Didn't want this book to end! Beautiful story woven together with heart and bravery.

Thank you NetGalley and Little, Brown Books for Young Readers for the ARC.

I enjoyed reading this young adult story. This is a story about friendship between a girl and an elephant. This is a well written story that is written with alot of inspiration and hope. The characters are not only connectable by unique and creative. They pulled me into their world and kept me engaged to the end. It is a fast paced story is hard to put down. I enjoyed watching the relationship's growth between the girl and the elephant. It is a great story that you dont want to miss. It is a great story for any young adult. I highly recommend this book.

Thank you to James Patterson, Ellen Banda-Aaku for this ARC in exchange for my honest feedback and review.

This is a heartfelt story of Jama and a baby elephant she befriends. When a stampede causes a death in the village Jama and her elephant are orphaned.

Elephants are my favorite animal so when I saw this book I jumped for it! This is such an amazing heartwarming story of a girl and the bond she forms with elephants. I loved this story!!

Incredibly moving story of sensitive Jama, brave animal lover. This book is inspired by true events.

Review coming soon. Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the ARC; opinions are mine.

Moving is an understatement.
Pub Date July 25th, 2022
#TheElephantGirl #JamesPatterson #EllenBandaAaku #NetGalley

First Thoughts (after turning the final page)
What can I say about this book? It is beautifully written, tugs at heartstrings throughout, leaves me in awe of the strength of the protagonist – the elephant girl, takes me right to the locations featured, all the while being so very real and believable!

More About What I Loved
- Learning about the Maasai culture, and at how the Maasai people connect with nature and wildlife
- The short chapters combined with a fast pace and beautiful, straightforward writing
- Underlying themes of beginning afresh, almost like the phoenix, and of forging friendships where you find them
- Both the glossary and authors’ notes at the end.

Note that this is realistic fiction, and does have events and incidents that might be disturbing to some young readers (older readers too) but is a must read despite that or rather, because of that; and in the end, it will leave you feeling so much more better for having read it.

Also, note that this is a book that definitely lends to conversations about conservation, discussions about poaching and elephant as well as wildlife behavior, and opportunities for learning so much more.

Final Thoughts
Heartwarming and heartbreaking at the same time; inspiring and uplifting; empowering, entertaining, and educational, …I can go on about it, but will stop here and simply say that this is a must-read.

Keep in mind that once you get started on reading this book, you will want to keep reading it to the end.
So what are you waiting for? Get it here for yourself or someone you know will love it.

Disclaimer: I received a digital ARC from NetGalley, and these are my honest opinions.

I received an ARC of this book through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Recommend for readers starting in upper elementary school.

I loved this sweet story of a girl and her love of her family and the animals in her world. Especially elephants. While Jama faces a lot of devastation and difficulty in her young life, things really couldn't have turned out better for her. Or Mbegu.

A sweet book about a young orphaned book saving an orphaned elephant. Just enough info to get interested but not enough to overwhelm a young reader. Would recommend to a young 4,5,6 grade reader.

Thanks to Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, jimmy patterson, and NetGalley for an advanced copy of The Elephant Girl.

Jama is an elephant-loving 12-year old Maasai girl who lives with her mother after the death of her father. While other girls her age are interested in boys and gossip, Jama is content to watch and interact with the local elephants at the village watering hole. When tragedy strikes and an elephant stampedes, causing the loss of 2 lives, Jama has nowhere to turn.

There are many things to love about this story. It's based on true events and teaches the reader a little bit about life in a Maasai village. It centers around elephants! It's inspirational and full of hope. I think it's perfect for any middle-grade bookshelf.

Such a heartfelt story! I read this book with my kids and they loved seeing Jama develop a bond with the elephants, especially Mbegu.

The writing in this book is fantastic. It has a good balance of descriptions and dialog. I felt like I could imagine everything in full color as I was reading and understand the village and lifestyle. This book tackled real issues of elephant poaching and in such a way that is relatable to children. It was so easy to fall in love with our heroine.

