Thank you NetGalley for giving me an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I chose to request this book because I have read a couple of Kate DiCamillo’s books before and my sixth grade students enjoy them as well. I did not know that this Louisiana was the same from the book Raymie Nightingale. I was pleasantly surprised when I discovered that! I loved Louisiana, way more than Raymie, and was hooked at the start. My heart broke many times and I am still wanting more after it was over. I would definitely recommend this book and I like that you do not have to have read Raymie Nightingale first. You can read either one in any order and still enjoy it. I will recommend this book to my sixth graders and look forward to getting my own copy for my classroom.

What a beautiful story! I absolutely loved Louisiana!! She was so witty and clever, and I think adults, as well as children, will love this story.

I can’t wait to use this with my Mock newbery club!!


Thank you for an advance copy.

I may have literally screamed with excitement when I was approved to read the ARC of Louisiana’s Way Home by Kate DiCamillo, my favorite author of all time.

I’ve read all of DiCamillo’s books, and I hold her middle grade novels among the best in the genre. As I write, my autographed copy of Raymie Nightingale (2016) is sitting on the desk next to me, looking so inconspicuous for a book that is filled with so much wonder and magic.

For those who were as riveted by Raymie’s story as I was, you will surely remember Louisiana Elefante, who, along with Beverly Tapinski and Raymie herself, were The Three Rancheros central to the story.

Kate DiCamillo has never before returned to a character from one of her novels, but she did in Louisiana’s Way Home. Her reasoning, as stated in the ARC, is this: “While I had no intention of writing another novel about those rancheros, Louisiana’s voice was so strong and insistent, and her need to tell her story was so profound, that I gave in. And boy, am I ever glad that I did. I loved spending time with her again.”

And boy, am I glad she did, too! While reading Louisiana’s story, she very quickly became one of my favorite DiCamillo characters of all time — right up there with India Opal Buloni from Because of Winn-Dixie. I also loved that just like with India Opal, DiCamillo tells Louisiana’s story in first-person, which only serves to strengthen the voice and heart of the character.

Louisiana takes place two years after Raymie ended, and the story begins with Louisiana’s granny waking her in the middle of the night so they can flee across the Florida-Georgia State Line. Perhaps the most important thing to know about Louisiana as the story unfurls is that there is a curse upon her head. But, as Louisiana discovers, there is more to life than curses and destiny. There are friendships, both old and new, there is family, both known and unknown, and there is hope. And where there is hope, there is light, and that light makes life just a little bit more bearable.

Louisiana’s story is not a happy one, but that is one of the reasons I love it so much. Life is messy, people are mean and sometimes lie, and friends and family aren’t always around when you need them. But there are twists and turns around every corner and fate and destiny are ours for the making. These are the lessons Louisiana learns, as she narrates her poignant, heartfelt journey toward lifting the curse upon her head and facing “the day of reckoning” as her granny calls it.

I’m so grateful to Kate DiCamillo for allowing us into Louisiana’s world again and for giving us this beautiful book full of magic, mystery, heartbreak, and hope. Louisiana’s story will be one that remains etched on my heart, and I will revisit it again and again.

I was so excited to get to read DiCamillo's new middle grade book! This is a continuation of the story that originated in Raymie Nightingale (2016). This installment is told in the voice of 12-year-old Louisiana Elefante and picks up two years later, beginning with Lousiana’s grandma dragging her out of Florida in the middle of the night (leaving behind her dear friends, Raymie and Beverly — presumably forever). On their journey, they quickly hit one obstacle after another and eventually land in a Georgia motel where Lousiana meets a young boy with a crow. Oh my, there’s a lot going on in this story with a variety of interesting characters, each being developed in full DiCamillo detail. But amidst the many experiences and side-adventures, Louisiana’s needs remain the focus.

It was easy to fall into this story as it’s one of hope and bonding. One thing I was pleased to see in this leg of the story (that gives it a bump over Raymie Nightingale) was Louisiana encountering a couple healthy adults who truly care about HER and want to help her do whatever she needs to do. There’s something so difficult about holding in a deep, potentially dark, secret. And middle grade literature, in general, often presents the child and adult as adversaries. Nevertheless, the young reader will find comfort in this story as Louisiana discovers a grown-up she can trust in her big, confusing, and sometimes scary world.

