Wednesday, November 25, 2009

The Magician's Elephant by Kate DiCamillo


Peter saw the fortune-teller's tent, and he fingered the coin that did not really belong to him. However, he had to know the answer to the question: does my sister still live? "She lives," answered the fortune-teller, and followed up this statement with a puzzle: "Follow the elephant." Knowing there were no elephants in the city of Baltese, Peter walks away disappointedly. But hope stirs in his heart when he hears of a fascinating occurrence. An elephant comes crashing through the roof of the opera house, crushing the legs of Madam Lavaughn and surprising the magician who had wanted something spectacular to happen.
Kate DiCamillo's writing style is magical, and I think adults will love this book. It would make a nice family read-aloud. However, I'm not sure all children will enjoy this book, since there are many characters with foreign names to keep track of, and we never fully connect with a character. However, I recommend this book and would love to hear others' opinions.