As someone who has lived for decades in Omaha, Nebraska, and has enjoyed our Henry Doorly Zoo since childhood, the setting for this story was immediately recognizable. The story relies on more than a bit of magical realism, but then, don't elephants seem that way already?

Young Lexington was found huddling through a tornado amongst the elephants in the Lexington Zoo (in Lexington, Nebraska) by the zoo's train engineer, Roger Marsh, several years before. The mystery of how she appeared there and survived uninjured, along with who her parents were, remained unsolved, and so she has lived with Roger ever since. Fortunately, there is another kid (her age, it's been decided!) who also lives at the zoo with his zoo-employee parents, and Fisher Leigh has been her constant companion through their young lives.

Of course, life changes as you begin to grow up, and when Fisher begins devoting more time to baseball, Lexington begins to investigate a mystery that might eventually answer the question of who she really is.

Does this story sound familiar to you? I can't help but think of "Three Times Lucky" by Sheila Turnage -- her main character, Mo, is also a bit of a "foundling", after a hurricane washes her into a little town and she is informally adopted by the cafe owner and the cafe hostess. Both main characters have a mystery on their hands, and a sidekick to boot. While Lucky relies solely on pluck and kindred spirits to carry the story, you have to be able to extend your imagination a bit more for Elephant's -- but it's still a fun romp for the kids.

The Elephant's Girl by Celesta Rimington has swept me off of my feet. I read the full novel within twenty-four hours of reading the first word. It is magical and wonderful and quite definitely in the top five books I've read this year.

Yes, technically it's target audience is middle grade, but I can guarantee you I will be recommending this book to adults and kids alike.

Lexington has lived at the Lexington Zoo for the last seven years, after a tornado dropped her into the elephant enclosure and the young elephant Nyah sheltered her from the storm. Though Lexington was found, her family was not. However, the man who found her with the elephants became her foster father and has given her a beautiful life in a remarkable place. Due to zoo rules and big important guidelines, Lex hasn't gotten to spend any time in close proximity with the elephant that saved her life. But all of that, and the rest of her world, changes when twelve year old Lex finally gets close to Nyah. Nyah sets her on an adventure that will lead to a misplaced spirit, a mysterious missing treasure, and quite possibly the answers to the questions Lex has spent her life asking. Who is she? Where did she come from? 



What is it that makes Rimington's book so spectacular? It's a rare combination of beautiful but accessibly prose, quirky lovable characters, a breathtaking setting, realistic dialog, and that delicate balance of magical realism with heart that strikes just the right note. There's a great balance between the magical elements and the real elements, such as the wind that talks to our protagonist and the annoying real guidelines set forth for zoos and aquariums by the AZA accreditors. These limitations give the characters the motivation and obstacles necessary to make the story exquisitely engaging. I didn't want to put it down, and I'm an adult! 

I think this book will make an excellent read for a great variety of readers. From elephant and animal aficionados to baseball fans to foster and adoptive kids and their families, this book can find an audience in any room. I think reluctant readers will get drawn in to the mystery, and the unique zoo setting will set imaginations of all sizes wandering in the best of ways.

The elephant plot lines , even the magical bits, is all grounded in science. Rimington does a fabulous job of setting her magical world within the confines of possibility. All of Nyah's behaviors are inspired by research which is presented at the end of the novel, with citations on where to find further information. I can't overstate how much I love this; it will encourage further reading into factual matters and encourage imagination as well.  I love that each piece of magical realism is grounded and inspired by a real behavior. The messaging about friendship, family, fostering/adopting, and villainizing is spot on. We frequently want there to be a villain, but what we really find is someone who needs help growing. Have I said how much I love this book?!

The other magical realism elements include the wind speaking to Lex and a 'misplaced spirit', AKA a ghost. I love the wind talking to her and the relationship she has with it, and how it has shaped her life. We all allow outside influence into our minds, and can only overcome it in the same way Lex tackles hers. The ghost is especially interesting, as I am not a fan of ghost novels or anything of the sort. I don't do scary! Yet never once was I frightened in this book. This ghost is not scary at all, and never puts our protagonist in danger. It's a refreshing and new look at an old topic, and I found it only enhanced the story.