NOTE: While we encounter characters we met in the first book, Louisiana’s Way Home could easily be a stand-alone book for anyone who hasn’t yet read Raymie Nightingale. In fact, dare I mention that I enjoyed Louisiana’s Way Home much more than Raymie Nightingale? I grew far more attached to these characters and the final pages brought me to unexpected tears. Thanks to Candlewick Press and Netgalley for providing me with an e-ARC of this book for an honest review.

This review is also being posted on The Miller Memo book blog, on Goodreads, on Amazon, and on Barnes &Noble.

This was a short, easy read with a well-loved character at the center. Fans of the author’s “Raymie Nightingale” will be thrilled to see the return of Louisiana Elefante. Written in the first person, Louisiana’s voice really comes through. I can’t imagine this story being told any other way, because her voice is truly unique. Headstrong Louisiana deals with major life changes with tenacity, humor, and heart. Although not entirely easy to see on the surface, young readers will learn the message that good things come to those who wait, and that it sometimes just takes a little bit of faith in others to be able to find one’s own strengths. I would recommend reading “Raymie Nightingale” first, to get a better depth of understanding of the characters, but it isn’t necessary for understanding this book. Best for middle grades, although advanced elementary readers may enjoy it as well. Thank you to NetGalley, Candlewick Press, and the author for a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Random readerly fact: when I was a kid, I absolutely loved historical fiction set in the 30's and 40's. The world seemed generally familiar and comfortable, yet so very far away and long, long ago. Do you want to know how old I felt when I realized my children's historical fiction books set in the 70's are as far, far away and long ago from their lives as WWII stories were from mine? (Answer: very old.)

Luckily, nothing makes me feel quite so deliciously young as slipping into the world of a good Kate DiCamillo story--her inner eleven-year-old and mine could be very good friends, I think. Louisiana's Way Home, her newest story, is set in the 1970's and continues the story of Louisiana Elefante, first introduced in Raymie Nightingale. (Don't worry, though, if you haven't read the first book--this is absolutely readable and enjoyable on its own terms.)

Publisher's blurb for you:

When Louisiana Elefante’s granny wakes her up in the middle of the night to tell her that the day of reckoning has arrived and they have to leave home immediately, Louisiana isn’t overly worried. After all, Granny has many middle-of-the-night ideas. But this time, things are different. This time, Granny intends for them never to return. Separated from her best friends, Raymie and Beverly, Louisiana struggles to oppose the winds of fate (and Granny) and find a way home. But as Louisiana’s life becomes entwined with the lives of the people of a small Georgia town — including a surly motel owner, a walrus-like minister, and a mysterious boy with a crow on his shoulder — she starts to worry that she is destined only for good-byes. (Which could be due to the curse on Louisiana’s and Granny’s heads. But that is a story for another time.)

Called “one of DiCamillo’s most singular and arresting creations” by The New York Times Book Review, the heartbreakingly irresistible Louisiana Elefante was introduced to readers in Raymie Nightingale — and now, with humor and tenderness, Kate DiCamillo returns to tell her story.

One of the many things Kate DiCamillo does tremendously well is explore what it means to be human--whether we live in the 21st century, the 1970's, or a medieval castle (and, um, happen to be a mouse). Louisiana's Way Home beautifully develops a theme she's raised in many of her stories: being hurt is part of being human, but sharing our pain paradoxically increases our joy.

I can't think of many more important themes for today's children (and children-at-heart!) to have running through their minds and hearts. Recently, my heart has been breaking--not from my own troubles, directly, but from the pain so many of my friends and even strangers in the world are suffering. In the midst of all this, I read Louisiana's Way Home--and let me tell you, great children's books are the best cheap therapy ever. :) Because I suddenly felt gratitude for the heartbreak. In gardening, you sometimes need to take out the shears and slash away at seemingly healthy plants so that new, tender growth can explode from the scars. Heartbreak is like that, too. What a wonder it is that when our hearts are crushed, if we submit to our Loving Gardener, new growth and a capacity for love will spring out of the wounds.

