The Magician's Elephant

by Kate DiCamillo

What if? Why not? Could it be?

When a fortuneteller's tent appears in the market square of the city of Baltese, orphan Peter Augustus Duchene knows the questions that he needs to ask. Does his sister still live? And if so, how can he find her? The fortuneteller's mysterious answer (an elephant! An elephant will lead him there!) sets off a chain of impossible events.

Genres: Fantasy, Fiction, Middle Grade, Childrens, Young Adult, Magic, Animals

208 pages, Paperback

First published September 8, 2009

About the author

Kate DiCamillo, the newly named National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature for 2014–2015, says about stories, “When we read together, we connect. Together, we see the world. Together, we see one another.” Born in Philadelphia, the author lives in Minneapolis, where she faithfully writes two pages a day, five days a week.

Kate DiCamillo's own journey is something of a dream come true. After moving to Minnesota from Florida in her twenties, homesickness and a bitter winter helped inspire Because of Winn-Dixie - her first published novel, which, remarkably, became a runaway bestseller and snapped up a Newbery Honor. "After the Newbery committee called me, I spent the whole day walking into walls," she says. "I was stunned. And very, very happy."

Her second novel, The Tiger Rising, went on to become a National Book Award Finalist. Since then, the master storyteller has written for a wide range of ages, including two comical early-chapter-book series - Mercy Watson, which stars a "porcine wonder" with an obsession for buttered toast, and Bink & Gollie, which celebrates the tall and short of a marvelous friendship - as well as a luminous holiday picture book, Great Joy.

Her latest novel, Flora & Ulysses: The Illuminated Adventures, won the 2014 Newbery Medal. It was released in fall 2013 to great acclaim, including five starred reviews, and was an instant New York Times bestseller. Flora & Ulysses is a laugh-out-loud story filled with eccentric, endearing characters and featuring an exciting new format - a novel interspersed with comic-style graphic sequences and full-page illustrations, all rendered in black and white by up-and-coming artist K. G. Campbell. It was a 2013 Parents' Choice Gold Award Winner and was chosen by Amazon, Publishers Weekly, Kirkus Reviews, and Common Sense Media as a Best Book of the Year.

Reviews

[Mischenko · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Magician's Elephant by Kate DiCamillo is a mysterious and magical story about a boy named Peter who has been orphaned, and the unlikely appearance of an elephant who helps him find his way.

The story takes place in the city of Baltese, which is filled with people of different classes. It's a cold and very dark winter with minimal sunshine. Peter currently lives with his guardian--a soldier named Vilna who fought in war alongside Peter's father. Sadly, Peter's mother died just after the birth of his baby sister. Even though Peter has been told that his sister also died at birth, he has a subtle remembrance of her crying and feels that she may still be alive. One day, after being sent to the marketplace to purchase food, Peter discovers a fortuneteller. He asks the fortuneteller of his sister, and indeed, he's told that she lives.

"You must follow the elephant," said the fortune teller. "She will lead you there."

Peter is shocked, excited, and also confused. Could this really be true? Why has he been lied to all these years? Peter knows he must find the elephant and attempt to locate his sister, but he can't do it alone.

I really enjoyed the way the characters were written in this story; there's enough left open to let the reader imagine. When I first started reading this with my kids, we were all reading intently, but without a whole lot of amusement my kids became disinterested. We still wanted to find out what would happen with Peter and the other characters, but the story fell a little flat for us. Don't get me wrong, the book is written well and it's beautiful at times with themes of love, forgiveness, and most of all: hope.

"Looking out over the city, Peter decided that it was a terrible and complicated thing to hope, and that it might be easier, instead, to despair."

I did love the ending (although predictable) with how each of the characters were impacted by the elephant and essentially changed. It had a nice conclusion. We also loved the illustrations. This was an enjoyable read that I'll still recommend.

3.5 stars

[Tamara · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was like eating crème brûlée, with the satisfaction of breaking the burnt sugar spine to eat the warm and sweet center. It would be perfect to have it read aloud while you fall asleep to falling snow.

Favorite Quote:

Magic is always impossible...It begins with the impossible and ends with the impossible and is impossible in between. That is why it is magic.

It is a bad thing to have love and nowhere to put it.

