First of all, Kate DiCamillo always does such smart things as a writer. I love reading her with 3 different hats on: one as a reader myself, one as a reading teacher, and one as a writing teacher.

I love Kate DiCamillo's stories so much. I love her characters- they squeeze my heart. Louisiana Elefante, I'm so glad I met you and that you took me on this journey with you.

My favorite line in the story is Granny's: "And perhaps what matters when all is said and done is not who puts us down but who picks us up."

I'm grateful for all the folks who came into your life and picked you up. Burke Allen and Burke Allen and Burke Allen, Betty Allen, Clarence the crow, and Reverend Obertask. They were quirky and kind and simple without being simplistic. They are like my friends, so I can relate.

The references to Pinocchio make me want to reread that classic story, too...

This is my favorite of Kate’s most recent novels. I enjoyed catching up with Louisiana and getting to know her better. It flows nicely and tells a heartbreaking story in a way that children will connect with it.

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this early version of the story.

Another amazing Kate DiCamillo story that will delight my middle grade readers.
There’s just enough magic mixed with the goodness of humanity.

This was a lovely story! I absolutely loved the voice of Louisiana! Such a spunky likeable character. I devoured this book in one sitting. Would make a great read aloud for my third graders, or a book for them to read at the end of the year. I will definitely be buying the hard copy edition. Louisiana’s sassiness reminds me of Goonie Bird Greene, Junie B. Jones and Marty McGuire.

Kate DiCamillo makes you feel emotions that you aren't used to feeling while reading a children's book and that makes her writing more powerful and impactful. Her vivid imagery allows you to feel pain, sadness, joy and contentment within the pages and scenes of the story.
Louisiana had a story to tell from the time we met her in Raymie Nightingale and this book did not disappoint. Louisiana has had her fair share of troubles in her short little life and it seems to only get worse for her now. The thing about challenges and trials is that they help you figure out who you are and what you believe in. Friendships old and new help her realize what she really wants in life and how to get there.
A truly beautiful story that will certainly find itself a home on my bookshelves at home and school.

Kate DiCamillo is a favorite author of mine. I like that she doesn’t present life as an unattainable perfect ideal. Louisiana’s Way Home is another example of a bittersweet tale filled with characters that are stronger and more resourceful than they realize. Louisiana immediately has you rooting for her but it is her own ability to improvise and adapt that brings about an ending that is somewhat predictable, but perfect. Filled with quirky and caring people, Louisiana’s story will reaffirm you faith in the kindness of strangers.

Oh, Louisiana, I'm so happy to meet you. Your unique voice and wisdom beyond your years kept me engrossed in your adventures. My heart ached for you, I was genuinely worried about you, I rooted for you. Thank you, Kate DiCamillo for introducing me to her.

Getting pulled out of bed in the middle of the night and being forced to leave behind nearly everything you love would be difficult for anyone, let alone a child. DiCamillo gives Louisiana strength and grace, which I appreciate so much. Louisiana deals with her life with bravery and determination. She reads people well, a gift from her grandmother who sweet talks her way into getting what she needs. I was fully invested in this story, not wanting to put it down until I knew how it would go. The underlying themes of self reliance, trust in others, dealing with chaos and abandonment were handled so well. The story resonated with me and I fully believe would resonate with children. Fabulous.

I loved Louisiana’s Way Home. Louisiana’s voice was honest and true. Her story made me pause and think more than once “We all, at some point, have tp decide who we want to be in this world. It is a decision we make for ourselves.” That sums up Louisuana’s character and the whole book for me. Well said, Kat DiCamillo!

DiCamillo has done it again. I fell in love with Louisiana. Great characters. Funny, uplifting, with plenty of heart.

Oooooo this book was everything I want from Kate DiCamillo! Louisiana's voice is spot on, and I was so happy to learn more about her!

Five stars all the way!! Kate DiCamillo's ability to tell a story that is compelling and engaging for both kids and adults continues to blow me away. Readers got to know a little bit about the ever loyal Louisiana Elefante and her eccentric granny in RAYMIE NIGHTINGALE, but it was a true joy to dive into their backstories and see what happened to them next. The story begins with granny Elefante whisking Louisiana away in the middle of the night to flee across the Florida-Georgia state line. Louisiana just wants to go back to her friends and her home but discovers new things about herself, her family and the meaning of the word hope as she meets new friends and foes in a small town in Georgia. Heart, humor, tenderness, sadness - it's all here in this amazing character-driven story. I wanted it to keep going so I could hang out with Louisiana longer.