I can't recommend this book strongly enough, for young readers and adults alike. It's beautifully written and has a story worth sharing. I'm grateful to Net Galley for giving me an advanced copy to review. I'm officially obsessed with this book and this author, and I can't wait to see what comes next.

The Elephant's Girl publishes 19 May 2020.

This was a wonderful debut novel and I'm sure it will be a hit with my younger middle school audience. The story was a bit predictable and saccharine, but it moved at a nice pace and was a quick read. The characters had enough uniqueness to be entertaining and the endnotes about elephants and zoos were an added bonus. nice cross between Bowling's "Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus" and Applegate's "One and Only Ivan."

I would like to thank NetGalley and the publisher Random House Children's for allowing me to receive this E-ARC in exchange for an honest review. It didn't disappoint.

Lexington Willow (Lex) Lives in a zoo with her guardian and her best friends, some of them pachyderms. She arrived there one night following a tornado only to be found in the care of Nyah, a young elephant that had arrived after her life in a circus. With no trace of her family, she is taken in and makes a life at the zoo with her caregiver, and her friends. Lexington's past remains a mystery for nine years until when caring for the elephant herd the elephants and then the wind communicate with her to give her clues to her past. She's led on an adventure full of mischief and magic to uncover the facts of her mysterious history.

I was impressed with the detail portrayed in the author's writing. It felt very realistic due to her experience in working with animals in a zoo in her past. Despite it being a book for a younger audience there was just enough mystery to keep me intrigued as well. I loved the dynamic between Lex and the other characters. Each relationship was unique. While I was sad to say goodbye, I was felt like from start to finish the pacing of the book was excellent and wrapped up perfectly. As a bonus, it was fun to read the author's note and find she has ties to my own backyard. This is expected to be released on May 19th but if you like a good middle-grade book put it on your radar now.

I absolutely loved this heartwarming story! I could easily see the story playing out in my head like a movie. It’s the tale of Lexington Willow who was raised in a zoo after being orphaned by a tornado. She gets swept up into an adventure to find our her true identity that involves ghosts, elephants, telepathy, and secret messages! Such a fun read it feels like a classic!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this free review copy.

#middlegrademarch is still going strong and this was the perfect book! It doesn't release until May 19th, but be sure to put it on your list!

This was a story about friends, family and a whole lot of growth. I fell in love with the characters, especially Lex and Roger. Lex lives in a zoo and was found by Roger, after a tornado. 🌪 With no family in sight, Roger takes her in and she lives in the zoo with him. She has always had a special bond with the elephants, but especially Nyah, who had kept her safe all those years ago. Lex and Fisher, who also lives in the zoo, get to start helping care for these elephants. Lex realizes she is able to see pictures when she looks into Nyah's eyes. Soon she is more curious about where she came from and sets off to find out more about her family.

I really enjoyed this book and was sad when I was finished. The characters were so well written and I loved the bond between Lex and Roger. The ending was so perfect! If you have younger kids, I highly suggest this book. I will be adding one to my daughters bookshelf, for when she is older! 🐘

I found myself thinking about Lexington and how she would solve the mystery of where she really came from the night of the big storm all through-out the day. Lexington has a unique and strong relationship with several characters in the book and all of them are not people.
A great story that had me staying up way to late reading! Five stars! Thank you Netgalley for the advance copy.

What a sweet book! I found myself completely drawn into Lex’s world and absorbed in the story every second I was reading. I mean, who wouldn’t want to live at the zoo. Celesta Rimington did an amazing job with the characters, story line, pacing, and themes. I loved the fact how this middle grade story just drew me in.

I would definitely caution parents & teachers about themes such as death, ghosts, and the kids taking problems into their own hands. But I felt like all of these were dealt with by Rimington in a great way that added whimsy to the story.