He had been so lonely, so desperately, hopelessly lonely for so long. He might very well spend the rest of his life in prison, alone. And he understood that what he wanted now was something much simpler, much more complicated than the magic he had performed. What he wanted was to turn to somebody and take hold of their hand and look up with them and marvel at the snow falling from the sky. “This,” he wanted to say to someone he loved and who loved him in return. “This.”

The undoing is almost always more difficult than the doing.

[Debbie W. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Why I chose to read this book:
1. I've read a couple of books by Kate DiCamillo and loved The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane; and,
2. it goes well with my self-proclaimed "Fantasy and Science Fiction Month"!

Positives:
1. From Peter, Adele, the magician ... even the elephant, there is depth to all of the characters. Beginning with orphaned Peter's request of a fortuneteller wondering if his sister is alive, and if so, what are her whereabouts, I could feel everyone's hopes and dreams, their need to belong and to forgive;
2. an atmospheric sense is felt in both the story and illustrations; and,
3. initially, the message appears to be "what is done is difficult to undo" but develops into "the impossible becomes possible".

However...
As a substitute teacher, it would be difficult for me to read this entire chapter book to a group of students, so I'm not sure how young children would react to this book. A good portion of the text and illustrations seem dark and gloomy. It isn't until the final chapters where hope, love and magic come alive.

[AMEERA · Rating 3 out of 5]

good story before go to sleep

[H (trying to keep up with GR friends) Balikov · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my first Kate DiCamillo book and it has made a deep impression on me. The best "children's books" work on an adult level as well. This one is the best I have read in a long while. She writes beautifully, and her characters have more depth than you would expect. The plot falls into place as a small boy squanders his guardian's money on getting his fortune read. When he hears that a elephant will take him to his sister (who he has been told died at birth) he struggles with what is true and what to believe. You with find the characters in the city of Baltese magical and not just the magician, but the stonecutter, the beggar, Sister Marie of the orphange and more. The story is over in 200 pages and that is much too soon.

[Stacey · Rating 5 out of 5]

A charming story of love and hope, The Magician's Elephant was a delightful surprise. I can't recall who recommended it to me, but if I could remember, I'd thank them. I loved the writing, the descriptions, and most of all, the story of a little boy and love. Absolutely wonderful, and just begging to be read aloud to the children in your life.

Now I'm off to read all of DiCamillo's books, to see if I adore them just as much. I haven't read this much children's lit since I was in elementary school. What an unexpected treat!

[Linda Hart · Rating 5 out of 5]

Every fantasy book poses the following questions. Why not? What if? Could it be? and in this book every character is asking the same questions. Kate DiCamillo has the ability to take you on a great adventure where you're not paying attention to anything except what's in the book and again in this book is she does her own special brand of magic. Full of surprises and charming characters, this is a fun story about believing in the impossible and watching it happen right before your eyes. a spellbinding tale of love, longing, hope, finding home and forgiveness in long ago France.

Kate DiCamillo, is the author of the award winning Because of Winn Dixie, The Tale of Despereaux, The Tiger Rising, and The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane. The 3 hour audio version narrated by Juliet Stevenson is superb.

[Wendy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Part of me wants to say I loved this book, that it verges on Trumpet of the Swan or Jane Langton territory, and part of me is afraid I've been sucked into the next Jonathan Livingston Seagull or Kahlil Gibran. (I finally put my finger on what this book reminds me of: The Polar Express. And that's perfect, because I can never decide about that book, either.)

I think the prose is very lovely, and I don't always go for lovely prose, but this is funny, too. There's humor and pathos both in the continually repeated lines, like "I intended only lilies".

I have no idea whether I would have liked this as a kid. I have no idea whether kids will like it now. But I like it now. It evokes art to me (that isn't as pretentious as it sounds, or at least I hope it isn't, but I was an art history major and it's how I think): Impressionist in style and setting and mood, and then Italian Renaissance for complicated reasons that have to do with Florence keeping a pet giraffe. And I like anything that makes me think about art.

Newbery? No, people would flip. And I don't think you could really call the development of plot distinguished.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

An odd little fairy tale about, yes, an elephant. But also love, and truth, and hope. A boy and his sister. A policeman. A countess. A magician. And others who are affected by the elephant's sudden, magical appearance.

