Authentically teaching children about resilience, compassion, and integrity through writing can be difficult- unless you’re Kate DiCamillo. For her, these themes are lyrically expressed in Louisiana’s Way Home in a way that is perfect for middle grade and young adult readers. Louisiana Elephante, from previous novel Raymie Nightingale, and her Granny are moving across the Florida line to Georgia- much to Louisiana’s dismay. Orphaned as an infant, Louisiana and her witty grandmother tackle life together, until the day Louisiana discovers something about her past. Using the tenacity and determination her grandmother bestowed upon her, Louisiana is able to overcome a great loss, and find her way home.

Kate DiCamillo is a auto-buy author in my book. There hasn’t been a character yet that I have not completely fallen in love with. Winn Dixie and Edward Tulane make their ways into my classroom each year, and Mercy the Pig introduced my daughter to chapter books. She takes the themes of loss, loneliness, and friendship and wraps them up in a bow of sensitivity.

Louisiana’s Way Home is no different. I found myself rereading paragraphs because they were so beautifully written. As I write this I find myself formulating questions that will be used during discussion when I teach. DiCamillo has an uncanny ability to use colorful vocabulary and seemingly insurmountable tasks, and perfectly teach social issues. Once again, this DiCamillo novel hits the bull’s eye.

Meet Characters Who Will Beg You To Keep Turning The Pages

"I am going to write it all down, so that what happened to me will be know, 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 the above isn't enough to make pages fly,

"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 what she has left behind seems 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 nosey church organist, and a walrus-like minister. Not to mention a mysterious boy who walks around with a crow on his shoulder.

Even the story of Pinocchio winds its way beautifully through this touching story of resilience and strength.

What Concerned Me: Absolutely Nothing

What I Loved Most: Katie DiCamillo has well-developed characters with a believable language that is all their own. The book never slowed down from the first page, but managed to keep me wanting more. I highly recommend it. And for those who read my blog, I don't hand out 5 Star ratings that easily.

"But there are facts and there are facts. And one fact is that it is the same sun, and another fact is that if you are far from home, and you don't know who you are, it is a very different sun."

Wow, wow, wow. Where to even begin with this beautiful middle grade novel. I just adore when a middle grade read can affect not only the young audience it's intended for, but an adult just as greatly (if not more). This gem did just that. A story about a young girl, Luisiana Elefante, who's Granny takes her away from the only home she's ever known, never to return again. Though, at the time, she thinks it's just another one of her Granny's crazy ideas (which isn't something unusual for her to have). This is where the story begins, and where I'll leave it, so as not to spoil anything with too many details.

This book absolutely blew me away, beginning with the author's wonderful way of writing. I absolutely adored the first person narration, as we got to see things 100% through Louisiana's perspective. This book very much read like a diary or journal, and it was fantastic. It allowed for such a rawness and realness that couldn't have otherwise been achieved, as you felt the young girl's feelings so strongly within each page, through her own voice. I also really appreciated that the secondary characters were still well developed enough for the roles they played in Louisiana's story, even through such a singular perspective. Clearly this author has incredible talent.

A story of family, friendship, self-discovery, and the ways we find home in the most unexpected places. One that captivated me and broke my heart, then put it back together again. I fell in love with the sweet, strong, and vibrant Louisiana, and simply didn't want her story to end. Truly stunning and truly a masterpiece.

Thank you so much to NetGalley for providing me with a free copy in exchange for my honest review.

I liked this even more than Ramie Nightingale, The language was beautiful and I think students will connect to Louisiana even though her life may be very different. This is a book that will linger in your heart and mind.

ARC provided by NetGalley.

I loved this book it was funny, sad, hopeful and adventurous. Kate DiCamillo does a wonderful job weaving together a story with remarkable characters and a sad, yet hopeful storyline.

Louisiana's Way Home would make an interesting book to discuss with middle school readers. It brings up many questions. What is family? What is right and wrong? How do the choices we make impact our lives?

”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 stars and think, My goodness, whatever happened to Louisiana Elefante? Where did she go? they will have an answer. They will know.
“This is what happened.
“I will begin at the beginning.”

