about the book
You’d think being abandoned in the middle of a Maine state park by your mother would cause some concern. For Jack, who is eleven, it’s not such a big deal. She left him once before when he was just seven.
He was surprised when he woke in the morning to find his mother, her tent, all the camping gear, and the Prius gone. Maybe he shouldn’t have argued with her the day before. All he wanted was to stop at an animal park to see an elephant named Lydia. Jack is obsessed with elephants, and Lydia is the only pachyderm in Maine!
He’s sure his mom will return. And okay, he’s aware that she has some mental issues. But she’s his mom, and he definitely doesn’t want her to get into trouble again. It’s best not to say anything about his predicament to anyone!
When she doesn’t show up, Jack knows he has to find her. If he can’t find her in the backwoods of Maine, then he’ll just have to make his own way to their home in Massachusetts before the Department of Social Services catches on. He decides to begin his journey by visiting Lydia. For a good luck charm, he snitches a small toy elephant from a gift shop
Jack proves to be very resourceful and mature beyond his years. But still, through a series of misadventures, his $14.63 is soon gone, his phone is toast, his sleeping bag is stolen, he breaks his pinky, and he almost ends up caught in a library. What he doesn’t realize is the whole state of Maine is desperately searching for him!
about the author
Jennifer Richard Jacobson comes from a long line of educators, so it’s not surprising that she became a dedicated teacher. What she didn’t realize, growing up in New Hampshire, is that she was going to be an award-winning author. Perhaps taking home first place in an essay contest in high school should have given her a clue.
Jennifer found her love of children’s book in a kid’s lit class at Lesley College and tinkered with writing while she taught classes and worked as an administrator in elementary schools. After earning her Master’s degree from Harvard in education, she went back into the classroom to teach first grade. She told her students that year that she was going to teach them everything she knew about writing and in return, they would help her become a better writer. The manuscript she finished that year will never be published but was helpful.
She continued to write articles, books for parents and teachers, and beginning readers. After taking on the challenge of reviewing 400 books, she finally felt ready to write her first novel A Net of Stars. Remember the kids from that first grade class? They came to her first book signing. They were seniors in high school!
Jennifer wrote the first draft of Small as an Elephant sitting in an armchair, referring to Google maps to plot Jack’s search for his mom. When her publisher wanted more details, Jennifer actually packed a bag and followed Jack’s journey, even investigating the vault he was trapped in!
Jennifer makes her home in Maine in a little cozy cottage, built in 1802.
Sources:
Author website
Author page : Simon & Schuster
Also by Jennifer Richard Jacobson:
The Complete History of Why I Hate Her. Atheneum/Richard Jackson Books. 2010.
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