Kate DiCamillo is a guaranteed good read. Following in the footsteps of Raymie Nightingale, Lousiana tells us her story as a first person narration. Her grandmother has dragged her away from what she has known as home and friends and Louisiana has no idea why. Touches of humor (as often happens with DiCamillo) and insights into local characters make this a sweet yet touching story. Yes I cried. And laughed. So good.

Louisiana was a very interesting character in Raymie Nightingale. I love that DiCamillo decided to share more of her story. It was even better that Louisiana was able to find a place she could belong and feel at peace.

"I said, 'I don't know who I am. I only know that I am not who I thought I was.'
Reverend Obertask nodded his big head.
'That is a problem we all face sooner or later, I suppose.'"

Louisiana's Way Home tells the story of a character we met in DiCamillo's previous novel, Raymie Nightingale. Two years after Raymie, we follow beloved ranchero Louisiana Elefante as she tells the story of what happened to her after Granny wakes her up in the middle of the night with the ominous words: "The day of reckoning has arrived. The hour is close at hand. We must leave immediately."

A family curse passed down each generation from her great-grandfather has Granny and Louisiana on the road. Near the Florida-Georgia line the curse seems intent on stopping them, first when they run out of gas and then when Granny is stricken with a sudden horrible toothache.
Staying at a hotel while Granny recovers from oral surgery, Louisiana meets a cast of quirky characters that remind her that "there is goodness in many hearts. In most hearts."

Louisiana warns us from the beginning that a great deal of her story is extremely sad. Her world is turned upside down when Granny leaves without her to break the family curse and she finds out truths about her life that make her question her entire existence. The kindness she finds in the hearts of the folks in Richford, Georgia transforms her story from one of sadness to a heartwarming tale of family - the one we're born into and the one we make.

Full of humor, heartache, the kindness of strangers, and seventeen cakes (to be exact), Louisiana's Way Home is a children's/middle grade novel sure to charm readers both young and old with its message.

Thanks to Candlewick Press and NetGalley for providing an ARC in exchange for my honest review. Louisiana's Way Home is scheduled for release on October 2, 2018.

*Quotes included are from an advanced readers copy and are subject to change upon final publication.

Louisiana Elefante is cursed--it's a curse of sundering passed down through her family, and because of that curse, her grandmother wakes her up in the middle of the night and drags her to the car. Louisiana's granny has pulled plenty of stunts before, but when Louisiana realizes Granny plans to leave Florida behind for good. When they get to Georgia, they wind up in a motel as Granny recovers from having all of her teeth removed, and it's there that Louisiana's life falls apart--and comes together again.

Kate DiCamillo is one of the best storytellers of our day, and this book is just as fantastic as all of her others. First-person-narrator Louisiana is fabulous--I love her life lessons and getting the chance to follow her on her journey. There are humorous moments, bittersweet moments, heartrending moments, and hopeful moments. There are characters you'd like to slap upside the head and characters you wish you could take right off the pages into your own family. This is a beautiful book, and I highly recommend it.

One of my picks for best of 2018.

I read an ARC via #NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

Thank you to Netgalley.com and Cadlewick Press for giving me this ARC in exchange for my honest review....

Kate DiCamillo is, and has been, one of my all time favorite authors. Her work is so intense in the most meaningful of ways with life lessons and messages that transcend simplicity. She has the ability to write stories that real appeal to young children while teaching them extremely deep life lessons.

In Louisiana's Way Home, we read about a young girl who has been handed an extremely difficult situation - one where even the strongest adult may not know what to do - and yet, she finds a way to persevere in the end. Twelve year old Louisiana has very difficult decisions to make, and, with the help of friends along the way, she learns to hold her head high and believe in herself and in the goodness of others.

This book deals with abandonment, love, fear, and friendship. It deals with the kindness of strangers and the wisdom of a family unit (both biological and adoptive). This book deals with basic truths that all young people eventually struggle with - deciding who they want to be and what they want to believe in. This book is going to be another Best Seller and a huge win for Kate DiCamillo.

I HIGHLY recommend this book for everyone - young and old. It is well written and made me want to jump into the pages of the story. This book is appropriate for all ages with clean language and great lessons.

Enjoy and Happy Reading!

I didn’t know going in that this was a companion to another Kate DiCamillo book (as I am slowly making my way through all her books with my kids) so I was nervous that I would be lost. Luckily, this book completely stands on its own and tells a beautiful story with no background knowledge required.

At first, I was slightly put off by the whimsical, over-the-top quality of the writing. Then I remembered that this story isn’t for me as a grown adult, and my inner 10 year old was delighted by the more fantastical aspects. The writing was beautiful, and I found myself highlighting more passages than I expected to in a one-sitting middle grade read. DiCamillo manages to make a story both magical and deeply truthful at the same time, which is a real gift.

