Kate DiCamillo is one of my go-to authors when recommending books to my students. I was ecstatic to see that Louisianas story was continuing, as I adored her in Raymie Nightingale. This spunky, full of life, witty girl stole my heart and I thoroughly enjoyed this book. When her Granny wakes her in the night and they leave town suddenly, Louisiana is thrust into an adventure of self exploration. I wholeheartedly enjoyed continuing her story, and reading the backstory of Granny and Louisiana. Exploring hard topics with humor and heart, Kate DiCamillo weaves a fantastic tale. All of the stars for this return of Louisiana Elefante. ♥️Thank you @candlewickpress for this advance reader in exchange for my honest review.

This is a very touching story about a young girl finding her way back home. The story is about Louisiana Elefante who wakes up to her granny telling her they must leave and never come back. This is nothing new for her granny except the never come back part. Louisiana must deal with loss as she leaves her friends behind. She must deal with meanness in others as well as finding someone who will help her. Filled with hope for the reader, you will fall in love with Louisiana and want to see happiness for her. I can’t wait to see what happens to her next.

5+ stars ⭐️ out of 5

Thank you to netgalley as well as the author for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my honest review.

Excellent sequel to Raymie Nightengale. Heartfelt first person story about Louisiana and her Granny, full of tears and laughter, love and loss.

Maybe this would be fun for a child to read. It is a children's book. Perhaps I didn't understand its charm as a 22-year-old. The fact that I read many children's books every year and enjoy them immensely make that seem unlikely. The real reason is probably that I did not know this was a sequel, so I did not read the first book. My bad.

The best way to go about this is to start with the things I disliked.

Louisiana was said to be twelve. While reading this, she came across as eight or even younger. She always repeated herself and never knew how to act around adults. If she were twelve, I would hope she could navigate an adult conversation.

Everyone in this book was terrible to this poor child. I firmly believe that the Grandmother was emotionally abusive to her. Louisiana was shocked when the Burkes were helpful to her because hardly anyone had ever been kind to her. No one believed her or cared when she said she was lost or far from home.

On to what I thought was well done.

This book showed a harsh truth, just because she was a child did not make everything work out for her. I wanted her to have a perfectly happy life, but that's not how it works.

I loved the format as a letter to tell her story. It made the repetition seem a little less annoying. I always forget what I wrote earlier so why wouldn't Louisiana?

So yes I think this book could have been stronger, but I'm giving it 3* instead of 2* because maybe it would have made more sense if I had read the first book. This could be my fault so I'll give it the benefit of the doubt.

I give Louisiana’s Way Home by Kate DiCamillo 4 stars. Beautifully written, a heartaching story of a young girl finding her way home. A story of finding one’s identity in adolescents that is sure to break your heart and fill you with hope.

Kate DiCamillo has crafted another beautifully, bittersweet novel that is bound to engulf you into Louisiana Elephante’s world! Louisiana’s Way Home is a powerful story that will challenge readers to think about who they are and who they want to become.

Raised by her Granny, Louisiana seemingly lives a nomadic life focused on escaping a family curse. Unexpected circumstances force Louisiana to come to terms with her growing resentment towards her Granny. She must make difficult choices that will form her future, which no 12-year-old should have to do. With help from her new friend, Burke Allen, Louisiana navigates a new life path where she can surround herself with love, happiness, and perhaps grow some family roots.

Louisiana’s Way Home is a charming book full of humor, sadness, joy, and… peanuts!

Kate DiCamillo can do no wrong in children's literature. While I liked the quirky Raymie Nightingale, I absolutely loved the heartwarming story found in Louisiana's Way Home. I wasn't sure how I was going to feel with Louisiana separated from her friends in Florida, as that was my favorite part of Raymie Nightingale, but as always, Kate DiCamillo knows what she is doing.