Heartbreak is one of life's certainties. But thank God for beautiful writers like Kate DiCamillo who can remind us that Love is a certainty as well.

"If you have to choose between smiling and not smiling, choose smiling. It fools people for a short time. It gives you an advantage. According to Granny.”

This book was read as an Advanced Readers Copy. Louisiana's Way Home will be released on October 2, 2018.

Louisiana Elephante’s family is cursed. When her eccentric grandmother wakes her up at 3 am and starts to drive away from Florida, Louisiana isn’t happy. When Granny ends up needing emergency dental work in Georgia 6 hours later, she’s even less happy. And when they end up in a motel with no way to pay, she becomes desperate.

Kate DiCamillo shares with us the story of Louisiana Elephante, a character we were introduced to in another one of her books, “Raymie Nightingale”. In typical DiCamillo style, the story is simultaneously straightforward and poetic. Readers are both challenged and welcomed. The story is full of quotable moments as Louisiana discovers who she really is and begins to understand the idea of home for the first time.

Fans of DiCamillo’s other books will welcome this new addition. The story is masterfully crafted and will appeal to readers ages 8 and up who appreciate intelligent vocabulary and characters that worm their way into your hearts and never leave.

Seldom do I like a sequel better than the first book, but I’ve found an exception. I always pursue an offer of a book by Kate Dicamillo so I jumped at the chance offered by Net Galley for an advance reading copy of Louisiana’s Way Home. For the first time, Kate revisits a previous novel for her protagonist. From the Three Rancheros friendship of Raymie, Beverly, and Louisiana in Raymie Nightingale, Kate returns to tell Louisiana Elefante’s story.

The author, as is her practice, wastes no time hooking her bookworms as she begins with a sundering curse set in motion by Louisiana’s magician great-grandfather. The curse, handed down from one generation to the next, has now landed upon her head. As if that were not enough, Granny wakes Louisiana in the middle of the night for a date with destiny since “the day of reckoning is at hand,” and their journey begins.

Louisiana thinks she wants nothing more than to return home to her friends Raymie and Beverly. That’s before Granny abandons her leaving her with a note sharing truths about Granny and herself that are hard to swallow, and before she becomes acquainted with the people in the small Georgia town that becomes their destiny.

Kate said she had not intended to write another novel about the friends, but Louisiana insisted until she gave in. She said, “Boy, I am glad I did. I loved spending time with her again.” So will her readers.

This book goes on sale today and stands alone well without reading Raymie Nightingale, but I recommend reading both. I can only hope there will be another book that takes us into Beverly’s world. And lest you want more than my word for it, The Horn Book Magazine (Sept/Oct) gives it

With every new story, I am more certain that Kate DiCamillo must be acknowledged as one of the most talented authors of this generation. In this newest offering, DiCamillo tells the story of Louisiana Elefante and how she came to live with Betty and Burke Allen in Georgia. Fans of DiCamillo will remember Louisiana from Raymie Nightingale and will be at once delighted and crushed as they follow her adventures from Florida to Georgia.

As DiCamillo writes here, there is a “great deal of power in writing things down,” and it is true that her stories always contain power, and gentleness, love, and heartbreak. Additionally, they also contain some of the most inventive and memorable dialog and description out there. For instance, there’s this gem:

It occurred to me that the Georgia sun was different from the Florida sun. I knew that it was the same sun —of course I did. There is only one sun, no matter where you go on this infinitesimally spinning earth. That is a fact. 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.

Any child (or adult) struggling with figuring out their place in the world will surely identify with Louisiana and find comfort and strength in her story. Highly recommended.

The only other book I’ve read written by this author is Because of Winn Dixie, and if you enjoyed that book, this has the same slow, southern feel to it.

Kate’s books show the best and worst of the people in our world in the most realistic ways. I love stories that teach kids that terrible things can happen and that people not only survive them but flourish.

A lot is going on in the plot, and I hesitate to book report this review because it really needs the unfolding of actually reading it. I loved it.

I can say that this story had a happy ending and made me want to bake cakes. How’s that for a recommendation?

