Elephant Touch

For fans of Sara Pennypacker’s Pax and Ali Benjamin’s The Thing About Jellyfish, Elephant Touch is a contemporary middle grade novel about overcoming grief that will touch the hearts of its readers.

Since the sudden loss of her mother, Quinn has been inconsolable. Her aunt brings her to volunteer at a Thai elephant sanctuary, hoping it will be a healing experience--but when Quinn learns about the previous abuse of the elephants she’s there to help, she’s overcome with even more grief.

While crying alone by the river one day, Quinn has a magical encounter with an adult elephant. She marvels at the elephant’s show of compassion, and they develop a strong connection. But when an orphaned baby elephant, also grieving her mother’s death, arrives at the sanctuary in fragile health, Quinn is afraid to get involved. To help save the baby elephant’s life, she must be courageous and use her newfound ability to connect with the elephants--not to mention accept the support of her new human friends. If she can channel her grief into action, she just might find the community and support she’s been missing. But can she find the courage to do it?

Susan R. Greenway grew up in California, where she was fortunate to live in a family that loved books, music, and the beauty of nature. In addition to reading and writing, Susan also loves being in the mountains or at the ocean. Formerly, she was an elementary school teacher and a reading specialist, vocations that helped her rediscover her love of children’s books. Elephant Touch is her debut book, inspired by an experience she had with an elephant in Thailand. Susan lives in Redmond, Washington, with her husband and their dog.