The book begins with twelve year old Louisiana Elefante being woken in the middle of the night by her (slightly unhinged) Granny who tells her that the day of reckoning has arrived and they have to leave Florida. Off they go on a wild trip with no direction... that ends at a dentist's office in Georgia, where they try to dodge the massive bill that comes along with having all of your teeth pulled. Sounds crazy, right? In true Louisiana fashion, the story is bright and whimsical, until a shocking blow is delivered halfway through the book that brings the weepy feeling that always comes with Kate's books. Without giving more away, this wonderful story will make you love Louisiana even more, as she tries to figure out what kind of person she will become. If you liked/loved Raymie Nightingale, you have to get Lousiana's Way Home.

I loved Louisiana in Raymie Nightengale, so I was excited to get more of her story. Often when a side character becomes the main character, you lose some of what you loved about her. That happens a little in the first half—she’s a more reliable narrator than I was expecting. But by the second half she is much more herself. As always, well written with well-developed characters.

Louisiana was a bittersweet, beautifully written book. I enjoyed Louisiana's friendships and reading her grow as a character. Little details like the vending machines and cakes were fun, sweet details. I'd recommend this to anyone who feels a little lost, and is looking for a companion on that journey!

This is an almost perfect middle school read. It is well written, easy to read and funny. Middle schoolers love funny. Louisiana, the main character is spunky and insightful, yet she is relatable.

Louisiana Elefante lives under a curse of sundering. She knows this because her Granny has told the story of how her great-grandfather, a magician, cuts her great-grandmother in half and then leaves before putting her back together again.

Living under a curse proves burdensome for a young girl—especially when it means leaving home in the middle of the night. The curse proves tragical when Louisiana discovers that her grandmother has no intention of turning back.

Louisiana Elefante writes down her story so that those who wonder what happened to her will know the truth. The reader will enter into the mind of a young girl orphaned when her trapeze artist parents die in a tragic accident (or did they?).

Layer by layer, Louisiana peels back the truth about herself, the curse, and how families can graft members into the trunk of their existence.

Louisiana’s lyrical voice draws the reader in, insisting on truth and begging for answers in a world that’s gone awry.

I have to say I was a little disappointed in this book. I was looking forward to the trio of Louisiana, Beverly, and Raymie having another adventure and getting to know them better and watching their friendship deepen and grow. Instead it's all about Louisiana having her own adventure and finding out some surprising information about her family history after her Granny takes her and sneaks out of town in the middle of the night.

The story is told in Lousiana's voice, in the form of a letter documenting the events of her unwilling flight from Florida and the events that followed. Louisiana is very precocious and adorable with the way she talks to people and relays her story, but the story seemed too short and rushed, and too much in Louisiana's head. I think it needed more involvement and development of some of the other characters, and I think we needed to get to know the Allen family a little before before Lousiana's decision.

It's okay, and I would recommend it to readers who enjoyed the first book, but I think it could've been better. I'm curious if there will be a third book about Beverly...

In my opinion, Kate DiCamillo can do no wrong when it comes to writing. Her books all have a wonderful mix of imagination and heart, and Louisiana's story is no exception. I would recommend this to readers from 9 to 109.

I am reviewing an ARC of this book that I received from the publisher through NetGalley.

I enjoyed this story but feel that I must go back and read Raymie’s story so that I can understand Louisiana’s character a little better. I read this book and as a teacher I unfortunately was able to think of a couple of students who actually live like this with guardians who have no money and con others into helping them and seem to pick up and leave town on a whim with thoughts of school the furthest thing from their minds.

I was excited to be given the chance to read a Kate DiCamillo book by NetGalley and Candlewick Press. It’s been so long since I’ve read one of hers, but I do remember enjoying her storytelling.

Louisiana is a young girl who is easy to sympathize with, especially toward the end of the book where the reader is given more of her story. She is funny, brave, a good friend, and the type of person you’d want to spend time with. There were times when you could feel her pain and confusion, and other times when you could feel her longing for a home. Unfortunately, since the focus being on Louisiana, the reader doesn’t get to know anyone else, making the rest of the characters fairly one-dimensional.

