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

Looking for reading fodder that could enthuse the sprouts some years ago, a friend who has a keen eye for children’s literature pointed me to Kate DiCamillo’s The Magician's Elephant a wonderful poetic, imaginative and magical fable on hope, loss and love. My friend’s suggestion proved to hit the mark, as both my son and daughter, reluctant and nit-picking readers, thoroughly enjoyed DiCamillo’s tale, so when I discovered another novel by her will be published in October – and both a magician and in a way elephants feature in it – I couldn’t resist trying it. 

The story is told by ten year old Louisiana Elefante – a character from DiCamillo’s previous novel Raymie Nightingale. She overnight has to leave her home and friends because her only relative, her eccentric grandmother, decides to run off as if the devil himself is after her. Since the death of Louisiana’s parents, the famous trapeze artists the Flying Elefantes, granny has been the one who takes care of Louisiana from infancy. Penniless and haunted by a mysterious curse, getting stuck in a motel in a little town in Georgia, the road movie-like journey will turn out transformative and will learn Louisiana a few lessons on identity and how to brace herself when truths will come to find her. 

Evoking a whole range of emotions in a tender but not saccharine way, DiCamillo cleverly leaves a lot of things unsaid and so open to the imagination of the reader – for instance what happens to granny and why the old woman acts like she did and does. She creates some wonderful opportunities to discuss the storyline with children – the telling title shaping the theme what home means to us. In some situations you can revel in the comfort and joy of having someone around baking a cake, even if you cannot eat it. 

Louisiana’s Way Home is a children’s novel that is gracefully told, well-composed, humorous and engrossing thanks to the memorable character of the delightfully ‘wily and resilient’ Louisiana Elefante. In thematising how one can find a home, a place in the world and get connected to people who care for you and who you care for despite human flaws which cause one another pain and worries, the tone and worldview speaking from the tale, in a sense is uplifting – ‘Because that is what it means to be alive on this infinitesimally spinning planet. It means you have cares’. DiCamillo finely colours Louisiana’s life story of fantasy with that touch of true life sorrow and heartbreak she seems to consider essential in a good children’s book - a point of view I am inclined to concur with thinking of some other books which made a lasting impression on my children (Boris, Charlotte's Web). Though they are a little older now, and this book as well as The Magician's Elephant is for age ten and up, I wouldn’t be surprised Kate DiCamillo’s moving new novel on friendship, family and forgiveness would suit their palate like it did mine. And even if one like Louisiana would frown sceptically at the walrus-faced Reverend Obertask’s woolly words, ‘I do think that, more often than not, love has a way of finding us’, aren’t that words one at times would like to believe in?

Once again Kate DiCamillo examines the complex relationships among family and friends--the secrets, the disappointments, the caring, and the giving. Louisiana has her share of struggle and joy, of heartbreaking relationships and uplifting support. A rich tapestry of a story, with some familiar stylistic features--highlighting specific words such as "sundering" and 'infinitesimally', memorable characters, family struggles, and amazing friends.