And with those words, Louisiana Elefante’s journey, with her granny, begins. In the middle of the night, they leave their home in Florida, friends, pets, and everything Louisiana has ever known, and head toward Georgia.

If you’ve already read DiCamillo’s Raymie Nightingale, you will be familiar with Louisiana’s character, a spirited ten year-old girl who has “swampy lungs” and a rather eccentric granny. If you haven’t read Raymie Nightingale, this can be enjoyed without having read it, but I read these two books back-to-back and so for me, there is no real ‘gap’ in the story.

There is a lot of wisdom between the pages of this story, some of which is uplifting, but this story is not without some sadness - life is, after all, a balance between sadness and joy. Even children, and young teens need to learn how to deal with their own sadness by how others deal with sadness, and the frustrations that come with the inconveniences of life. Overall, though, I would consider this a story of life, love and the stories we tell ourselves and others, and home, the ones we first know, and the ones we make for ourselves.

”Perhaps what matters when all is said and done is not who puts us down but who picks us up.”

Having read Because of Winn-Dixie and having loved it, I was pleased to have an opportunity to read this story, her latest, and hoped for the same level of charm. I was not disappointed in the least.



Pub Date: 02 OCT 2018

Many thanks for the ARC provided by Candlewick Press / Candlewick

Kate DiCamillo is one of my favorite authors. After reading Raymie Nightengale, I was eager to hear Louisiana's story. I devoured this book in one sitting. DiCamillo has a way with words, and this craft is what draws me in to each and every one of her stories. Louisiana's Way Home did not disappoint. Her unique situation keeps the reader turning the pages. I will recommend this book to my students and purchase it for my own bookshelf.

I devoured this middle-grade novel with a spunky main character whose voice reminded me very much of Junie B. Jones. Louisiana Elefante's granny takes her on a journey in the middle of the night, abandoning their home and Louisiana's friends and pets. Stranded in a Georgia town by Granny's dental emergency, Louisiana discovers that she'll need to find a way for herself in the world. This is a sweet story of unexpected kindnesses that would make a terrific movie.

Louisiana Elefante is the best kind of whimsy. On an adventure with her irascible grandmother, she has to quickly grow up in certain ways and decide who she is and who she wants to be as details from her past are revealed, she is stranded in Georgia without her best friends Raymie and Beverley or Archie, King of Cats from the first book (Raymie Nightingale), and she is making new friends and a new family of support. Ugh, I loved it so much I don't even have words. I laughed, I cried, I completely was drawn in by the writing, characters, development, plot and dialogue. Absolutely perfect.

This is a wonderful book!! Louisiana is so realistic!! We know Louisiana's twelve-year-old mind and we hurt for her! Such insight into someone's mind! The author's writing is an in-depth study of a child's development and thoughts! Loved it so much!!.

Everyone needs a sense of belonging—that feeling that you have value, you are wanted and you are loved. Louisiana Elefante had that with her friends, Raymie Nightingale and Beverly Tapinski and even her Granny. But Granny wakes Louisiana in the middle of the night and takes Louisiana on a journey, not only away from her beloved friends, but a journey to find out who she really is. Louisiana questions where she belongs and who she is in a small town in Georgia. She discovers a new sense of belonging and learns that friendship and love can be found again. Kate DiCamillo plucks Louisiana Elefante from the pages of “Ramie Nightingale” and plops her into the middle of an adventure with smart writing and an engaging plot that makes “Louisiana’s Way Home” a page turner. The reader may even shed a tear or two as Louisiana’s story unfolds and new characters help her to learn her true worth to those around her, but most importantly, herself.

Wow, Kate DiCamillo does it again! This book had me laughing and crying in equal measure. The way she paints Louisiana’s story is beautiful, funny, heartwarming, and emotional. I absolutely loved Raymie Nightingale so I was looking forward to revisiting with a beloved character, Louisiana. Getting to read her journey was amazing. You don’t have to read Raymie’s story first but I think it adds something to this story if you do. I also must say that I lived all three generations of Burke Allens! I cannot wait to share this book with my patrons!