Due to being a short children’s/middle grade book, the storyline was simple and easy-to-follow. Right from the beginning, my attention was captured as Louisiana was dragged by her grandmother on a trip, away from everything the young girl is used to and loves. However, toward the middle, I didn’t find myself as captivated. Throughout, the reason for leaving didn’t really make sense to read. Even after the “explanation” was given, it seemed fairly loose and unrealistic. It was also difficult to tell how serious the “explanation” was supposed to be, and for a while, I kept thinking this book was going to turn into a fantasy read any moment. It didn’t, but this plot point was misleading.

There was something else that bothered me. A little girl in trouble and it took a while before anyone realized that she needed help seemed unrealistic. It was probably because Granny’s arc, if you can call it that, just seemed too far-fetched. Also, perhaps since the story is kind of quirky, which I didn’t care for, could be why some didn’t realize how much help Louisiana needed.

To end more positively, I did like the format of the book. It is a story that Louisiana is writing down and sharing. Toward the middle, I forgot that she was writing the story down and read it more like a book. At the end, though, the author wraps the story nicely, letting the reader know who Louisiana is addressing.

Overall, this was a fine read for me, but I felt it lacked in sensibility and character development. I would recommend this to children who enjoy somewhat quirky stories about a character trying to find a place to call home.

Relationships are complicated; realizing your identity is complicated, and both of these life experiencescare treated with seriousness, compassion, and humor in Dicamillo'd latest work. Louisiana's life story is bizarre: a child of trapeze performers and decendent of a "suffering" curse, she is raised by her Granny who packs there bags on night to journey from Florida to Nebraska so Granny can face the curse. Little does Louisiana know that her life and who she is will change forever after a dentist appointment, meeting a no with a wild pet crow., and tasting some cakes.

I loved this book! Thank you Candlewick and Net Galley for the free review copy. Louisiana Elefante made her debut in DeCamillo's Raymie Nightingale. This book gives Louisiana a chance a to shine. She finds herself on a bit of an adventure with her grandmother that leaves her questioning her place in the world. Louisiana's character and voice are so engaging I read the book straight through. Though sad at times, this a story of finding oneself, friendship, and hope. Readers will find Louisiana likable and relatable, and they'll be cheering her on throughout the story.

I'm excited to hear this book as an audiobook version. It was a nice story of a girl finding her way to a new family when she is once again left behind by people in her life. I did not connect as emotionally to the people in her new life--as I did to those in Winn-Dixie, for example--but I think part of that was the lack of an audiobook version. It is still a good story of a young girl finding people who will care about her.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

Readers first met Louisiana Elefante in Raymie Nightingale. I'm so happy that Kate Di Camillo felt the need to tell more of Louisiana's story. Louisiana was used to living an unusual life with her Granny. They moved a lot and often weren't able to pay their electric bill or buy food. One day, Granny suddenly takes her away from the home she had come to love and her friends and her cat. Shortly after they stop in Georgia, Granny leaves Louisiana behind with nothing but a note. Left, to find her own way, Louisiana tried to discover who she really is and what she wants to do. She is a charming girl who has her own little quirks, a talent for singing and a lot of heart.

Kate DiCamillo tells more of Louisiana's story, one of her characters from Raymie Nightingale, in a novel that can be read as a stand alone.

Louisiana's Granny woke her in the middle of the night and they started to drive away from her friends, her cat, her home. Louisiana is not sure where they are going, but it becomes clear they are not going back. They stop in Georgia, at the Good Night, Sleep Tight hotel and it is here that Louisiana finds out truths about her life that change everything.

Louisiana's story is one of transformation. She discovers who she is and finds her place in the world. There is sadness in Louisiana's life, but out of that sadness grows hope. This is a story about family and friendship and home. It gives a lot for the reader to think about including the power of kindness and forgiveness.

There is a whimsical quality to Kate DiCamillo's writing. Louisiana's voice shines as she observes life and those around her. She's a character with spunk and resilience who readers will be rooting for from the first page.

Both beautiful and hopeful, Louisiana's Way Home is a book that will tug at your heart strings.