Not a dry eye during Jama's heartbreak for her elephants and her triumphs!

Thank you to Little Brown Books and Netgalley for providing a copy of this book for my honest review.

This charming novel was written by award winning author, Ellen Banda-Aaku in partnership with the prolific writer of many New York Best Selling, James Patterson. The novel was both entertaining and educational, although the chapters were short, two or three pages. they were not choppy and merged well. This was a fast paced book and I will warn the reader not to start this book if you have a task that needs done,as is was easy to become in grossed. Although the book was considered a YA novel, in my opinion, the age for this novel was closer to an older middle grade reader. The novel would appeal to any reader that had an interest in animal conservation and the African country of Kenya.
Jama, a young Massai girl who seemed prefer elephants over people,. Jama spends a great of her time observing the elephants that she loves so much. Jama carries a lot on her shoulders and she experianced much heartbreak in her short life. For example, she experianced two major losses, her mother and an elephant that sh loved very much.
Thank you Netgalley for choosing me to read and write an honest review.

The elephant girl is a one-of-a-kind book based on one of the tribes in Africa and a girl who forms deep friendship with an elephant and will do anything to rescue her. There were some instances when the story was really sad and I wished things are better for the girl. It is a good novel that teaches about social responsibility and how to care for animals.

Jama is a 12 year old girl who lives in an African village. Her Baba passed away 3 years ago from an infection so it’s just been her and her Mama. Jama is a bit of a loner. One day on one of her solo excursions she sees a herd of elephants come to a watering hole. She has never been this close to the elephants before and while she knows her Mama would think it os dangerous, she can’t help but return often to see them. She especially loves when a baby is born into the herd. After a sad turn of events, both Jama and the new baby elephant end up orphaned. Their story continues…

I read this book as a possible read aloud for my students this year. But I honestly didn’t love it. The story was ok. I loved the relationship between the elephant and Jama. I just wasn’t impressed with the story itself. I may let my youngest son try it out and see if he feels differently!

I absolutely loved this middle grade novel so much that I stayed up way too late and read it in one sitting. It has all of the things I think are important in good books- an interesting plot, new things that can be learned, and a great ending. I also have a lot of love and admiration of elephants, and I loved that this book teaches kids about poaching and endangerment, things that are hard to speak of, but are important to know about so we can help save our elephant friends. I also love that the book was set in Africa, so there is a new culture to learn about. I will absolutely recommend this book to my middle grade sons, and adults alike.

Ⓑⓞⓞⓚ Ⓡⓔⓥⓘⓔⓦ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

𝔼𝕝𝕖𝕡𝕙𝕒𝕟𝕥 𝔾𝕚𝕣𝕝
𝙹𝚊𝚖𝚎𝚜 𝙿𝚊𝚝𝚝𝚎𝚛𝚜𝚘𝚗 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝙴𝚕𝚕𝚎𝚗 𝙱𝚊𝚗𝚍𝚊-𝙰𝚊𝚔𝚞 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚂𝚘𝚙𝚑𝚒𝚊 𝙺𝚛𝚎𝚟𝚘𝚢
Children’s Chapter Book Ages 10-14
272 Pages
Pub Date: July 25, 2022

Sʜᴏᴿᴛ Sʏɴᴏᴘsɪs

In Elephant Girl, poachers are killing the elephants in Maasai territory, and Jama will do anything to protect them. She has formed a bond with the elephants, a bond that can’t be broken. What will happen when her ethics go against her people?

Mʸ Tᴴᴼᵁᴳᴴᵀs

𝙃𝙤𝙡𝙮 𝙚𝙡𝙚𝙥𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙩𝙨, this story is spectacular. The authors told this tale, incorporating the Maasai’s beliefs and celebrations. This led to a heartfelt story that could make you smile and bring you to tears.

The story takes place in Kenya. Although it is fiction, it represents the real threat to elephants living in Africa and Asia.