Kate DiCamillo is the storyteller of our generation. She creates a world peopled by unique individuals and makes you care about them all, even the minor ones on the edges of the story. Each character is fashioned so tenderly that the reader feels as though they have already met or sees herself in the pages of the book.
Louisiana Elefante’s story begins abruptly in the middle of the night when Granny rouses her to start a quest to undo a family curse. Granny is strong-willed and she has filled Louisiana with tales that have shaped her view of life. She is not a comforting presence in the story or in Louisiana’s life, but she is all she has.
As the story continues we watch Louisiana face hardship and disappointment as, through her own resilience and the kindness of strangers, she finds her way to a better life. The ending may be a bit too neat for adult readers, but children will find it perfect, and, truth be told, grown-ups will find it comforting too.

Because of Winn-Dixie is a favorite book of mine. It makes me nostalgic just to think of it. To read another book by Kate DiCamillo? Pure bliss.

One day Louisiana’s grandmother wakes her in the middle of the night to tell her they have to move immediately. Not only are they moving, they will never return. This is too much for Louisiana, and she tries with all her might to find her way home again. She meets many eccentric and lovable characters along her travels, and through them, has many life lessons as well.

Goodbyes are hard for everyone, but especially for children as they work their ways through the different emotions. I plan to share this book with some children who could benefit from Louisiana’s story (which is just about every child, really).

Kate DiCamillo writes with her whole heart, and it’s no wonder she is worthy of multiple Newbery honors.

Thank you to Candlewick Press for the complimentary ARC to review. All opinions are my own.

If you didn't read Raymie Nightingale, you'll still do fine with Louisiana's Way Home, though it's definitely easier to understand if you've read them in order.  In this story, Louisiana has been traveling with her granny, and she is learning about life from Granny's perspective (get what you can for free, win arguments, etc.).  She is angry, because granny has taken her out of Florida, away from her friends, and she doesn't understand why.  They end up in a small town in Georgia, and her granny, having lost all of her teeth, has abandoned her emotionally.  Louisiana is left with the stories her granny has passed on to her- that she is the orphan of trapeze artists, that her family has a curse, and that she can't escape this curse.  Louisiana meets a friend, learns the truth about her family history, and has to figure out who she is before life passes her by.

What I liked about this story was the repetition of words and phrases, often leading to themes or motifs, and the was things came full circle.  I enjoy Kate DiCamillo as much as the next person.  I can agree that she's a skilled author and creative storyteller, but she never stood out as my favorite.  However, this book blew me away.  I loved the way she wrote Louisiana and how certain things were repeated throughout the book.  This is up there on my list of 2018 books and it isn't even out yet!

Lousianna's Way Home
By Kate DiCamillo
The author has created another set of adorable characters that young children will connect with. The main character Louisanna is a remarkably sweet girl who finds her world turned up side down when her grandmother pulls her from her bed at 3 am and drags her across the state line. Louisanna has to adapt to a multitude of sudden changes and find a place for herself when she is lost and left behind with only a note to say everything she knew about herself was a lie.. the story is a remarkable tale of learning to see the world as it really is and finding people that will help you find a home. This book will be taught in classrooms over the next few years. Not only for its content but the way the writer presented a personal narrative and her sequence of events. This is a story kids can connect to and find out about themselves.

Louisiana Elefante knows that she is the daughter of the Flying Elfantes, there is a curse of sundering upon her head, and that her Granny often has middle-of-the-night ideas. But when one of those middle-of-the-night-ideas decides to take her from Florida to Georgia, Louisiana must figure out how to find her way home.
Getting to know Louisiana, who was introduced to the world in Raymie NIghtingale, is a poignant delight, especially in this first person narrative. The plot includes a few surprises to keep the story moving but the real strength of this book lies in engaging characters seen from Louisiana's likable point of view.

I adored this new book by Kate DiCamillo and loved it just as much as Raymie Nightingale. Delightful, as all Kate's books are! I will be recommending this title to many people.

Thanks to Candlewick Press for an advanced digital galley of this release for the purposes of review.

