Fifteen-year-old Tim loves his job at his dad's pet store, partly because he gets to spend time with his best friend, a black cockatoo named Elmo.
But things at work have been tense since the store moved to a larger, more expensive location. To make extra money his father rents out the store's exotic birds for parties and Tim is furious at this exploitation of his friend. When Elmo is stolen from one of the parties, the police are unconcerned about the theft. Tim and his new human friend, Sapna, set out to find Elmo and discover that Elmo is more valuable than they'd ever imagined.
This short novel is a high-interest, low-reading level book for middle-grade readers who are building reading skills, want a quick read or say they don’t like to read!
When award-winning author Monique Polak was a kid, her best friend was her budgie, Ner vous Thompson Williamson. Monique is the popular author of many books for children and young adults, including Home Invasion and No More Pranks in the Orca Soundings series. Monique lives in Montreal, Quebec.
"[The] fast-paced plot is sure to pull even the most reluctant of readers along in its wake."
"Polak presents the ethnic mix of a large urban centre in a matter-of-fact-way...The strongest part of Finding Elmo lies in the plot below the surface: the father-son relationship. Recommended."