By Kate DiCamillo
Candlewick Press, 2009
Ages 9-12
In The Magician's Elephant, Kate DiCamillo's newest novel, Peter Augustus Duchene only wants to find his missing sister and know that she lives. It opens with a fortuneteller revealing to Peter that he will find her with the help of an elephant. The same night an elephant mysteriously appears, falling through the roof of the Bliffendorf Opera House, to the astonishment of both the magician responsible, and the noblewoman who is rendered paralyzed by the incident.
The rest of the story is a boy's journey from a joyless existence with a militant and neglectful guardian, to a life full of revelation, hope and, finally, a family. Around the holidays when family and hope are in high demand, this kind of story seems especially important. The tale of motley lost souls with converging plotlines, is similar to The Tale of Despereaux and Winn Dixie. When an author like DiCamillo takes such pains to tell a story using language that is as magical as the miracles it describes, readers may not care this isn't exactly a departure. For instance, in the following passage Peter is describing the life he knew before his parents died:
[Leo Matienne] leaned back in his chair. "Begin at the beginning."
Peter started in the garden. He began his story with his father throwing him up high in the air and catching him. He began with his mother dressed all in white, laughing, her stomach round like a balloon. "The sky was purple," said Peter. "The lamps were lit."
Yoko Tanaka's black and white illustrations enhance the waifish tone, and the cover conveys a silent film quality very appropriate for a story that feels whispered in one's ear.
There are no grand plot twists or cliff-hangers here. This is not a narrative to be plowed through, but a reverie in which to be immersed. If you love near-perfect prose, and the question, "What if?" If you want a story to curl up with under your comforter that will make you feel nostalgic and hopeful about the world then read this little lullaby of a tale.
Candlewick Press, 2009
Ages 9-12
In The Magician's Elephant, Kate DiCamillo's newest novel, Peter Augustus Duchene only wants to find his missing sister and know that she lives. It opens with a fortuneteller revealing to Peter that he will find her with the help of an elephant. The same night an elephant mysteriously appears, falling through the roof of the Bliffendorf Opera House, to the astonishment of both the magician responsible, and the noblewoman who is rendered paralyzed by the incident.
The rest of the story is a boy's journey from a joyless existence with a militant and neglectful guardian, to a life full of revelation, hope and, finally, a family. Around the holidays when family and hope are in high demand, this kind of story seems especially important. The tale of motley lost souls with converging plotlines, is similar to The Tale of Despereaux and Winn Dixie. When an author like DiCamillo takes such pains to tell a story using language that is as magical as the miracles it describes, readers may not care this isn't exactly a departure. For instance, in the following passage Peter is describing the life he knew before his parents died:
[Leo Matienne] leaned back in his chair. "Begin at the beginning."
Peter started in the garden. He began his story with his father throwing him up high in the air and catching him. He began with his mother dressed all in white, laughing, her stomach round like a balloon. "The sky was purple," said Peter. "The lamps were lit."
Yoko Tanaka's black and white illustrations enhance the waifish tone, and the cover conveys a silent film quality very appropriate for a story that feels whispered in one's ear.
There are no grand plot twists or cliff-hangers here. This is not a narrative to be plowed through, but a reverie in which to be immersed. If you love near-perfect prose, and the question, "What if?" If you want a story to curl up with under your comforter that will make you feel nostalgic and hopeful about the world then read this little lullaby of a tale.
3 comments:
I'm glad you mention this book! I just got it as a gift and plan to read it soon.
I loved Winn Dixie and Tale of Despereaux, but didn't love Edward Tulane. "Near-perfect prose" makes me want to read this instead of the Directing the Story book I have my head in right now.
She always has me at the first sentence, and can even get away with Tulane because of her masterful word art. I agree, though, that one is probably my least favorite.
Post a Comment