Meet Characters Who Will Beg You
To Keep Turning The Pages
Author: Kate DiCamillo
Publisher: Candlewick (October 2018)
Ages: 10+
- Hardback: 240 pages
- Audio Book: 3 hours and 35 minutes
- Kindle: 240 print pages
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 the stars and think, My goodness, whatever happened to Louisiana Elefante? Where did she go? they will have an answer. They will know. Immediately the reader learns that Louisiana’s great-grandfather was a magician, and long ago he set into motion a terrible curse.
If that isn’t enough to make pages fly, try this:
Granny woke me up. She said, ’The day of reckoning has arrived. The hour is close at hand. We must leave immediately.’ It was three a.m.
Separated from her friends and pets without even a good-bye, Louisiana realizes that Granny doesn’t plan to ever return to their home. But soon, leaving will seem small in comparison to what she experiences: Granny suffers from excruciating pain causing her to collapse in the back seat of the car, Louisiana deals with a surly motel owner, a nosy church organist, and a walrus-like minister. And that’s not counting the mysterious boy who walks around with a crow on his shoulder.
The story of Pinocchio somehow manages to wind its way beautifully through this touching story of resilience and strength.
My Thoughts:
What Concerned Me: While I totally loved the characters and easily would give the book five stars because of the writing, my little concern is that the story felt like it ended too abruptly. It would have felt a bit more complete with another chapter or two.
That said, I feel like 4.5 Stars would be my true rating. But hey, why not round up! Especially since I absolutely love DiCamillo’s book Because of Winn-Dixie. So that alone is going to raise my rating to 5 Stars. She’s a wonderful writer and you won’t want to miss reading either book.
What I Liked Most: Kate DiCamillo has well-developed characters, each with their own believable language. The book never slowed down from the first page, but managed to keep me wanting more.
Kate DiCamillo
I was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, raised in Clermont, Florida, and currently live in Minneapolis, Minnesota. I write for both children and adults and I like to think of myself as a storyteller.
Here are a few more facts about me: I am short. And loud. I hate to cook and love to eat. I am single and childless, but I have lots of friends and I am an aunt to three lovely children (Luke, Roxanne, and Max) and one not so lovely dog (Henry).
I think of myself as an enormously lucky person: I get to tell stories for a living.
