mental illness. As Swifty's life is endangered, Lilly's symptoms also begin to show, although it doesn't seem like anything that Lilly can't deal with. Inspiring and hopeful, When Elephants Fly beautifully takes difficult subjects and weaves them into an intricate and enjoyable story.

This book was received for free in return for an honest review.

Such a unique tale of friendship and courage… there were parts of this that were beautiful watching Lily unselfishly defend her new friend, baby elephant Swifty in a way only she can understand was inspiring. I loved schizophrenia and mental illness being discussed in such a real and relatable way, especially in a young adult novel where education about these issues should be discussed more openly. I really appreciated the complicated dynamics of her relationships with her father and best friend and how relatable they are. I did struggle with how heavy it was at times, there were a few things brought up that just didn’t feel authentic to the story for me, for show. It’s also important to note it could be triggering for some especially in adolescence as animal cruelty, suicide, sexual abuse, and domestic violence are all touched on in some way and it’s almost too much at times. In the end I loved Lily she was fearless and brave and carried me through the story she was such a good example of how nobody should live their life in fear of what might happen, to live as freely today as you will tomorrow and to fight for those who cannot fight for themselves.

Schizophrenia runs in Lily's family. In an effort to combat her chances of developing it, Lily has devised a 12-year plan that includes avoiding stress, caffeine, and boys, and includes regular psych quizzes given to her by best friend Sawyer. What Lily hadn't planned on was having her newspaper articles about a new born elephant, named Swifty, being rejected by its mother picked up by the national news. Nor did she expect to travel across the country with Swifty - in an effort to provide a safe home for her with the circus housing her (Swifty's) father. Concerned for Swifty's welfare, Lily embarks on a journey that goes against every aspect of her 12-year plan, and challenges how she sees herself, her father, her friends, and her future.

This a such wonderful story. Pretty sure I finished it in one sitting - though that might be a stretch. Fischer brings to life a young woman facing a future many of us will never even have to consider. Not just a subject matter, schizophrenia is an actor on this stage. It flows through every scene, tying it all together. Mental illness is often unseen, and unspoken of, in today's fiction - unless it's used to label a murderer. This needs to change, and this book is a great example of how that could look. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this. Parts of the book were slower than others, and the book has some pretty serious length. However, I feel the author did an amazing job piecing everything together. The ending left me feeling satisfied, and frustrated. I wouldn't suggest changing it, unless it gets turned into a movie - 'cause you know people be goin' crazy if everything don't get tied up in a pretty little bow when they watchin' a movie. 

Go, read.

I'm giving When Elephants Fly a 3/5 stars. I thought that this was a really cute book about a girl named Lily who is determined to live a normal life. That is, until she gets entangled with an elephant calf named Swift Jones. I loved the relationship between Lily and Swifty. I loved how she was so protective over that little elephant and how she would literally do anything for her. I loved the moral conflicts in the latter part of the book. However, I felt like this book lagged a lot. At 400 pages, this book is quite long. The ending of the book really picked up the pace, but the beginning was fairly slow. Also, much of what happened in this book is really far fetched. Most of what happened at the end is so unrealistic. A few of the characters are also slightly underdeveloped, and a lot of big issues in this book are left untouched. While I thought this was a really cute story with good writing, it wasn't anything particularly special.

Reader alert: this book deals with mental illness, suicide, child sex abuse and animal endangerment. If any of those topics are triggers for you, you'd best avoid this book.

To those who choose to continue on, you are in for a wonderful read by a writer who knows how to build complex characters, describe difficult relationships, and bring a story to life. What a brave heroine we have in T. Lillian Decker!

"Crazy is genetic." At eighteen, Lily is committed to living a rather isolated life under the radar for the next twelve years. Why? Because her mother, as well as several women in her mother's lineage, had schizophrenia, which typically appears between the ages of 18 and 30. Knowing her genetic predisposition for becoming schizophrenic, she is trying to eliminate as much stress from her life as possible, and it so weighs on her mind that she has her best friend, Sawyer Thompson, give her a quiz monthly to determine is she is showing symptoms yet. Little did she know that her job as an unpaid intern for the local newspaper, writing about local happenings, would propel her into the limelight worldwide.