Louisiana was such a fun character to follow. I would have liked to see more character development for the other characters, (especially Burke and the other Allens) but still was able to enjoy them being a bit one dimensional.

I am now especially excited to dive into the Raymie Clarke book and give this a re-read when my kids are ready.

Thank you to Netgalley for sending me an eARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Expected publication October 2018
You have to make small plans. That is one of the things I have discovered in this world. It is pointless to make big plans because you never know when someone is going to wake you up in the middle of the night and say The day of reckoning has arrived.

This first person narrative introduces readers to twelve year old Louisiana Elefante, whom, when the story opens appears to be at the mercy of her grandmother as the two are leaving home in the middle of night and crossing the Florida/Georgia state line. This book is Louisiana's way of getting everything that happened out in the open. Many, many, crazy adventures will ensue and it is key to just roll with the tide and appreciate the story as Grandma prepares Louisiana for what she refers to as the "reckoning."

Louisiana, has such an endearing and percoucious quality that only can be found in children's literature and made me instantly fall in love with her as soon as she began to speak. I also felt a burning desire to laugh( and loudly), which I felt myself doing quite a lot of during my late afternoon read. Unfortunately, this type of behaviour basically earned my neighbour his right to bang loudly on our shared wall because I was obviously committing the crime of interfering with his megathon of video gaming.

Now, if you recall, in my first paragraph, I had warned future readers that a lot of crazy adventures are going to happen and that this is a children's book ,or if you like, a middle grade novel. So, all you moms and dads and grandparents and legal guardians and babysitters who will read this in the future, your adult brains are going to say " Yeah... this is fairly silly and implausible". Don't listen to that voice! Be ready to jump aboard, grab a bologna sandwich or an endless supply of caramels, find a nice crow named Clarence, commune with an alligator, find a dentist, and snuggle in for a fantastically funny adventure. If you're still a little suspicious, it's okay because that just means you're just like almost all of the adults( although some grown-ups do have good sense- thank goodness!) in the story,worried that something untoward is going to happen.

My first Kate DiCamillo read( yes, it truly is my first) was a heartfelt tale about a young girl learning to forgive and finding out who she wants to be. A beautiful golden story that walks away with the coveted 5 star rating.

I really enjoyed the characters in Louisiana's Way Home. I enjoy Kate DiCamillo as an author. I have not read Raymie Nightingale but since the girl, Louisiana is in that book as well, I am looking forward to reading it.

Louisiana, a character from Raymie Nightingale, is awaken in the middle of the night and rushed into a car by her grandmother, who is going on about a curse. This isn't the first time something like this has happened and she resists to no avail. An unexpected emergency forces them to stop in a small town where Louisiana finds out her family isn't who she thought they were, and that, really, she has some choice in the matter.

I picked this book by Kate DiCamillo as I had read a few of her books to my kids when they were younger and we had enjoyed them. This story is about a young girl, Louisiana, who lives with her granny. Apparently, Louisiana is also in another of DiCamillo's books, but not one that I had read. This book does well as a standalone story, but I will go back and read the earlier book. According to Granny, there is a curse on the family. The story starts with Granny waking Louisiana in the middle of the night and telling her they must leave. Louisiana and Granny take to the road and the story follows their adventures. A really nice and heartwarming story with likeable characters and well written as all of DiCamillo's books are. Highly recommend it!

Louisiana Elefante is a charming heroine, and her capacity for feelings, her exclamations and mannerisms evoke Anne Shirley, and the story of finding a home can also remind us of L.M. Montgomery's story.

Kate DiCamilla has, however, her distinctive style and the plot is original. The "curse of sundering" that predicts an ominious future filled with magic may be different from what the little girl expects, but it is none the less painful and hard to face.

Accompanying Lousiana on her unwilling journey from Florida to Georgia, I was touched, amused and charmed. This story can not only hold the attention of the younger readers, but has also a message for adults. DiCamillo mixes the sweet and sad elements in her book with such a mastery that one experiences a whole range of emotions. It is easy to judge Granny, it is also easy to understand her. It is easy to fall in love with little Louisiana and her Allens. It is easy, in short, to fall in love with this story.

This was a fun heartwarming children's book, full of twists and turns for twelve year old Louisiana. Once her grandmother wakes her up in the middle of the night she is on an adventure that will change everything about her life as she knows it, and all her ideas on who she is.

Louisiana is a character from Raymie Nightingale, one of DiCamillo's earlier books. I hadn't read it when I started this story and it is completely fine as a stand alone book, but now I do want to go back and read it!

