Small as an Elephant was a hard read for me. It’s very short because it’s Middle Grade, but it has a lot of emotional depth. I’ve been a foster parent for almost ten years, and this book has a lot of “real” in it. It also has a lot of drama — but that’s ok because it’s the point. Even though Jack’s story is unusual (in that most of the circumstances would be very rate), that doesn’t mean it couldn’t happen.
Short summary: Jack goes camping with his mom and she abandons him, and not for the first time. There’s a lot of implication in the book that Mom has a lot of issues, but they aren’t a huge topic since this is Jack’s story, not hers.
The ending of this book (without too many spoilers) is what sets it apart. There’s a happy, but not an implied happily ever after. This is critical because Jack’s Mom isn’t in a great place. And there’s no single-day-turnaround from someone with issues of this scope. However, there is a great step forward with a support system that leaves the reader with a great deal of hope.
Sometimes with a book on a difficult topic, the best we can hope for is reality with a dash of hope. I’m relieved to read a book that does pretend every kid in a tough situation gets a HEA, but also doesn’t leave us entirely devoid of the possibility that a great future awaits the protag we’ve come to respect.