“And I knew what I wanted to do. I knew who I wanted to be. I wanted to be the person who sat at that table. I wanted to stay”
-Kate DiCamillo, Louisiana’s Way Home

As indicated by the quote, Louisiana’s Way Home illustrates a youthful perspective of discovering and understanding the world and everything it has to offer. Constructed by Kate DiCamillo, the story proves to be an intricate puzzle of a story told through the eyes of a girl, using her own unique and captivating voice that transforms a moderately envisioned plot into a riveting experience.

The story begins as of Louisiana, a young girl living a content life with her granny, pets, and friends until everything she knew vanishes one night. Driving off into the unknown with her granny, Louisiana reflects on the peculiar curse that broke the routine that she had created and caused her granny to depart from home in the middle of the night. She thinks of her deceased parents, the Flying Elephants, who were trapeze artists. She thinks of everything and everyone she left behind in Florida and how desperately she wants everything to return to the way it once was, thinking of her shattered world. In retrospective, this set-up appears rather cushioned due to how familiar it can feel. Outside of the unique form of storytelling, DiCamillo never offers a plot that feels bold or ambitious in its narrative scope.

Eventually, Louisiana and her granny cross the Florida-Georgia border, leading to startling and confusing events. However, and fortunately, DiCamillo uses these seemingly unimportant events to pave a pathway to a small town in Georgia. In this town, Louisiana begins to unfold her past and learn more about herself and the world around her. A boy with a crow, a church, several hair curlers, a pink house, a hotel, and even seventeen cakes help Louisiana find her independent voice and discover the meaning of home. Though the plot seems to collide in certain parts and occasionally become clouded and deluded in its overarching design, DiCamillo sustains her unique writing style and the story along with it. Not once did the ambitious style of the storytelling ever bleed through the text, allowing the characters from Louisiana to her fellow side characters to flourish in their respective area.

Throughout, DiCamillo adds so much realism into the character of Louisiana, while still maintaining an aura around her that radiates charm. Having this raw aspect to her character, Louisiana becomes a person who readers can laugh, cry, and simply relate with repeatedly. In relation to the somewhat drastically poor literary protagonists seen so far in the year, Louisiana breaks walls and obstacles by her well-executed design. There are many authors who strive to have their characters create the same emotions as DiCamillo is with Louisiana, however very few even come close to the mark.

Even with all of her childish beliefs and flaws, Louisiana’s tale is a riddle told through a blend of beautiful storytelling and maze of questions. As the story progresses and readers hungrily flip through the pages in excitement for the character of Louisiana, the clever overarching design of the book comes to light. Proving itself as a worthy extension of her previous novel Raymie Nightingale, Louisiana’s Way Home continues Kate DiCamillo’s list of enchanting books for all to appreciate and enjoy.


Score: 8.2 out of 10

Delightful story of Louisiana as she escapes a curse but finds out about who she really is. Louisiana is a straightforward girl with an amazing voice and I loved her from the start.

The two things I remember most about being 10 was that 1- I got new glasses with a blue frame just like my 4th grade teacher, Mrs. Basil, and 2- I was just so hungry for stories like Louisiana's Way Home. It would have been the ideal story for me, and together with Anne of Green Gables and a book my cousin in Wales sent to me called The School at the Chalet, I would have been in book heaven.

The Louisiana in this book's title is, of course, Louisiana Elefante one of the three rancheros from Kate DiCamillo's earlier book Raymie Nightingale. Louisiana is the girl with the swampy lungs who lives with her Granny because her parents, famous trapeze artists called The Flying Elefantes, died when the ship they were on sank. Since then, Louisiana and her Granny have been traveling around from place to place in an old car to avoid the "authorities" who, Granny believes, would send her to live in an orphanage.

So now it was no surprise when Granny woke Louisiana up at three in the morning to hustle her into the car and leave Florida and the other two rancheros, friends Raymie and Beverly, behind. As Granny explains to her, the hour of reckoning has arrived and it's time to do something about the curse of sundering that has been passed down from Louisiana's great-grandfather, a magician.

But Granny and Louisiana don't get far after crossing the state line into Georgia before Granny is hit with terrible tooth pain. The pain is so bad all she can do is moan for Louisiana to find a dentist, which she does in Richford, Georgia. Once Granny's teeth are taken care of, the two find themselves staying in the Good Night, Sleep Tight Motel for the night. But when Granny refuses to get out of bed, the motel owner, uncharitable Bernice, forces Louisiana to use her lovely voice singing at a funeral in order to pay for the additional nights.