What made me love this story is Louisiana's full-of-life personality. Her character is sassy, bold and always hungry for more, despite all that she is going through. She is pretty angry with her granny in most of the story and it brought me back to my bratty childhood memories.

Despite the funny and lightheartedness of the story it is overall a sad story of a girl that just wants a family and a place to belong. I found myself cheering for her through the book hoping that she will "make good choices" and "persevere" as I always tell my kids, and Lousiana does too! It was an adorable story, if you like DiCamillo's other books you are sure to enjoy this one!

Basic Plot: Granny wakes Louisiana up in the middle of the night, and they set off on a journey to rid themselves of the family curse. But Louisiana soon discovers that there's more to her history than she realized. Suddenly, she finds herself left to her own devices in a small town in Georgia. And all she really wants is to find her way home again.

WHAT’S COOL…
1) Louisiana's voice as narrator is amazing! I love how she uses big words (because her grandmother uses big words). And she talks non-stop... but in a very pleasing way. (Kind of like Anne of Green Gables. And comparing Louisiana to Anne is probably the highest praise I can give!)

2) There are some great scenes... varying from the delightfully comedic (involving driving and dentists) to more serious moments (involving funerals and fainting). And then there's the cast of quirky characters: The Burke Allens (all 3 of them), Miss Lulu (who can't quite play the organ), and the walrus-like Reverend Obertask, just to name a few.

3) My suspicions about Louisiana's family are confirmed in this book. (Something I suspected back in the first book.) This, of course, is revealed just at the right spots in the plot.

4) I love Betty Allen (Burke's mom) and her cakes. I drew a big breath of relief when she and Reverend Obertask finally figure out a few things.

5) This story really is heartbreaking and beautiful at the same time. DiCamillo hits all the right emotional chords just at the right moment. The ending brought tears to my eyes.

6) This is one book where I actually enjoyed the "sequel" more than the original. I liked the first book very much, but there's something about Louisiana that is very compelling and endearing. She makes for a wonderful narrator and protagonist.

WHAT’S NOT COOL…
1) Some of the adults drove me crazy!! I wish they would take one look at Louisiana and realize that something is not right with her situation. (But I also understand that this is kind of important for plot reasons, so it not a major criticism.)

FINAL THOUGHTS
My rating is 4 Stars (out of 5) – For me, 4-stars means I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It's worth the read just to hear Louisiana's voice tell her story. She's definitely a protagonist you will want to root for.

I was lucky enough to receive an ARC of Louisiana's Way Home by two-time Newbery Medalist Kate DiCamillo. I use the word 'lucky' quite sincerely - this middle grade read had me ugly crying at several points. LWH is an uplifting, heartbreaking, emotional read that, despite the rollercoaster of emotions it unlocked, left me happy and optimistic about little Louisiana's future.

LWH is a sequel to 2016's Raymie Nightingale, the first follow-up in DiCamillo's career. Don't be put off by it's sequel status - you don't need to be familiar with Raymie to understand or enjoy this book. Raymie is itself a delightful read about friendship, loss, and finding your way. To me, Raymie is enjoyable. Louisiana's Way Home is unputdownable. I'll carry Louisiana's story with me for a long time; it's that good.

In some ways, this is a story of woe and confusion, but it is also a story of joy and kindness and free peanuts.
Louisiana Elefante's story begins speeding down a highway, fleeing a family curse in the dead of night. Louisiana's eccentric Granny warns her that "the day of reckoning has arrived." Indeed, it has.

Will a curse of sundering catch up with Louisiana? Where and who will she be when all is said and done?

At times, Louisiana's story is silly, improbable, heartbreaking, dream-like, and it's one worth knowing. It's about not just finding who you are - but deciding who you'll grow to be. It's about family; the families we're born into and those that we choose. It's about kindness. Loss. Lessons learned. And of course, love.

There's a great cast of characters. Some, like Grandpap Burke Allen, you'll love. Seriously, that man had me tearing up left and right.

Others, you'll wonder how anyone could be so heartless to a clearly-in-need child. Love them or hate them, each character is distinct, memorable, and gets Louisiana to where she's meant to be: home.

Five stars. Ten stars. All the stars.

Louisiana's Way Home is on sale October 2nd. 

((I will post my review on my blog when we get closer to the release date.))

Oh I fell in love with this story from the first chapter! I could hear Louisiana telling her story in her southern accent. I smiled, laughed, and get a bit teary .. which, for me, is a sign of a great book. Louisiana brought us along on her challenges, explorations, and discoveries. I was rooting for her!
As a teacher, I think this would be an awesome story to read alous. Ican see using examples from the story to teach about cause and effect. It could also be used for examining character traits.

