Book Review: Small as an Elephant

So, it’s the beginning of a new month, which usually means a new theme. However, it’s also been a very busy month for me, so I haven’t picked or read books for a normal theme. Therefore, this months theme is miscellaneous books. And we’re kicking it off with a contemporary story about…well, you can read the review to find out. 😉
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Jack’s perfect vacation with his mother ends in disaster before it even starts. He wakes up the very first day to discover that she and almost all their camping gear is gone. At first he assumes she’s coming back soon, but as hours and then full days pass, he has to face the fact that she’s really gone, and he needs to fend for himself. His first priority is to avoid getting picked up by the police. That would result in the DSS getting involved and Jack doesn’t want to be taken away from his mother.

This was a really good book, not because it leaves you with warm fuzzies, but because it is realistic. It makes the reader enter into the mind and emotions of a young boy forced to take on adult responsibility because his mother doesn’t have the mental capacity to parent him properly. And it manages to stay realistic without being depressing, so double win.