The Elephant in the Room is the seventh book by acclaimed children's author and screenwriter Holly Goldberg Sloan. The novel, honored with the prestigious Christopher Award, follows the journey of Sila Tekin after her mother returns to Turkey due to an immigration issue. Despite grief and longing for her mother, Sila discovers unexpected companionship in a lottery winner, an autistic classmate, and a retired circus elephant. In The Elephant in the Room, Sloan delves into themes of family and community, empathy and understanding, and injustice and advocacy. Other works by Sloan include Counting by 7s, Short, and To Night Owl from Dogfish.

This guide references the 2021 Rocky Pond Books e-book edition.

Content Warnings: The source text depicts spousal death and animal abuse and neglect.

Plot Summary

When Oya Tekin, a Turkish immigrant, accidentally receives a coworker's paycheck, it sets off a chain of events for the Tekin family. Sila, Oya's daughter, innocently discovers that despite working the same hours, her mom earns less than her coworker. Oya speaks up about this unfairness and gets fired from her job as a housekeeper at the hotel where she worked for 14 years. Then, Oya finds she must return to Turkey because of an immigration issue. Although Oya promises to return soon, months pass, leaving Sila and her father, Alp, waiting anxiously. Sila blames herself for their troubles and withdraws from her friends and favorite activities.

One Saturday, Alp, a mechanic, takes Sila to fix a truck outside town. They meet Giovanni Gardino (Gio), a lottery winner who lives on a farm surrounded by an enormous stone wall. Sila realizes that Lillian, Gio's deceased wife and a second-grade teacher, was her favorite teacher. Sila and Alp connect with Gio instantly and even meet him for donuts the next day to celebrate Gio's birthday.

During their donut outing, a traveling circus stops by the shop. The circus leader, Chester Briot, explains the circus is disbanding and introduces them to Veda, an Asian elephant. After Alp and Sila leave, Gio buys Veda from the circus.

At school, Sila's sixth-grade teachers notice her withdrawn behavior and falling grades. They enroll her in a program called "Connections," where they pair her with Mateo Lopez, a classmate with autism. Despite being classmates for years, Sila and Mateo rarely interact. Their first session is quiet as they read their books.

Gio's purchase of Veda turns out to be more complicated than expected, but eventually, Veda arrives at the farm. Along with Veda, the circus leaves behind Mr. Pickles, a grumpy bear. When Mr. Pickles causes chaos, Gio refuses to use force and lets him roam freely.

Gio finds a sanctuary for Mr. Pickles. When Alp and Sila return, Sila is thrilled to see Veda. Gio tells her she can visit anytime and bring a friend.

Sila wears her mother's hand-knit sweater to school. When a teacher tells her to take it off, as Sila looks overheated, Sila struggles to explain her emotional attachment to the sweater. Mateo defends Sila, and they walk home together for the first time. The next day, Sila invites Mateo to visit Gio's farm over the weekend. Mateo says he has to ask his mother and invites Sila into his house.

Mateo's mother, Rosa, a lawyer specializing in labor law, is surprised to see Sila but eventually agrees to let Mateo accompany Sila and Alp. Mateo is also thrilled to see Veda, though he expresses his joy differently than Sila. At lunch, Mateo recommends that Gio keep Veda's poop organized in one place. Sila and Mateo start gathering the poop, and Gio pays them for it, inspiring Sila to ask if she and Mateo can work for Gio over the summer. After some debate between the adults, Rosa and Alp eventually agree to let Sila and Mateo work for Gio. 

School ends, and Sila and Mateo begin working on the farm. Veda's excrement becomes a problem as many creatures are attracted to it. Eventually, Veda's poop becomes a business as Sila and Mateo sell it to a local nursery as fertilizer. Gio buys flamingos to keep Veda company. Sila and Mateo start researching Veda's history, searching for Veda's mother. 

Rosa is interested in Oya's difficulties and volunteers her legal services and those of her law firm to help the Tekins. She files a case against the hotel while a coworker works on the immigration issues. 

Sila and Mateo locate Veda's mother, Mahdi, at an elephant sanctuary in Arizona. When school resumes, Sila reconnects with her friends. Alp and Oya arrive at school, and Sila is reunited with her mom. Months later, Oya wins her case against the hotel, leading to a large settlement for the Tekins. The family and Rosa, Mateo, and Gio visit Arizona to see Mahdi. They decide that Mahdi will move to Gio's farm, and after Gio's passing, Mahdi and Veda will return to the sanctuary in Arizona.

Mahdi arrives at the farm and reunites with Veda, delighting Gio, Sila, and Mateo.