“I don’t know who I am. I only know that I am not who I thought I was.”

No one should utter this statement, but Louisiana, age 12, did.

This was the story of Louisiana’s hard and arduous forced journey with her grandmother. Both had to made difficult choices-choices that were actually fueled by love, though not initially recognized as such by Louisiana. Along the way, they met some kindhearted individuals that also played a role in their decisions and life.

Kate DiCamillo knows how to engage her reader. She knows how to pull at your emotions every which way... and then some. She knows how to write a bittersweet yet heartwarming story with complex and memorable characters that somehow over the course of the story find their way to a happier place…a stable place…a loving place…and finally…a family and a home.

This was a very well written and interesting story that I’m sure will find its way to children’s reading lists and classrooms libraries.
Very highly recommended!

Louisiana is such a special, little girl. Through all the trials in her very young life, she shows so much courage and resilience. I found myself so enamored with her. She’s truly a very unique and endearing character. I love this book!!

Kate DiCamillo knocks it out of the park again with another poignant story about love and family! Louisiana with the beautiful singing voice is a girl trying to figure out who she is when the Granny she thought she knew abruptly abandons her. As an adoptee, this story resonated with me on so many levels. I've always thought of my parents as my parents without hesitation, but there's always been the nagging question of, "Who am I? Where do I come from?" I also began singing at the young age of 10 and I loved how DiCamillo talked about becoming one with the music as Louisiana was singing; it's absolutely true. For me personally, the music always seeps into my soul and it's impossible to not become one with it. I truly loved this book and can't wait to share it with others.

I loved this book. DiCamillo's characters are always just a bit "off" and yet so relatable. The main character Louisiana is so lovable. I didn't find myself pitying her as much as found myself in awe of her resilience. I think tweens will relate to Louisiana's can do attitude in the face of such adversity and yet find the safety net of love from strangers very comforting.

DiCamillo has another winner here. Her books so move me. Louisiana, whom we met in the Raymie Nightingale book, is swept away from her home by her caretaking Granny in the middle of the night. Granny falls ill and Louisiana has to act mature way beyond her years to get them in a safe place. As usual this is a thought=provoking book about who we are and where we belong and who is our family. Time to re=read Raymie Nightingale!

Louisiana Elefante has been torn away from everything she knows. In the middle of the night, her granny bundles her in the car to take her across the state line from Florida into Georgia, muttering dire predictions about the curse that has caught up with them. After running out of gas, making an emergency trip to a dentist, and inveigling a room at a small town motel, Louisiana finds her situation growing more dire by the hour. But in the midst of all her troubles she also finds kindness--from a friendly boy with a crow on his shoulder and a bologna sandwich to offer, from a cheerful grandpa happy to share his ice cream sundae, from a mother not too busy with her county-famous cakes to wash a strange little girl's dress, and from a church minister with a walrus' face and an ear ready to listen.

I am curious to see what a middle grade child would make of this story. As an adult, I found it gloriously poignant and breathtakingly heart-wrenching...which is to say, I cried through nearly half of the book. The story is a beauty from ashes tale that shows the power of kindness, charity, forgiveness, and hope, all seen through the eyes of an unforgettable child.

The theme of Pinocchio is deftly woven into the story, as Louisiana compares her own life to the wooden puppet's and looks for her own Blue Fairy. By the end, the group of stars which Louisiana knows as the "Pinocchio constellation" (with the puppet's long nose that comes from telling lies) is renamed as the "Big Dipper," the home of the North Star that can keep everyone, even a little girl from Florida, from being lost and alone in this big old world.  

"The world smelled of unshared caramel candy and dust and beeswax. Everything was broken; I knew that. But I felt like I could fix it if I just kept singing. And so I kept singing."

Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

I read Raymie Nightengale when it first came out, so I only remembered Louisiana in a really hazy way. This book DEFINITELY stands alone - one need not read Raymie Nightengale first (though you should, because it's fantastic). Louisiana's Way Home is quintessential Kate DiCamillo with voice for eons and characters who rip out your heart. So much love for this one.