This simply written but emotionally rich tale of an 11-year-old boy abandoned by his bipolar single mother will kindle profound responses in young readers
— Booklist Starred Review

…Jacobson masterfully puts readers into Jack’s mind—he loves and understands his mother, but sometimes his judgments are not always good, and readers understand. His love and knowledge of elephants both sustains him and pleasingly shapes the story arc. Jack’s journey to a new kind of family is inspiring and never sappy.
–Kirkus

Jacobson has great success putting readers inside Jack’s not-always-thinking-things-through mind, and by the end of the story, nicely tied together by the elephant theme, Jack comes to realize that he hadn’t been alone, that family and people he didn’t even know were there for him in a “makeshift herd.” The happy yet realistic ending leaves Jack (and readers) “light-headed with hope.”
– Horn Book

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Candlewick; Reprint edition (April 9, 2013)

• Language ‏ : ‎ English

• Paperback ‏ : ‎ 288 pages

• ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 9780763663339

• ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0763663339

• Reading age ‏ : ‎ 9 - 13 years

• Lexile measure ‏ : ‎ 790L

• Grade level ‏ : ‎ 4 -7

Ever since Jack can remember, his mom has been unpredictable, sometimes loving and fun, other times caught in a whirlwind of energy and ”spinning” wildly until it’s over. But Jack never thought his mom would take off during the night and leave him at a campground in Acadia National Park, with no way to reach her and barely enough money for food. Any other kid would report his mom gone, but Jack knows by now that he needs to figure things out for himself — starting with how to get from the backwoods of Maine to his home in Boston before DSS catches on. With nothing but a small toy elephant to keep him company, Jack begins the long journey south, a journey that will test his wits and his loyalties — and his trust that he may be part of a larger herd after all.Don’t worry about sounding professional. Sound like you. There are over 1.5 billion websites out there, but your story is what’s going to separate this one from the rest. If you read the words back and don’t hear your own voice in your head, that’s a good sign you still have more work to do.