Lily runs a "Name the baby elephant" contest when one of the elephants in the zoo (Raki) is soon due to deliver. Each submission cost $5 to be contributed to the zoo, the director of which wants to eventually build an elephant sanctuary. To everyone's surprise, the contest raised over $108,000. That becomes news in itself and Lily is asked to write more articles about the zoo, its director, and its elephants. After Raki gives birth to a female calf (named Swift Jones by the contest after a teenage idol), Lily follows up with another story and more pictures. The public can't get enough of her stories and pictures which are picked up by API and go worldwide.

When Raki attacks her offspring three weeks later, endangering the calf, Swifty is separated from Raki for her own safety. Lily knows something about being attacked by your mother. When she was 7 years old, her mother, Violet, tried to kill her by pushing her off the roof of their building. Violet was convicted of attempted murder, and committed suicide in prison several months later. Even so, Lily can't imagine the grief of the young elephant which literally cries for weeks. The zoo director tells Lily that the calf is now "at risk" because young elephants need to be around adult female elephants to bond with, and that depression can actually cause death in one so young. Since Raki isn't nursing the calf, the short-handed zoo staff must take care of the feedings every three hours, and Lily is often pressed into service. Nicknaming her charge Swifty, Lily finds herself forming a deep bond with the little elephant.

Changes in circumstances (don't want to spoil anyone's read!) force Lily to make decisions that will affect not only her, but several others as well.

Though this book covers a lot of very serious topics, the author does so in such a way that the book isn't dark or maudlin; rather it is endearing and uplifting. It's about bravery, the difference one person can make in the world, finding yourself, your dreams and taking control of your own life, deciding to live now rather than waiting for the future.

If anyone reads this book and fails to be touched by it, they should have Christmas dinner with Scrooge! As for the rest of us, we will continue to applaud and root for Lily and Swifty.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin TEEN for allowing me to read a copy of this book in exchange for an honest opinion.

A big thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Teen for the ARC. I am voluntarily reviewing this book. First time reading this author. This starts a little slow but wow what a great read! What a tear jerker but well worth the tissues. This is a story about change, growing up, friends and an unknown future. I give this a 4.5.

Thank you NetGalley and Harelquin Teen for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review. When Elephants Fly was a heartwarming, beautiful tale. I truly believe mental illness needs to be address more in literature and this book does a beautiful job at adressing it and creating wonderful characters.

What a unique, insightful story! It felt very real, the characters and the development of the plot. I also felt it was an important book for people to read to understand mental illness better. Recommended!

When Elephants Fly was a unique, gripping story. I was fascinated by the connection between T. Lily Decker and the elephant calf. They shared a connection in that they were trying to survive after their mothers tried to kill them. T. Lily broke out of her safe structured world to risk everything to save this calf. If she hadn't done so she wouldn't have gotten to experience life or love even though it may have been at a very high price for her. This story had me laughing and crying. I loved it.

It took me a while to be excited about reading this book. As contemporaries go, it was par for the course. There was romance and all the other things we love about the genre, but there were other things that really sets this book apart from the norm.

Lily was a great character to follow. She struggled with doing what was right for her and what was just right. Her mental health problems were imperative to the story. I thought it was carefully done and shed light on something I didn’t really know a lot about: schizophrenia.

Another thing I loved about this book was the advocacy for better living conditions for animals in zoos and circuses. The author herself is very passionate about elephants and their current living conditions in the United States and treatment in their natural habitats. I enjoyed reading a story about things I didn’t know a lot about. I enjoyed learning while I read.

Did this book have a mediocre romance and unfinished ending? Yes it did. But did the mental health representation and elephant advocation overrule those things? Yes they did. I went back and forth from three to four stars on this one. As a BOOK, I’d give it three stars. However, the author’s passion shown through her author’s note at the end immediately raised it to a four star. I love myself some passionate authors.

