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I think I read this book in the mid-00s. It was a young adult novel with a protagonist who was, I think, learning how to travel between dimensions. They got separated from their tutor in a world with narrow alleys and a many-storied multipurpose building with unfriendly residents, and had to get scrip for food--I don't recall how. My impression of the world was industrial dystopia, but I don't remember any details that would indicate as much.

I also distinctly remember a scene of a young elephant--who may also have been learning to travel between universes--getting stuck in one of the world's narrow alleys (maybe this is how the protagonist got separated from their tutor?). I'm pretty sure the elephant was of human-level intelligence and able to communicate with the protagonist.

Has anyone else read this book to know what I'm talking about? I'm pretty sure the scene I described above is only a small part of the book, not the main plot. I think it was part of a series but I'm not sure which one.

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That's The Merlin Conspiracy by Diana Wynne Jones (sequel to Deep Secret, so part of the Magid series). The boy learning to travel dimensions is Nick, and the elephant is Mini - he meets her on the dark paths (the narrow alleys you remember) and finds he can communicate with her.

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    You're exactly right! I remember the cover now, and the names are very familiar--thanks for the quick answer! I was actually half thinking it might have been part of the Chrestomanci series but none of the books seemed right--guess I had the author right even if I had the series wrong! Don't think I ever read the first book though; don't think I even knew it was a sequel. Might be neat to go back and read sometime.
    – Hearth
    Commented Jul 4, 2022 at 18:51
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    I took you three whole minutes to answer this. I think you need to try a little harder next time, maybe :-)
    – Valorum
    Commented Jul 4, 2022 at 18:52
  • @Valorum Sorry, are you saying I should try harder before asking a question because it only took Showsni three minutes to find the answer (I did try, but wasn't able to find anything), or are you jokingly saying that Showsni should try harder because three minutes is "too long"?
    – Hearth
    Commented Jul 4, 2022 at 18:53
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    They're fairly different, but both worth reading - Deep Secret was written six years before The Merlin Conspiracy and is aimed at an older audience (more YA/Adult). There's not too much overlap between them, but the earlier one does explain more of Nick's backstory which he briefly mentions at the start of MC, and explains more about what a magid is.
    – Showsni
    Commented Jul 4, 2022 at 18:54
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    @Hearth - Yes. I want to know what they were doing with the other two minutes. This kind of dawdling won't be tolerated :-P
    – Valorum
    Commented Jul 4, 2022 at 18:55

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