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When Elephants Fly

By: Nancy Richardson Fischer
Narrated by: Caitlin Davies
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Publisher's summary

Don’t miss one of the most heartwarming young adult novels of the year. Perfect for fans of Water for Elephants, Wonder, and All the Bright Places, When Elephants Fly shows that how we choose to live our lives matters, and that there are some battles worth fighting even if it means losing yourself.

T. Lily Decker is a high school senior with a 12-year plan: avoid stress, drugs, alcohol, and boyfriends, and take regular psych quizzes administered by her best friend, Sawyer, to make sure she’s not developing schizophrenia.

Genetics are not on Lily’s side. When she was seven, her mother, who had paranoid schizophrenia, tried to kill her. And a secret has revealed that Lily’s odds are even worse than she thought. Still, there’s a chance to avoid triggering the mental health condition, if Lily can live a careful life from ages 18 to 30, when schizophrenia most commonly manifests.

But when a newspaper internship results in Lily witnessing a mother elephant try to kill her three-week-old calf, Swifty, Lily can’t abandon the story or the calf. With Swifty in danger of dying from grief, Lily must choose whether to risk everything, including her sanity and a first love, on a desperate road trip to save the calf’s life, perhaps finding her own version of freedom along the way.

Supplemental enhancement PDF accompanies the audiobook.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2018 Nancy Richardson Fischer (P)2018 Harlequin Enterprises, Limited
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Critic reviews

"Nancy Richardson Fischer has managed to combine so many important topics - family, mental illness, extinction, animal welfare, and adolescence - into an accessible, moving and extraordinary story." (Ellen C. O'Connell, executive vice president, global, Space for Giants)

"This book was an absolute pleasure to read. I encourage everyone to read this inspirational book and discuss mental illness and tolerance and the need to improve wildlife protection." (Katie Rowe, Pritzker Genius Award nominee, cofounder, Reteti Elephant Sanctuary)

"When Elephants Fly is a compelling read, beautifully threading the complex relationship between mothers and daughters, mental illness and elephants." (National Book Award finalist Carrie Arcos)

What listeners say about When Elephants Fly

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Exceptional read!

A perfect balance of animal issues and mental illness. The characters are drawn well and you’ll find yourself rooting for Swifty and Tiger until the very end. Touching, moving and intelligently written. Will stay with you. Narration is mostly spot on.

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2 people found this helpful