Wow, what a great story! I love how the author explores schizophrenia and how one girl, Lily, deals with this mental disorder. It’s a disorder that I don’t think about too often, as I don’t know someone who has it, but it’s one that exists. Though Lily may not deal with her potential schizophrenia as others might have, the author includes some examples of how others have handled their disorder. There were both positive stories and ones that ended in a sad way.

It was heartbreaking to learn about Lily’s mother attempt to kill her daughter and how her father treated Lily. It can’t be easy to learn the woman you love has schizophrenia, tried to kill your daughter, and now you’re afraid your daughter has the disorder, too. I really felt for Lily’s situation.

Tying in the elephant piece to the story was also touching. Swifty, experiencing a similar situation as Lily, was something I found so poetic. It was so easy to feel for this newborn elephant and what she goes through, especially when entering a new and perhaps unsafe environment. I also found the author’s openness on both the lovely aspects of a baby elephant and the gross parts of taking care of a newborn calf. There were scenes that made me gag (i.e. baby elephant diarrhea), but there were realistic, which I appreciated. On the upside, there were scenes that were sweet and endearing with little Swifty.

Needless to say, I really liked how well the reader gets to know Lily and her situation. I found the pacing to be steady and even exciting at times. It was a book that I always enjoyed opening up to continue reading.

My only issue with the book was the ending. There didn’t seem to be a resolution and it left the reader questioning what ends up happening. I wanted to know more about Swifty’s situation, Lily’s friendship with Sawyer, Lily’s relationship with her father, and Lily’s future. Perhaps this was intentional and maybe the reader can assume certain things, but I typically like more wrapped-up endings. However, this is personal preference and I know others will probably feel differently, therefore, I will not mark the book down for this personal preference.

Overall, this was a joy to read, and I will definitely be looking out for more books from Nancy Richardson Fischer! I would absolutely recommend this young adult read to those who like to read about a young girl dealing with the potential of being diagnosed with schizophrenia, and the little elephant that helped her.

I thoroughly enjoyed When Elephants Fly by Nancy Richardson Fischer. The story was certainly interesting and captivating. It held my interest all the way through and the ending left room for thought. The characters were strong. But there is something that bothered me about the book. In three instances (at least) grown adult men touched this teen girl without asking her permission. I am a teacher of high school students. If I had seen something like that personally with men and my students, I would have intervened. Those circus men who barely knew the girl had no right to touch her like that. Taking her curly hair and wrapping it behind her ear or touching her thigh were totally inappropriate behaviors. The girl was clearly at a disadvantage and I did not like reading that at all. I especially disliked that no one (author or characters) did anything to stop it or to disapprove of it.
Additionally, I would have much preferred that the story didn't slide into a romance like that. There were too many other things going on that a romance just cluttered it up and weakened other more lasting and meaningful experiences. Probably the author felt that added stress and adventure of a romance was important to Lily's struggle with mental illness, but there were already so many other things going on that it just was not needed and seemed a bit wasteful to the plot..... sort of like taking a person's "15 minutes of fame" and filling it until the seams are ready to burst. Too much doesn't make it better.
Regardless, I did enjoy the book and feel other people will, too. I do recommend it.

Lily is a high school senior with a plan: she's going to avoid stress, drugs, booze, and romantic entanglements; anything that can trigger a stressful episode. She's in a race against time, because the odds are against her: her mother, and women in her family, have all developed schizophrenia. Schizophrenia most commonly manifests between the ages of 18 and 30, so for the next 12 years, Lily's on guard. She even has her best friend, Sawyer, give her psych quizzes to catch any developing symptoms. Lily's mother stopped taking her meds when Lily was a child, and during one episode, tried to kill Lily; she later committed suicide in prison, and Lily, who's still dealing with the trauma, is getting no help from her father, who won't discuss Lily's mother or the incident.

