The Great Elephant Chase by Gillian Cross

Tad watches in wonder as a showman entertains the crowd with a live elephant. When night falls he tries to find somewhere to shelter and oddly he finds himself in the train box housing the elephant. The pair immediately form a bond. When Tad is discovered by the owner of the elephant, Michael Keenan, the showman sees an opportunity. Tad can clean and care for Khush in exchange for his silence now that Tad knows the trick used by the showman. While the people stand and stare at the enormous beast Khush sweeps in with his trunk and lifts a young cripple girl up into the air. You can see this scene used for one of the older book covers below. When Khush puts her down gently, Michael Kennan rushes to her side and he gives her some green medicine. The girl stands up and she tosses away her crutches - seemingly cured. Micheal Keenan declare this is all due to an elixir he has administered to the young girl and he has plenty of bottles ready to sell but of course this is not true. Cissie is his daughter and this is a scam - a scam that makes the elephant owner lots of money.

That night, though, events take a dramatic turn. Michael Keenan and his eldest daughter are killed in a train accident. Cissie survives. Along comes a man called Hannibal Jackson claims Michael Keenan sold Khush just hours before the accident. He wants Khush and so now the race is on. Tad and Cissie need to protect and save Khush. Cissie is sure the contract of sale is a fake. She wants to reach her friend Ketty but Nebraska is 2000 miles from Pittsburgh. 

The writing in The Great Elephant Chase is so atmospheric. You will feel every splash of water as the children travel along various rivers, you will know exactly how the skin of an elephant feels, and you will shudder each time Mr Jackson and his despicable companion Miss Esther appear and nearly catch hold of Khush. Tad and Cissie are the heroes of this story but it is Khush who will win your heart. This book would make a terrific family or class read aloud but when you do this I suggest you will need to grab a map because the story involves a long journey down the Ohio River, the Mississippi River and the Missouri River over 2000 miles through many US States.

When I read The Girl who Stole an Elephant in May, 2020 I thought of The Great Elephant chase so when I saw a disposed copy in a school library I happily picked it up to read again.

There's a suspenseful race to the finish and a satisfying number of surprises Kirkus

I read the whole book in one sitting - yes it is that good and this book is still available at a really good price. The Great elephant chase was first published in 1992. It won the Whitbread Children's Book Award and the Smarties Prize. Here is an interview with Gillian Cross. You can read more plot details here and here is a website for Gillian.

Here are some of the older covers. As usual I find all of these different designs very interesting.