Elvis and the World As It Stands
By Lisa Frenkel Riddiough (Fin'86)
(Amulet Books - Imprint of Abrams, 256 pages; 2021)
Most shelter animals dream of going home with a forever family. But for Elvis, being chosen by Mrs. Pemberton is a nightmare. He鈥檚 been separated from his sister, Etta, and is determined to get back to the shelter to find her. In spite of himself, Elvis becomes curious about ten-year-old Georgina Pemberton, who builds LEGO skyscrapers in her bedroom while navigating her parents鈥 separation. The longer he鈥檚 in his new home, the more he starts recognizing new feelings: admiration for Georgina鈥檚 creations, affection for the other pets, and even empathy for the Pembertons鈥攄espite their inability to listen.
As Georgina sets out to build her most important skyscrapers yet鈥攖he Twin Towers鈥擡lvis realizes that maybe both humans and animals can take a page from Georgina鈥檚 Big Book of American Architecture and 鈥渂uild a world of their own choosing,鈥 even if the choices aren鈥檛 what they鈥檇 initially expected.