Kate DiCamillo has done it again! Reading Louisiana’s story completely broke my heart but I admired her bravery and tenacity throughout. DiCamillo has a way of writing that makes the reader feel fully immersed with the characters, setting, and plot and tunes out the outside world for a while. I read this book in one sitting, and I know my students will enjoy such an engrossing novel that isn’t hundreds of pages long. Louisiana and the Allen family were so lovable, and some of the other characters in Georgia, not so much. I think many students will be able to connect to Louisiana’s feeling of not belonging, but in an entirely different capacity. There were so many messages, morals, and quotable moments in this book and so can’t wait to get it into my students’ hands so we can discuss it in depth! Thank you, NetGalley for the ARC!

Editor's note: This review will appear in Mountain Times (Boone, NC) on Oct. 4, 2018

Hede: A sundering story: "Louisiana's Way Home" — A Kate DiCamillo sequel finds a way to put the pieces back together

To be a child crippled by the curse of sundering is a study in perpetual loss — unless that child springs from the able pen of two-time Newbery Medalist Kate DiCamillo.

And then? Then hope springs eternal, too.

Admittedly, my own hope was guarded when I discovered that DiCamillo had written a sequel to the 2016 National Book Award Finalist “Raymie Nightingale.” Guarded because that stunning novel featured Raymie’s strong voice, and while Raymie was but one-third of the friendship trifecta which forms that novel, Louisiana Elefante and Beverly Tapinski were regulated definitively to the position of elevated sidekicks.

In other words, I had doubts that DiCamillo could again pull off the third-person narrative voice that had made “Raymie Nightingale” such a simple yet meditative study of life and loyalty and friendship.

But the author does not pretend. Although not known for pitching sequels, DiCamillo has said that Louisiana’s was a story needing to be told, a voice needing to be heard and that she was little more than scribe listening to these inner directives. Hesitant to get in the way of such driving forces, “Louisiana’s Way Home” (Candlewick) is the result, a story replete with turbulence but stripped to its raw elements under DiCamillo’s graceful touch.

So enters the solo Louisiana, cursed from birth with sundering — a plague on her family since 1910 when her great-grandfather, a magician, had sawed her great-grandmother in half but refused to put her back together. “This, as you can imagine,” Louisiana tells us, “had disastrous and far-reaching consequences.”

Far-reaching in that every relationship our young heroine is exposed to — from her friendships with Raymie and Beverly, her granny and even with Archie, the King of the Cats, and Buddy, the one-eyed dog — will be tested, shattered and left in pieces that only a storyteller with DiCamillo’s skill could hope to reassemble.

Told with a touch of magic, a sense of folklore and fable, and destined to reach the tween, teen or adult in your life, “Louisiana’s Way Home” is not only a worthy successor to Raymie’s story, it stands alone on its own strengths and prompts the question, can Beverly’s tale be far behind?

We can always hope — again, DiCamillo teaches us that.

In this incredible story, Louisiana is woken up in the middle of the night by her granny and told that they were leaving because the day of reckoning had arrived. As Louisiana knows, her Granny is a little bit different from most, but she is used to her crazy ideas. This time though, Louisiana has to leave her best friends and her pets and she fears that she will never return. After hearing some shocking news from Granny, Louisiana meets the people of a small town in Georgia and becomes involved in their lives. Still she struggles with finding her way back across the Florida Georgia line. Louisiana is a girl who struggles with knowing who she is and who she wants to become. Through the eyes of spunky Louisiana, we get to meet the characters that will help Louisiana find herself along the way. They are described as only she could describe them! Louisiana's adventure was so fun to read and I couldn't wait to find out what was going to happen to her next. She is the perfect narrator for this story. Kate DiCamillo has done it again!

I absolutely fell in love with the strange, witty tone of Raymie Nightingale, so I was excited to read a book from Louisiana's perspective. In this, Louisiana is awoken one very early morning by her granny who tells her they must leave immediately because the day of reckoning to avoid their family curse has arrived. This is the start of a slapdash, high-paced adventure where the adults are incompetent and rude, the other children are observant and kind, and Louisiana is hopeful but melancholy.

I really don't know if I would even classify this as realistic fiction, though I know it's the reality of many children. It reads like a Lemony Snicket novel with high vocabulary and peculiar narration. It was strange, but I kind of loved it. If you liked Raymie Nightingale or Flora & Ulysses, you will enjoy this!

A lovely story about a girl who is trying to figure out who she really is. Louisiana is swept away from the place she has called home by her "grandmother". There is a curse of sundering on the family and therefore they are always leaving people and places behind. But this time the curse does more sundering than ever before and Louisiana is left alone trying to find out who she really is and who she wants to become. Louisiana has a very unique and charming voice and I felt like I could hear her speak as I read the pages. A truly enjoyable book for middle grade readers.