
The Magician’s Elephant is my first time reading a DiCamillo story.
I’ve heard all the rave reviews about her other books and I don’t know how The Magician’s Elephant stacks up against them, but I loved this book.
It was beautifully written, magically created, gorgeously realised and utterly compelling from start to finish. It is a story about hope, wonder, the unexpected and trust.
In a highly awaited new novel, Kate DiCamillo conjures a haunting fable about trusting the unexpected — and making the extraordinary come true.
What if? Why not? Could it be?
When a fortuneteller’s tent appears in the market square of the city of Baltese, orphan Peter Augustus Duchene knows the questions that he needs to ask: Does his sister still live? And if so, how can he find her? The fortuneteller’s mysterious answer (an elephant! An elephant will lead him there!) sets off a chain of events so remarkable, so impossible, that you will hardly dare to believe it’s true. With atmospheric illustrations by fine artist Yoko Tanaka, here is a dreamlike and captivating tale that could only be narrated by Newbery Medalist Kate DiCamillo. In this timeless fable, she evokes the largest of themes — hope and belonging, desire and compassion — with the lightness of a magician’s touch.
A modern classic for mature 7 + readers.
http://www.themagicianselephant.com/#kate