I will definitely be recommending The Elephant’s Girl, which was easy to read, to my fellow readers both children and adults alike!

I really enjoyed reading this book. The writing quality was phenomenal and I will most likely try this author again. The story was unique and a breath of fresh air. I loved the characters, especially Lex and Nyah. What really made this book for me was the author's note at the end. I didn't realize until I was finished that it was loosely based on a real story.

I requested this book to read as I liked the premise and have been enjoying middle grade books lately. I am so glad I was approved to read it! It follows a girl who has been raised in a zoo after being found after a tornado being protected by one of the zoo’s elephants.

The book follows this girl, Lexington and her best friend Fisher, during the summer in the year they both turn 12. Lexington doesn’t know where she came from and who she is.

This book was so engaging that I read it in two days and it will stay with me for a while as my mind works through all that I read. Highly enjoyable read that I will reread and I look forward to more from this author.

Thanks to the coronavirus, I finished this book in one day.
Confession: I requested it from Netgalley because I liked the cover. I acknowledge my sin of judgement.
However, it all worked out okay, so, here I am.

This. Book. I couldn’t stop reading it. The pacing, in my mind, was excellent—but I’m ADHD, so I don’t know if that goes for everyone. It held my attention. The characters and their relationships spoke to me—I especially appreciated the well-done parent-child relationships. You don’t see that in kids’ books a lot these days.

I appreciated that the southern character (name excluded partially because of spoilers and... partially because I’m not sure I would remember it...) said things like, “sit a spell.” I appreciated that Isabel spoke some Spanish in an effort to get Lex to learn some. I appreciated that the characters read books to help them understand the world. I appreciated that Fisher’s mom cooked a lot. I appreciated that Lex learned and grew throughout the book. Roger as a guardian was excellently done. No character was perfectly good or evil, which made them perfectly human.

This was the first MG Magical Realism book I’ve liked in a while! I cried, I’ll admit it.

Also.

That cover.

There are a lot of things I loved about this book. First of all the book is set in a zoo, and focusses heavily on elephants (which I love). This book also tackles the topics of bullying, adoption, and feeling alone which are all great things to show in a middle grade novel where these topics really come to light in real life. I really appreciated that Fisher's parents are a multi-racial couple, because the diversity is also super important to show. I loved that there was a paranormal aspect with a mystery thrown in, it really made the story feel rather magical.
The relationships and interactions between people in this book were amazing. Fisher and Lex had such a pure and trusting friendship, and it was a pleasure to see what they would get into. Lex's relationship with Roger was also a great "father, daughter" relationship. They were trusting, and really seemed to be open and understanding of each other. I always love when books show good relationships between parents and children instead of "villainizing" the parents.
The ending was a bit predictable for me, but that may just be because the book is under my reading level. I think the ending wrapped everything up nicely, and was really heart warming.
Overall, I would recommend this book to anybody. When it comes out I will be buying a copy for my nine year old sister, whom loves animals especially elephants.

The Elephant's Girls by Celesta Rimington is a whimsical, wonderful MG. I'm pre-ordering a copy for my ten-year-old elephant loving daughter.

I loved watching Lex grow as a character, and the elephant scenes were magical and beautiful. Lex's relationship wit her foster father was heart-warming. And I love that she's best friends with a boy her age at the zoo, that is resilient and evolving and doesn't turn romantic. The bits with a ghost were capricious and fun, and not at all scary, which I enjoyed. All in all this was a delightful, magical adventure and I recommend it to anyone who enjoys uplifting, charming middle grade stories.


{ I will post my review on goodreads, and retailer sites, close to the time the book is published, and on my blog, which I will link below, on May 5th. }

I was intrigued the second I saw the cover of this book! It is such a beautiful, magical journey of a young girl trying to make sense of her world and put all the pieces together. I was drawn in immediately and couldn’t put it down! I cannot wait to share this book with all my students and teacher friends!

The thing about animals is we think we know all there is to know about them, but we don't.

