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An Elephant in the Garden by Michael Morpurgo






An Elephant in the Garden is a junior fiction novel by Michael Morpurgo. A story within a story, Lizzie tells her nurse and her nurse's son, Karl, about her experiences in Dresden, Germany during World War 2. Inspired by the true story of an elephant rescued from a zoo and living in the zookeeper's garden, An Elephant in the Garden is a beautiful book.

Sex: None. Lizzie is 16 years old and mentions that she thinks she's in love with a RAF pilot. There is a romantic story line, but it's not the main focus and it's very innocent.

Language: Two mild curse words used by soldiers.

Drug/Alcohol Use: None.

Violence/Gore/Frightening Scenes/Death: Lizzie's family lives in Dresden when it's bombed. The zoo plans to shoot all of the animals considered dangerous if a bombing occurs. Lizzie's family spends most of the book trying to hide from Russian soldiers and worrying if her father is alive.

Final Note: What a wonderful book! It reminded me a lot of "Number the Stars" by Lois Lowry, which was my favorite book in the 5th grade. I love how this story is set during World War 2 and is told from a German perspective. I think it's important to see the humanity in people who were considered "enemies" during the war.

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