The Magician's Elephant

by Kate DiCamillo

Book Overview

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...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0763644102
• ISBN13: 9780763644109
• Release Date: September 2009
• Publisher: Candlewick Press (MA)
• Length: 208 Pages
• Weight: 0.70 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 5.6" x 7.8"
• Age Range: 8 to 12 years
• Grade Range: Grades 3 to 7

Customer Reviews

Loved it!

An orphaned boy living with a crazy old soldier visits a fortuneteller and finds out the sister he thought was dead lives. To find her he must "follow the elephant." But who ever heard of an elephant in the dreary cold of Baltese. But then a magician, in an unprecedented feat of magic, conjures an elephant that comes crashing through the opera house roof. This was a beautiful story--dark but hopeful, poetic but very readable. DeCamillo is such a great writer. I highly recommend this story --- it would be a great read aloud.

Lovely and Not for Younger Children (a review of The Magician's Elephant)

I very much liked this book just as I very much like all of Kate DiCamillo's works for older children. It has depth and feeling and a dark mood that calls for internal reflection. (Similar to what one finds in Edward Tulane, and to an extent the Tale of Desperaux.) The story starts out with Peter, an orphan who is living with a military man of dubious sanity and health. But it quickly unfolds to be more complex, becoming in the end a book that is not just about one character, but many. There is Peter the primary actor, and his tormented mentor, Vilna Lutz. But also the police officer, Leo Matienne, and the stone mason, the grand dames, the nun and so many more, There is Adele a young orphan girl, and even the elephant, who miraculous crashes down in the opera house during a magic show. A show that should have been of no importance but which altered the lives of a city. There being so many people is not insignificant. Because this book is not about individuals, but about life. About relationships and how they define us, and how we define them. Essentially so many aspects of love and hope were exposed that I was reminded of a Zen koan. There is just so much to think about, so much to contemplate. So ultimately, in my opinion, The Magician's Elephant is not a book for children. (I didn't even attempt to read it to my 7 and 9 year olds) Or at least not young children. It is, however, a wonderful thought provoking book for adults and for teens who are ready to examine life. **4.5 Stars** Pam T~ mom and reviewer at BooksforKids-reviews

Magical, magical, magical.

At age 60 some might say that I'm far too old to be a fan of Kate DiCamillo's The Magician's Elephant. Wouldn't that be a shame? I became a fan of DiCamillo's when I read The Tale of Despereaux and later the Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane. Whatever lessons are intended for the young are not lost on those of us that are a generation or two further along in our visit on the planet. Kate DiCamillo's stories are charming, well thought out and always provide interesting characters to carry the tale forward. Engaging is a word most applicable when discussing The Magicians Elephant. Is there anything more important for a storyteller? Like the Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane, The Magician's Elephant is an odyssey involving a string of characters each providing to the story in some small manner. Besides spinning an interesting tale, characterization is DiCamillo's best talent. In the Magician's Elephant the main character, Peter, has been told that his sister Adele is dead. Wanting desperately to believe Adele isn't dead Peter wanders into the tent of a fortuneteller. Given one question to ask (he actually gets two) Peter is given to believe that his sister is still alive and he is told that an elephant will lead him to her. At this point the reader is hooked. Will Peter find Adele? Read the book and see. Like so many of life's journeys it isn't the destination but the trip that matters. I have a granddaughter who is five. I'm torn about reading this story to her or waiting for her to grow and let her discover these stories on her own. I think I'll opt to read The Magician's Elephant to her. That will be two gifts, one for her and one for me. I can't recommend The Magician's Elephant more strongly. Peace always.

The Magician's Elephant

The bizarre - an elephant magically falling through the roof of a packed opera house - meshes with the dreamingly poignent - an orphaned brother and sister's wish to be reunited -- in a tenderhearted tale that celebrates the connections between us and the courage it takes to follow dreams. Newbery Medal-winning author Kate DiCamillo succeeds once again with "The Magician's Elephant," a story about a magician who one winter evening brings an elephant crashing down onto his audience. On that same evening in the same city, a fortune teller informs a boy that an elephant will appear and lead him to his presumed-dead sister. A begger and his a blind dog, a noblewoman crippled by the falling elephant, a nun who oversees the local orphanage, a policeman and his wife who have no children of their own, a crippled former stonecutter hired to scoop elephant poop, the elephant, the boy Peter and his sister Adele form an ensemble cast who confront life's deepest questions in their nighttime dreams, and who, each in their own small way, contribute to the tale's simple yet miraculous conclusion. Each mired in their own difficult circumstances, the characters don't have much reason to believe that life will change. But one by one they allow themselves to ask "what if?" What if they took a chance, what if they believed that change was possible, what if they were capable of making it happen? When that mindset takes hold, amazing things occur. The black and white illustrations bolster the story's wintry feel, as characters wish for snow as they suffer through gray, laden skies and bitter cold. The perfect illustrative accompaniment to a story about daring to move after long standing still. The Magician's Elephant

Will recommend this book for all ages

The Magician's Elephant is parable/allegory/fable/fairytale and modern kid lit extraordinaire. The tale is somber and atmospheric but the overall feel of the story is one of hope. The characters are quirky and magic lingers on every page. More a novella, it is a quick read of a few hours even for a young reader. I don't recommend putting it off but this is one of those books to be pulled out on a snowy night in front of the fire to be read out loud with your family. I won't detail the events as the jacket flap and other reviewers are sure to do it but I will say that if you are a fan of DiCamillo's there is no way you should pass up this book. This will seem impossible to you (as it does to me) but her writing is getting even better and with this story I think we may be seeing the beginning of a transcendence to the creation of a storyteller easily in league with Aesop, the Brothers Grimm and Frank L. Baum. I am aware that sounds sycophantic - trust me I am not. In fact, I would really like to hate her for writing so well, as an aspiring writer myself, but there is no denying the quality of this story. There is a very visual and cinematic quality to the writing that keeps the reader engaged. It is difficult to stop thinking about Peter, Adele, the elephant, the magician, and all the others just because the book is closed. I sincerely hope adults will pick this book up as well - especially those who have already discovered the pleasures of good children's literature.