Outside the motel, Louisiana meets Burke Allen, a wild child with a heart of gold, who knows how to get peanuts and Oh Henry candy bars out of the motel's vending machine without paying for them and who introduces her to the joys of a bologna sandwich with orange cheese and mayonnaise on white bread. Along the way, she also meets Reverend Obertask, whose advertised healing words on his church's sign turn out to not be the magic that Louisiana so badly needs.

Then Granny suddenly abandons Louisiana at the motel, leaving only a letter telling the truth about how Louisiana came to live with her and why she has to leave. Shattered and in despair, Louisiana is totally convinced that her life is always going to be a series of goodbyes thanks to the sundering curse. Kicked out of the Good Night, Sleep Tight motel, she finds her way first Reverend Obertask, and then to the Allen house. But now that she is abandoned and alone, not knowing who she is, will Louisiana finally end up in the county orphanage Granny tried to save her from or is the Granny mirage she sees in church finally being truthful when she tells her that "provisions have been made?"

It certainly sounds like Louisiana's story could be a mighty sad one, but it isn't, well, it is, but not entirely. And that's because DiCamillo has peopled Louisiana's life with a cast of some very eccentric characters, some mean and selfish, some kind and generous, that lend some humor to the story through Louisiana's wonderful narration.

Interestingly, I never really had a handle on the character of Granny in Raymie Nightingale and the same is true here. The one thing I was certain of was that she did indeed love Louisiana dearly. So her abandonment came as a surprise, but Granny has always told her that "provision have been made" and maybe there was something about Richford, Georgia and the people there that made Granny comfortable enough to do what she had to do. Indeed, something to think about.

Louisiana's Way Home is a somewhat complicated novel, but do pay attention to her mentions of the Pinocchio story about a wooden puppet who just wanted to be a real boy, just like Louisiana wants to be a real girl. And remember, it was Geppetto who first lied to Pinocchio, but it was the boy puppet who understood that he lied out of kindness and forgave him. Louisiana's journey becomes clearer. Granny also lied to her out of kindness, but now the time has come to face her own truth, and Louisiana can't come along on Granny's journey anymore, she much go on her own. DiCamillo deftly and sensitively handles the themes around these truths so very well for her young readers - the search for home, the act of forgiveness, the need for family, and a strong sense of identity, and of course, simply belonging, and she makes doing it all look so easy even when you know it isn't.

Now, what about friends Raymie and Beverly, and Archie, King of the Cats, and Buddy, Dog of their Hearts back in Florida, you ask? No, they're not gone, not totally. But does Louisiana's Way Home work as a stand alone story? I believe so, simple because in her narration of the events in Georgia, Louisiana provides what the reader needs to know from the adventures in the previous book.

Because of Winn-Dixie used to be my favorite Kate DiCamillo novel, but now I have to say it is Louisiana's Way Home. Somehow I felt that it was a more personal work of hers that any other, and it just felt more like it really came from the heart.

You can download a Teacher's Guide for Louisiana's Way Home thanks to the publisher, Candlewick Press.

This book is recommended for readers age 10+
This book was an EARC received from NetGalley

I was so excited to receive an ARC of Louisiana's Way Home by Kate DiCamillo. DiCamillo is one of our favorite authors to read with our kids. We have previously enjoyed The Tale of Despereaux and her classic Mercy Watson series. I read Lousiana's Way Home with our 8 year old and it captured his attention immediately. It is a heart-warming yet complex story that is able to highlight important and sometimes hard issues while also making it approachable for a younger audience. In this novel, we see Louisiana come to terms of who she is and who she wants to become in the future. Not only was it enjoyable for our child but I loved reading it too. The first person narrative makes the book feel very personal and vulnerable and I loved this approach. It is a children's book that is beautifully written and enjoyable to read by all ages and I would highly recommend it. Thanks to Net GalleyCadlewick Press for giving me the opportunity to read this book and give an honest review.