Lily's on a journalism internship when she witnesses the birth of a new elephant calf at the local zoo. When the calf's mother tries to kill her calf, and a story goes out with Lily's byline, she's stuck with the story - and the fallout. A traveling circus enacts a claim on the calf, and the zoo director is furious with Lily's betrayal. Swifty bonds with Lily, but the calf's grief puts her health at risk. Lily's determination to save Swifty is at odds with her resolve to stay away from stressful situations, but she's committed to the calf.

Nancy Richardson Fischer brings together a fantastic amount of elements to create When Elephants Fly: trauma; mental illness; the animal captivity debate, and journalistic integrity, for starters. Lily is a fascinating and complex character; she may not always be sympathetic, but she is empathetic. She's not always likable - she'll admit it - but readers will always feel for her, because she's facing down a very real monster and fighting it every step of the way. Swifty is as a strong supporting character in the book, too; she brings out the vulnerable, human side of Lily that she tries to push down. Before Swifty, Lily seems determined to barrel through the next 12 years as mildly and quietly as possible: Swifty makes her engage with her surroundings and with people other than Sawyer.

When Elephants Fly is a strong, moving story that allows for big discussions. A must-add to YA collections; a must-read for caregivers and educators that know tweens and teens dealing with trauma.

When Elephants Fly is a wonderful book. Insightful and informative, it brings awareness to the plight of elephants and their possible extinction as well as schizophrenia and how it tears a family apart.

This is a compelling story of a teen who struggles with a family history of Schizophrenia. Her mother had it, her grandmother had it... so on... so quite rightfully so she is convinced that she will develop it. It is her goal to live as stressless of a life as possible, in order to keep her sanity intact. But her world is turned completely upside down when she covers the story of the birth of an elephant at the local zoo... She even raises thousands of dollars for the new elephant sanctuary that the zoo is looking to build.

To start, I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

There are a few potential triggers for anyone tirelessly working through mental health challenges: abuse, suicide, schizophrenia.

This book hooked me from the beginning and I soon found myself unable to complete any real-life tasks to continue reading Lily’s story. Lily comes from a genetic line predisposed to schizophrenia. After almost losing her own life due to her mother succumbing to her own delusions, Lily grows up hoping to beat the odds of something she cannot see coming. She has a long-term plan of no stress (or fun of any kind) in order to come out, hopefully, free of the same mental illness that’s been plaguing the woman in her family for several generations.

However, Lily begins volunteering, and eventually writing small stories for the local newspaper in her town. Her story on the local zoo preparing for a new elephant calf, soon named Swifty, leads her on an unexpected journey after Swifty’s mother tries to kill her shortly after birth.

Lily is quite the character. She’s slightly infuriating. She’s slightly too calm and laid back. She’s slightly avoiding truly living life. Yet, I couldn’t stop thinking about how fearful I would be if I were her knowing that there was a strong possibility I would find myself drowning in a sea of mental illness that I couldn’t avoid. While I do not struggle from schizophrenia nor personally know anyone who does, my heart ached to see the way this illness can suck the life of anyone it goes after. To hope for a life you are pretty sure will not play out as you’d hope would probably make me just as cautious and anxious as Lily was for most of this story.

Her best friend, Sawyer, was a wonderful character, although this idea he was ridiculously rich wasn’t something I bought into for the majority of the story. Sawyer also harbors secrets of his own and it becomes clear in understanding the superbly adorable to the friendship Lily and Sawyer have created over their own internal struggles through the years.

This story also had another hot topic in it for me: elephants. I’ve read several stories about elephants in the past that discuss their depth of emotion and how they typically act in the wild. Sometimes those ideas are hard to listen to and this story does touch on several instances of animal abuse which were hard to stomach through for myself. Still, the elephant’s stories are just as important here and only added to the tugging on my heart.
I enjoyed almost everything about this story: the mental health representation which I do not think we see nearly enough in YA (or any other genre), the elephants, the friendship, but most importantly the decision between living your life or letting your life control you. Is it better to take risks that might not let you live as yourself as long as you’d like? Or is it better to play it safe and hope to peacefully ride out the waves without creating any yourself?