Louisiana is woken up in the middle of the night by her grandmother (the only parent she’s ever known), packed into the car and started on a journey far from home. All because it is the day of reckoning. It is time to face the family curse. Granny has done odd things before, but this time? They don’t turn back.

Louisiana’s Way Home is told to us by Louisiana herself because, as she says, “there is a great deal of power in writing things down.” Her unique voice pulls readers through the story and provokes them to emotionally respond to her tale.

The journey to confront the curse lands them in a dentist office, where granny has to have her infected teeth pulled. All of them. Louisiana and toothless granny persuade and deceive get gas, food, and housing. But then granny reveals the deceit has gone on far longer than Louisiana’s been alive.

A dry humor and bizarre stream of events weave this tale’s unusual plot. Bestselling, multiple Newberry award-winning author Kate DiCamillo turns distinctly beautiful phrases in this book that thoughtfully capture the concepts of family, identity, and most of all, forgiveness.

Louisiana’s Way Home covers events that happen after Kate DiCamillo’s book Raymie Nightingale, but luckily it also reads beautifully as a stand-alone. Readers searching for a uniquely gripping, fresh, and heart wrenching story need to look no further than this deftly written book.

This review will be cross-posted at https://lindsaymaeveschubert.wordpress.com/ upon the book's release.

Thanks to Netgalley and Candlewick Press for the advance reader copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

A BIG Thank You to NetGalley and Candlewick Press for providing me a copy of “Louisiana’s Way Home” by Kate DiCamillo in exchange for my review. This was a sweet and endearing book mainly because of the ‘wily and resilient’ Louisiana.

I love Kate DiCamillo’s whimsical style of writing. She has a beautiful way of highlighting important issues like loss, sorrow and acceptance in a prominent manner for younger audience without making it too serious. In some ways, her books inspire adult readers to contemplate their own issues and how to make the right decisions. In this novel, we see Louisiana come to terms of who she is and who she wants to become. Even though Louisiana faces many obstacles, she is optimistic and focuses on the right solution. She provides a beautiful blend of humor, friendship and adventure in this tale. My favorite hilarious moments were when they go to the dentist, or when she comments on Bernice’s curlers. On a side note, I also learned some new terms like ‘sundering’ and ‘infinitesimally’ from this novel.

The only part that I didn’t enjoy much was how the Granny left Louisiana. The story becomes uncomfortable when Louisiana is alone in the motel. It was discomforting to see these scenes written in a nonchalant manner. It continues this way when she gets lost in the woods in the middle of the night. Moreover, I didn’t like the reason as to why Granny left her behind in the first place. It seemed like a very ridiculous reason to leave behind someone you have loved for many years. Anyway, apart from this scene, I absolutely adored this book!

This story is written from the first person narrative of Louisiana and makes the book feel very personal. All the characters mentioned are adorable and it very hard to dislike any of them (even Bernice and Miss Lulu). They are all distinctive, colorful and memorable in their own manner. The author even makes a creepy creature like a crow seem cute to have for a pet. My favorite character was Burke as I feel anyone would love to have a friend like him around.

Now that we have books on Louisiana and Raymie, can we expect the following book to be about Beverly? I will be definitely reading “Raymie Nightingale” after reading this beautiful novel to see if it is equally good. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed reading “Louisiana’s Way Home” and rate it 4 out of 5 stars.

Can one moment in our lives change who we are fundamentally? This story is a quick read and I recommend it for readers of all ages. Although I would classify this story as a quick read, I feel very close to Louisianna and I hope that Kate DiCamillo will have this as a series as I know I would enjoy seeing more adventures of Louisianna and her new found family and home.

The stometimes heartbreaking next phase in the difficult life of Louisiana Elefante (first introduced in Raymie Nightingale). While there aren't a lot of kids who live in situations like Louisana's, there is even less literature reflecting the stories of those that do. That alone would make this book worthy, but it's also commendable for its pacing, tenderness, and humor. Read with tissues. Trigger cautions for issues related to abandonment & mental health concerns in a parent or guardian.

'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.