An Elephant in the Garden

Lizzie and Karl's mother works as a keeper at a zoo, and the family has grown close to Marlene, an orphaned elephant. Bombing is expected, and the zoo plans to destroy Marlene as a precaution, so that she and the other animals cannot roam free if the zoo is hit.

The family persuades the zoo director to let Marlene live in their garden instead. When the city is bombed, they have to leave with thousands of other people, and an elephant walking beside them makes that flight far harder. They need to find a way to stay on the road, and to stay safe, with Marlene in tow.

On the way they meet Peter, a Canadian navigator who risks being captured himself to save the family. Together they form an unlikely group of survivors.

The book is a wartime survival story for younger readers, with an animal at its centre and a tone that leans toward warmth and hope. Michael Morpurgo adds an author's note saying it draws on historical truths and on his admiration for elephants. Simon Reade is credited as co-author.