The Magician's Elephant
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...
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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.
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Format: hardcover
ISBN:
9780763644109 (0763644102)
ASIN: 763644102
Publish date: September 8th 2009
Publisher: Candlewick Press
Pages no: 201
Edition language: English
The simple language - perfect for the age range - belies the complexity within this story, which means that an adult can read it, and see what a thing of beauty it is, can connect with the basic truths within this novel. When a magician calls forth an elephant, he doesn't see the harm he will cau...
I read this book on the recommendation of a student who suggested it for a readaloud and was immediately seconded by another. So I read it to myself first, though I had been thinking of doing so anyway. Something about DiCamillo's books leaves me uneasy, like I should have enjoyed it more, but I had...
I love this author. Reading her always brings me back to my childhood.
Magical and Lovely.A young boy visits a fortune teller.A magician conjures an elephant.A little girl lives in an orphanage.The elephant is on display for the world to see.All these characters, and more; their lives are intertwined, culminating in a timeless story of love and dreams and magic.
A fairy tale like Hans Christian Andersen used to write. That is to say, it has somewhat developed characters who yearn for something, and it all fits together beautifully, and feels magical. Veronica didn't care for it, because she prefers DiCamillo's more realistic contemporary stories such as Bec...