An excellent book. Lizzie is in a nursing home and has been telling the nurses that there "was an elephant in the garden." No one believes her until one of the nurse's sons hears her story. He believes her and gets his mom to believe her too. They patiently listen to her whole story about the elephant and their escape from Dresden during the bombing of the city in World War II. During this time, Liz, her mother, and her brother Karli befriend an Allied bomber navigator who was shot down during the bombing. He helps them to safety.
The book tells a unique story that is based loosely on a few true events, which the author explains in the back of the book. The story has history, survival, danger, and a little bit of romance. One part of the story was unclear to me though. When soldiers arrived at Aunt Lotti and Uncle Manfred's farm, Liz "felt for Peter's hand under the table." On the next page, her mother names Peter as her oldest son and he is out in the open. Why would he be hiding under the table and then come out? That would look suspicious to the soldiers if they saw it.
Elephant lovers may be upset at one point in the book. Throughout the book the elephant, Marlene, is treated with gentleness and kindness. She really is a part of the family. Near the end, she runs away because of tanks. After at least 20 years, Liz sees her in a circus. They say she is the smartest elephant they have ever seen, but elephant fans may be upset that she is in a circus at all. There are no attempts to remove her from the circus, but there is also no cruelty stated.
Overall a good book! I loved it!