The Magician''s Elephant by Kate DiCamillo

Liberty:
What a beautifully written book about a boy yearning for his lost family. The magic! The characters! – a magician, a beggar, a countess , a policeman, an orphan, a nun – The setting! The weather! The illustrations- dark and muted with patches of light and hope – reflect the story each step of the way. My favorite passage:
“…there is a carving of an elephant being led by a boy. The boy is carrying a girl, and one of his hands is resting on the elephant, while behind the elephant, there is a magician and a policeman, a nun and a noblewoman, a manservant, a beggar, a dog and finally, behind them all, at the end, a small bent man.
Each person has a hold of the other, each one is connected to the one before him, and each of them is looking forward, their heads held at such an angle that is seems as if they are looking into a bright light.”
This story shows how we are all connected, how one person can make a difference and how love is the force that can make that difference.

Tinker:
It’s a very good book but for my age it was hard vocabulary. I liked the part where Peter found Adele and the Elephant went home.

Taco:
This is a good book for families to read together. You will always want to read more! Each chapter is a cliffhanger. Check out “The Magician’s Elephant” by Kate DiCamillo.