A friend and I were discussing Raymie Nightingale and Louisiana's Way Home, and she mentioned that some adults feel discomfort with DiCamillo's books because often the children in them have no safety net. I chewed on this observation all morning, and having finished the book during lunch, I've come to a conclusion: Kate DiCamillo doesn't write fantasy or realistic fiction or historical fiction or magical realism. She writes modern day fairy tales. Sometimes with animals (Despereaux, Tulane), but...

In one of my favourite books of the year, Louisiana's Way Home, young Louisiana is telling us the story of how she left Florida after being wakened by her grandmother in the middle of the night. Louisiana doesn't realize at first that they are leaving Florida for good, and is awash in grief when she realizes she's left her best friends and beloved pets behind. "It is best to smile. That is what Granny has told me my whole life. If you have to choose between smiling and not smiling, choose smi...

Book Reviewed on www.whisperingstories.comLouisiana is woken at 3am by her Granny telling her they are leaving as the day of reckoning has arrived. Her Granny believes that there is a curse on their heads, the curse of sundering. After a few hours drive, they cross from their home in Florida into the state of Georgia.Not long into their journey Louisiana’s Granny takes ill with tooth pain and ends up at the dentist who tells her all her teeth are bad and removes them all, leaving Granny in a lot...

Whenever I read a DiCamillo, I am always tempted to go back and explore 'how she does it'. How she creates characters, moments and memories which are so profoundly honest, observant and speak of the universal truth of what it is to be a human that her tales make you laugh, cry, stop in your narrative tracks to take a breath and find, when the reading is over, that she has left a map in your mind that has imprinted within you an indescribable change.But, to go back and dig, unearth and explore wo...

Perhaps what matters when all is said and done is not who puts us down but who picks us up.Looking for reading fodder that could enthuse the sprouts some years ago, a friend who has a keen eye for children’s literature pointed me to Kate DiCamillo’s The Magician's Elephant a wonderful poetic, imaginative and magical fable on hope, loss and love. My friend’s suggestion proved to hit the mark, as both my son and daughter, reluctant and nit-picking readers, thoroughly enjoyed DiCamillo’s tale, so w...

There once was a book called Raymie Nightingale. Not a big flashy book with glitter on the cover and fonts that look like escaped balloon animals. Just a quiet book set in the late 1970s in Florida, patiently following various characters. Not a plot forward book, that one, though there was an interesting through line involving a cat. I liked Raymie Nightingale but I did have one small problem with it. While the character of Raymie was well drawn and nuanced, I wasn’t ever all that interested in

The world was beautiful.It surprised me, how beautiful it kept on insisting on being. In spite of all the lies, it was beautiful.I have such a writer crush on Kate DiCamillo, I honestly don't know if I approach her work objectively anymore. I mean. . . what was this??This middle grades novel, which starts out in Florida, but quickly relocates to Georgia (our objective!), is outlandish and frequently flat-out unbelievable. A 12-year-old driving for the first time on a highway? An attentive grandm...

Melancholy, heart-wrenching, gorgeous writing, complicated. One to ponder.

Last line of the book is "I love you and I forgive you" and after that I just cried. Emotion wells up in me even though I am 50 years old reading a book intended for children in grades 3-6. A few days ago Kate DiCamillo posted on FB the following post: "I was in line at the post office when the woman next to me said, “You wrote that Edward book, didn’t you?”“Edward Tulane?” I said.“Yep. I read that book to my third graders this year and I couldn’t read the last chapter out loud. I was crying too...

Because of Winn-Dixie is a favorite book of mine. It makes me nostalgic just to think of it. To read another book by Kate DiCamillo? Pure bliss. One day Louisiana’s grandmother wakes her in the middle of the night to tell her they have to move immediately. Not only are they moving, they will never return. This is too much for Louisiana, and she tries with all her might to find her way home again. She meets many eccentric and lovable characters along her travels, and through them, has many life l...

Expected publication October 2018 You have to make small plans. That is one of the things I have discovered in this world. It is pointless to make big plans because you never know when someone is going to wake you up in the middle of the night and say The day of reckoning has arrived. This first person narrative introduces readers to twelve year old Louisiana Elefante, whom, when the story opens appears to be at the mercy of her grandmother as the two are leaving home in the middle of night a

!! NOW AVAILABLE !!”I am going to write it all down, so that what happened to me will be known, so that if someone were to stand at their window at night and look up at stars and think, My goodness, whatever happened to Louisiana Elefante? Where did she go? they will have an answer. They will know. “This is what happened.“I will begin at the beginning.”And with those words, Louisiana Elefante’s journey, with her granny, begins. In the middle of the night, they leave their home in Florida, frien

The story opens with the narrator, Louisiana, who’s abruptly awakened by her granny at 3am. At first she doesn’t think much of it.“I thought I was caught up in some middle-of-the-night idea of Granny’s and that when the sun came up, she would think better of the whole thing.This has happened before.Granny has many middle-of-the-night ideas.”Once she realizes that they are about to enter Georgia, she asks Granny when they’ll be turning around to go back home. Granny simply tells her that they won...

This was perfection! “Perhaps what matters when all is said and done is not who puts us down but who picks us up.”

But that every child could live in a world peopled by Kate DiCamillo. Where dire situations are eased by generous hearts.

I liked this even better than Raymie Nightingale. It was wonderful.

Extra Thoughts After My Reread: I am absolutely in love with this book! I didn’t think I could love Louisiana more than I did when I first read her story but I was so wrong. I want to hug her and make her feel safe and wanted and loved, and never let her go. This story is about deciding who you are, something we all need to do. Louisiana just has to make that decision earlier than most people. It’s a heartbreaking and heartwarming story and it’s gorgeous!I appreciated the Allen family more with

When twelve year old Louisiana Elefante is woken at 3am by her Granny, she thinks this is just another of Granny’s middle of the night ideas. It’s just a trip and they will soon be home. But Granny has a plan, one that sees them end up crossing the state line from Florida into Georgia. Louisiana is not a bit happy to learn she is not going home, back to her friends Raymie and Beverly and her cat Archie. When an extreme dental emergency arises and Granny is in severe pain, Louisiana is left to pl...

I wanted to continue this series during Middle Grade March, but I didn't get to it quite in time. I thought the 1st book was okay, but I loved the character Louisiana from the first book and I knew this sequel was all about her. Louisiana Elefante is quite the memorable character, and so is her Grandmother. Louisiana is woken up in the middle of the night by her Granny saying they need to leave their home right away. At first, Louisiana doesn't think too much about it because her Grandmother oft...

For fans of Kate DiCamillo and her quirky character Ramie Nightingale, comes the sweet coming of age story of Ramie’s best friend, Louisiana Elephante. Louisiana finds herself pulled from her sense of belonging when her Granny leaves in the middle of the night to deal with her curse. Louisiana will face several challenges and meet some new friends along the way as she finds where she belongs in this world. This book is a must read for anyone who wonders what his or her purpose in life is. -Terri...