Jama is the MC who is only twelve and different from other girls her age. That is definitely noticed by those around her. She is decisive regarding her beliefs and full of emotion when she suffers tragedies. You can’t help but love her. 💗

There are other kind characters and some despicable ones as well. I thanked the stars Jama had reinforcements from the good ones.

There is a glossary of terms for the Swahili language (I think that is correct) that is very helpful as many words are authentic and written in this language. Of course, I didn’t see it until the end. Even then, it helped me out.

Elephant Girl is a quick read. I read it after I went to bed last night and couldn’t put it down. I enjoyed learning about the Maasai and the plight of the elephants.

Well-written and tied to your heartstrings, Elephant Girl is a read for everyone. Pub day is July 25, 2022. I suggest pre-ordering it.

Thank you to NetGalley, the authors, and the publisher for providing this ebook for me to read and review. I consider myself lucky to have been chosen.

This book written by James Patterson and Ellen Banda-Aaku was a great read. I always enjoy Patterson's books and I enjoy getting to ready other author's that he brings on board to aid in writing great reads with him. This book is unlike any others by Patterson that I have read and I know that it will be fitting for readers of all ages. I read this one in no time and was sad when it was over.

Jama is a young girl living in a village with her people. When her father gets a bad infection and can't fight it off, he ends up dying so it is just Jama and her mother left to tend to the sandal store that her father used to run. The village people don't think it is wise idea for Jama's mom to keep the shop and continue with the business. Jama and her mom are determined to show the village people that they can do just as well as her husband/father did with the store.

Jama goes to school with the other children from the village but has noticed that she is not interested in the same things that they are. Jama even is left out of some of the social gatherings that happen because of her differences. Jama has retreated to going to the place that makes her happy and where she can be herself and no one will say anything, with the herd of elephants that she has discovered on the outskirts of the village. Jama feels a strong connection to the elephants but she knows that she is not supposed to be where she is or interact with the large animals because of what they could do to her.

When an accident ends up taking Jama's mother from her too, she feels that she has no where to go and that she will never belong to the village where she grew up ever again. The village people turned against her and said some mean and horrible things right before she made the decision to go with on of the elephant rescue's after her mom's accident.

I really enjoyed getting to know and understand where Jama comes from and to see how Jama gets a chance to use her ability to connect with the elephants in her everyday life. Made my heart very happy. You will devour this book like I did and then long for more of Jama and her life. I highly recommend this book for readers of all ages.

What a great read from James Patterson & Ellen Banda-Aaku. This middle-school book was heartbreaking and uplifting. The authors wrote a beautiful story about a girl and an elephant that both lost their mothers and were left orphans. The characters are well written and I felt their emotions as I was reading their stories. Thank you NetGalley and Little, Brown Books for Young Readers for a digital arc of this title.

This was an enjoyable, uplifting story. This is a book which would be enjoyed by adults as well as youth. A fun and fast read which I would recommend to all

With thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early copy in return for an honest review.

“The Elephant Girl” is a realistic fiction story about a young Kenyan girl and a baby elephant. The story is told from Jama's perspective and what she has gone through in her life is just unimaginable. I love when a book leads me down a research hole and when I finished reading I quickly set off to research the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust.

Due to a couple of events in the story I would probably not share this with young middle grade readers

“The Elephant Girl” 🐘 is a middle grade novel by James Patterson and Ellen Banda-Aaku with Sophia Krevoy which is due to be released July 25, 2022.

I was thrilled to receive an eARC from Jimmy Patterson Books and Little, Brown and Company.

“The Elephant Girl” is a realistic fiction novel about a girl and a baby elephant. The story is told by Jama. Jama loves going to her own discovered spot at the watering hole by her village to watch the elephants. She watches a baby elephant from birth, whom Jama names Mbegu, which is Swahili for “seed”. Brought together by trust, tragedy, love, and family, these characters demonstrate a friendship like no other.

This was a book I started today and did not put down until I finished. I highly recommend this book starting at upper elementary. This story is going to stay with me for quite some time. ❤️🐘