For example, elephants communicate by issuing a deep rumbling noise that human ears can't detect, but that elephants can, that travels through the ground, like the rumbling of earthquakes, and can be felt and understood even if the elephant isn't close.

That part, is the fact that this book was woven around. For Lex can not only communicate with the wind, but with elephants as well. She was found after a tornado deposited her at the Lexington Zoo, protected by one of the elephants and her parents were never found.

Lex has given up trying to find her parents, years ago, but when she starts "hearing" what the elephant in the enclosure has to say, she realizes she has to solve a mystery for the elephants sake.

A well written story with twists and turns and well rounded characters. It grabbed me from the start and pulled me along until the very end. With ghosts and talking wind and mysteries, it was a fun read.

Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review.

Lexington Willow is a sixth-grader who lives at the Lexington, Nebraska zoo. As a young girl, she was found at the zoo in the aftermath of a tornado, under the protection of an elephant. Her parents were never located, so the kindly zoo train engineer who found her became her legal guardian. Lexington has always shared a mysterious connection with Nyah, the elephant who protected her. As her connection with Nyah grows, Lexington feels the elephant is trying to communicate something. Following her heart and the messages Nyah is sending leads Lex and her friend Fisher on a quest involving hidden treasure, a ghost, and the mystery of Lexington's missing family. Throughout the intriguing plot are woven themes of friendship, courage, and persistence. A compelling story about facing one's fears, this book would be an excellent addition to any middle grade fiction collection.

I would like to thank NetGalley and the publisher Random House Children's for allowing me to receive this E-ARC in exchange for an honest review!

The Elephants' Girl
by Celesta Rimington

This is such a hard one for me to review because technically there is nothing bad about it but I just didn't connect or enjoy my reading experience all that much. I felt like the characters were very generic and didn't hook me into the story and the plot took so long to pick up that I found I wasn't interested in picking up the book which is sad because I had such hopes for a magical cute middle grade with the zoo setting.

I do hope that the children that this is targeted to enjoy it more than I did.

2 Stars / D+

I am amazed of how much I love this book. The whole book descriptions of the zoo, the characters and their own emotions were so real. Oh and beautiful book cover too. When I was reading, I felt like I was a part of Lex and her adventures. I liked the magic aspect in each part of the book and how connected Lex was with Nyah. Never read a book like that before. I also really enjoyed the friendship of Lex and Fisher. Fisher always protecting Lex and being a great friend "future boyfriend". But Roger and Lex was just special and well done. It made me cry in the end when Roger gives Lex the special gift. Beautiful story I will buy and share in my classroom with my students to read. Thank you.

I disliked this book, but can see why so many people enjoy it. Personally I found it very slow and overly saccharine. I was also concerned about the ongoing association with Island of the Blue Dolphins, a novel which is hugely problematic and should not, I feel, be lionized.

The Elephant's Girl
by Celesta Rimington


Random House Children's

Crown Books for Young Readers
Children's Fiction , Middle Grade

Pub Date 19 May 2020


I am reviewing a copy of The Elephant’s Girl through Random House Children’s through Crown Books for Young Readers:


An Elephant does not forget, but Lexington Willow cannot remember what happened before she was swept away when she was a toddler. The only thing she knows is the Tornado landed her in an enclosure in a Nebraska Zoo and there an elephant named Nyah protected her from the storm. There was no trace of her birth family so Lex grew up at the Zoo, with Nyah her elephant family, her foster father Roger, and her best friend, Fisher, and the wind whispering in her ear.


At twelve Lexi is finally old enough to help with the Elephants. During the first training session Nyah sends her a telepathic image of the woods outside the zoo. Even as the wind protests Lexi decides to look into Nyah’s message and gets wrapped up into an adventure involving ghosts, treasures and a secret that may lead Lexi to the family she lost. As she begins the search for answers she realizes she must find the courage to leave the area surrounding the Zoo in order to discover who she really is...and why the tornado brought her to the Zoo all the years before.


I give The Elephants Girl five out of five stars!


Happy Reading!