You Can't See the Elephants

(Hardback)

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Description

When thirteen-year-old Mascha is sent to her grandparents' for the summer, she spends her days bored and lonely at a nearby playground. There she meets Julia and Max, two young siblings who are incredibly shy and withdrawn. When thirteen-year-old Mascha is sent to her grandparents' for the summer, she spends her days bored and lonely at a nearby playground. There she meets Julia and Max, two young siblings who are incredibly shy and withdrawn. Mascha soon begins to suspect that they are being physically abused by their father, a prominent member of their small community. She tells her grandparents and the authorities, but they all refuse to believe her. Mascha can't let the abuse go on, so she takes matters into her own hands. Already an international award winner, this beautifully written novel is a haunting and timely tale. Praise forYou Can't See the Elephants- 'An affecting story about a universal problem that will resonate with a widespread audience... this important book-seamlessly translated by Elizabeth Gaffney-deserves an expansive readership.'Booklist, starred review 'A debut novel so real it hurts . . . eloquently translated by Gaffney, captures the desperation and helplessness of a girl who just wants to do the right thing.' Publishers Weekly,starred review 'Kreller delivers a powerful tale . . . Disturbingly plausible, definitely thought- and discussion-provoking.'Kirkus Reviews 'A compelling read for preteens and teens.'School Library Journal ' A thoughtful, atmospheric, and resonant novel, understated yet powerful in its depiction of abuse and subtle but effective in its revealing of Mascha as a complex person with her own pain to confront.'BCCB

Reviews

Praise for You Can't See the Elephants

"An affecting story about a universal problem that will resonate with a widespread audience... this important book--seamlessly translated by Elizabeth Gaffney--deserves an expansive readership."--Booklist, starred review

"A debut novel so real it hurts... eloquently translated by Gaffney, captures the desperation and helplessness of a girl who just wants to do the right thing."--Publishers Weekly, starred review

"Kreller delivers a powerful tale... Disturbingly plausible, definitely thought- and discussion-provoking."--Kirkus Reviews

"A compelling read for preteens and teens."--School Library Journal

"[A] thoughtful, atmospheric, and resonant novel, understated yet powerful in its depiction of abuse and subtle but effective in its revealing of Mascha as a complex person with her own pain to confront."--BCCB

Author Bio

Susan Kreller is a freelance journalist and writer. She has been nominated for the German Children's Literature Award twice and has won the Kranichsteiner literary prize. You Can't See the Elephants (Elefanten sieht man nicht), her debut novel, is already the winner of seven international awards and has been translated into six languages.

Elizabeth Gaffney, a native Brooklynite, studied philosophy and German at Ludwig-Maximillian University in Munich. She is the author of the novels When the World Was Young and Metropolis.