There were only a few pieces of the story I did not enjoy as much: Lily just up and leaving out of the blue for a story, her selfishness during some of Sawyer’s personal problems arising, and her initial carelessness at how her life affected other people’s (such as Swifty). Lastly, the odd way the story ended wasn’t necessarily bad, but it kept taking odd turns I wasn’t expecting and with people I wasn’t expecting. Also, without saying what it is, the final piece of Lily’s puzzle at the end really tore me apart for a few days after finishing. I non-stop thought about mental health and how I choose to live my life, even without the battles Lily faces.

I’d highly recommend this story to just about everyone: it isn’t a perfect, happy story, but it is something that should be thought and talked about more often.

Posted to Goodreads: For a more in-depth review watch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-1CRQc3Hqmo&feature=youtu.be

T. Lily Decker lives in constant fear of developing schizophrenia the same disease that caused her mother to try to kill Lily over a decade ago. Lily lives by a set of self imposed rules that she thinks will help prevent the onset of the disorder. However, when Lily witnesses an elephant try to kill her newborn calf Lily knows she will do whatever it takes to save the young elephant.

Fischer has written a beautiful book that both examines the effects of mental illness and the issues around animal rights. Lily is wonderfully well crafted main character that the reader will connected with on page one. Lily is full of undiscovered dreams, fears and mental trauma. She feels real and her journey is heartbreaking. Also, heartbreaking is the story of the baby elephant Swifty whose story is able to illustrate the negative aspects of circuses and zoo as well as supplying an original story about loneliness and depression. The entire book comes together to make a heartbreaking tale that I highly recommend.

This book is one of the biggest surprises of the year for me. I was drawn into the world that Lily had created for herself and equally as drawn to the idea that she was willing to sacrifice comfort to make a difference. Yes, there were some issues that often accompany YA books -- hints of insta-love, and the lucky way that all the pieces fit together in the end -- but the writing and pure heart in the storytelling pulls through to make this book stand out. There is honest and frank representations of mental illness here. Fischer doesn't shy away from portraying animal abuse and in doing so she brings the reader over to her side.

What really hit home to me about this book was Lily's internal struggle of worrying about her mental health and how she may be affecting her well being. As someone who has experienced mental illness for most of my life, I often struggle with these same issues. Am I helping myself or hurting myself? Are some things worth risking stability in order to do good? For Lily, the answer is yes.

As always, this book was enhanced for me by the inclusion of the back matter -- facts and resources about elephants and ways readers can help, as well as an illuminating author's note and a call to action that we all live in the moment because it's all we have.

I loved this book and look forward to reading more by Fischer.

DNF at 25%

I found this book to be very slow to start. Also, the main character's desire to avoid mental illness is something that I found to be annoying. There is enough stigma surrounding mental illness and books should be aiming to provide readers a place to feel safe.

First and foremost- huge thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for granting me an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book was just... wow. This book covers so many topics. It touches on forgiveness, acceptance, unconditional love, etc. It made me laugh and it made me cry. There are lots of *triggers* in this book, including animal abuse, suicide, and abuse. I'm giving When Elephants Fly a STRONG 3.5 stars. My reasoning is that I felt like it was almost "too much". I thought that it would have been just as good of a story if the author didn't touch on so many intense topics. I'm extremely excited to recommend the purchase of this title to the public library that I work for, and even more excited to recommend it to my patrons.

18 year old Lily has had a troubled life. When she was 7 years old, her schizophrenic-mother, Violet, attempted to kill her. Lily knows that her chances of getting schizophrenia are high, and realizes they're even higher when she finds an earth-shattering letter written by her mother's father. Sticking to her Twelve Year Plan, Lily lives a very bland life, until she's accepted as an intern at a local newspaper. Her articles covering the new baby calf at the Zoo in town quickly gain popularity, and soon she finds herself tangled in an extremely messy situation- literally and figuratively. Lily realizes she may be willing to risk everything she's worked on, in order to do what she believes is right.