Do you like books where the characters are longing for something that they can’t have? Well, this is shown in The Elephant in the Room by Holly Goldberg Sloan. This book follows the character Sila. She and her family are immigrants from Turkey. Recently, her mom has faced immigration problems and has been sent out of the country. Her parents said she was only going to be gone a few weeks, but it had been almost a year. Everything changes in her life when she meets Gio and becomes friends with Matteo. She meets Gio when she tags along with her dad to fix Gio’s car. Her and Gio become friends almost immediately. She meets Matteo in this project they’re doing at school. This project is where she and Matteo sit in a room for 20 minutes. She is doing this because she hasn’t made friends since her mom left so they think this will help her. A couple days after she meets Gio he buys an elephant that she immediately connects with. This elephant was originally in a circus that they met while at a donut shop. Since Sila loved it so much Gio bought it. Her life went from tired and depressing to exciting and enjoyable. All this happened, and her mom still can’t come home. Will her mom ever be able to come home? Or will she always have a parent missing from her life? To find out, read The Elephant in the Room by Holly Goldberg Sloan.
If you like books like The Elephant in the Room by Holly Goldberg Sloan, then you should read Better with Butter by Victoria Piontek. This story follows Marvel, a 12 year old girl. Marvel has an anxiety disorder and is scared of a lot of things who has trouble making friends. Until she finds an unexpected adorable goat as a friend. Will Marvel ever be able to make a real friend her age? Will she ever get over her fears? To find out, read Better with Butter by Victoria Piontek.