I have read all of Kate diCamillo's books, and I think this one may be her finest yet.
The jacket flap reads:
"'What if? Why not? Could it be?'
When a fortune teller's tent appears in the market square of the city of Baltese,
orphan Peter Augustus Duchene knows the question that he needs to ask:
Does his sister still live? And if so, how can he find her?
The fortune teller's mysterious answer (An elephant! An elephant will lead him there!) sets off a chain of events so remarkable, so impossible, that Peter can hardly dare to believe it.
But it is –– all of it–– true."
The city of Baltese is in the throes of its coldest, darkest winter. In this bleak setting, a magician's attempt to perform his greatest trick goes horribly wrong, and an elephant crashes through the ceiling of the Bliffendorf Opera House. This incredible event brings together an unlikely cast of characters: an orphan, an old soldier, a policeman, a countess, the magician, and the Sisters of Perpetual Light. The author weaves their stories together with a magical touch, and the soft, atmospheric illustrations of Yoko Tanaka evoke a lovely dream-like quality.
Then, as a beautiful, pure, white snow falls on the buildings and boulevards of Baltese, everything miraculously changes. The impossible happens again!
This seems like the perfect time of year to be asking the hopeful questions:
"What if? Why not? Could it be?"
My 9-year-old has been given an assignment to write about courage; in brainstorming, she and I have talked about risk-taking. It occurs to me that this quote from THE MAGICIAN'S ELEPHANT might be relevant to her (not in a magical sort of way, but in an encouraging "take a chance" vein):
ReplyDelete"What if? Why not? Could it be?"
Thanks for making a good point, Dawn.
ReplyDeleteIt gives me an opportunity to add something relevant to my comments about this book.
Before anything wondrous can happen, the orphan Peter, must first hope, then believe in what is right and true, and finally, bravely step out and act upon what he believes in.
I hadn't really thought about it in these terms before, but this is really a story about courage as much as it is about the miraculous.
Hope this helps with your daughter's assignment! :)