The Ivory Needle

An ancient ivory needle. A desperate plea from beyond the veil... When Chessie is sent off to spend the summer with her ancient great-gram in middle-of-nowhere, Kenya, that's bad enough. But when Chessie finds an ivory needle and is contacted by the spirit of Jhelani-an eons-dead elephant-her summer takes a total left turn toward weird. Communicating with cryptic songs and undecipherable symbols, Jhelani's desperate message slowly emerges: if someone cannot save the last of her once-immortal tribe, the Earth may pay a deadly price. But is any of the mysterious message true? And even if it's all true, what's she supposed to do about it? Reckless adventures are so not her thing. Meanwhile, when Daniel Olanga's crops fail and his last goat is murdered by a starving lion, he can no longer feed his family. Desperate for work, he's coerced into a brutal gang of elephant poachers with their sights set on a huge payday: the last two elephants of Jhelani's tribe. No one-elephant or human-will be safe when Chessie's and Daniel's worlds finally collide. The Ivory Needle is a YA fantasy adventure packed with mystery, suspense, and a hefty dose of spine-tingling magic. For ages 13 and up.