Beautifully illustrated in a way that added even more to the hushed quality of the book.

[Suhailah · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Magic is always impossible. It begins with the impossible and ends with the impossible and is impossible in between. That is why it is magic.”
~ The Magician

What if magic is simply believing?

For Peter Augustus Duchene, this was true. This was such a haunting, cozy, sad, beautiful tale of bravery and hope. It was a quick read with beautiful illustrations to lose yourself in. Though the story does introduce several characters pretty quickly and only skims the surface of their existence, it’s a magical read that all comes together in the end. I read somewhere that this story was based on a fable so that explains a lot.

The elephant’s presence completely captured my heart. The role it played in the story was so magical. I’d love to meet and interact with an elephant in real life now! I also loved the fortune teller. That’s always majestic and mysterious!


I read this book in preparation for the new movie that released on Netflix. I hope that it is able to evoke the same emotions and depict the haunting gloominess of the illustrations!

[Michael Finocchiaro · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kate DiCamillo's Magician's Elephant, is a beautiful story about wonder and magic and dreams coming true. It is a fun read. I loved reading this with my daughter.

[Linden · Rating 1 out of 5]

I've been a steady fan of DiCamillo's past work but was disappointed with The Magician's Elephant. The story is about a boy, Peter Augustus Duchene, who, on the way to buy fish and bread, spends his guardian's coin on a visit to a fortuneteller. He hears that his sister is not dead as he had believed and that an elephant will help him find her. That evening, at a show in the town opera house, a magician's error causes an elephant to drop from the sky through its roof and inadvertently cripple a woman.

The structure of the story is that of disparate threads that gradually converge and then interweave: the magician, a beggar, a sculptor, the boy, his sister, a nun, and the woman. One of the starred reviews, this from the School Library Journal, for example, declares that "DiCamillo's carefully crafted prose creates an evocative aura of timelessness for a story that is, in fact, timeless." This I've found to be true of her other work, blending elements like a good cook with delicious language and pace.

There were certainly parts I enjoyed in this book. I quite liked DiCamillo's rendering of the society woman who pre-empted ownership of the elephant after its unusual arrival in order to maintain ascendancy in her social circle. She widened the doorway of her house to admit the elephant then allowed people to view it, captive in her house and the viewers in her thrall. This part rang true to me of human nature. However I admit I had been preoccupied all along, fretting about the elephant. Had it been injured in its fall through sky, roof and thence onto the woman who occupied the seat upon which it fell? I envisioned the splintering of beams, broken plaster and worse. Yet no mention of an injury save that of the woman it landed upon. For me, there was something about the lack of information about the elephant except for its terrible unhappiness in the woman's house that made it seem an authorial device, becoming three dimensional only when it served the tale.

In this story, though quite short compared to her other work, I fidgeted (rare for me), trying to urge the story forward. It reminded me of that uncomfortable dream in which a desperate need to run is countered by being able to move with great effort only in slow motion. All in all, it seemed a very thin broth for the number of pages I had to consume.

I look forward to more of her work of the caliber of The Tale of Despereaux and The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane, both of which rightly earned their places on our library shelf.

[Selene · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 Stars

I read this with novel with my grade 6 class. I really enjoyed the writing and the plot. Most of my students loved the book. Some said it was their favourite book so far this year others said it was good but we read ones in class this year they liked more. It has the most wide range of ratings my class has given so far this year.

[Rosanne Hawke · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Kate DiCamillo's writing and books. So The Magician's Elephant was a treat for me. It has everything that I like in a children's book which is also suitable for adults: mystery, wonder, hope, amazement, imagination, beautiful writing and an enriching story.

[Melissa (Semi Hiatus Until After the Holidays) · Rating 4 out of 5]

DiCamillo's imagination is top notch. I loved how everything came together in the end. Kids loved it.

[Jess · Rating 2 out of 5]

Oh boy, I wanted to like this one. I adored The Tale of Despereaux Being the Story of a Mouse, a Princess, Some Soup and a Spool of Thread, I enjoyed Because of Winn-Dixie, I was fascinated with The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane (and loved the illustrations), but this left me a little cold. I've been trying to put my finger on it, since this is on this year's OLA Mock Newbery list and I'll have to back up my opinion. I didn't feel that it went deep enough - it stayed on the surface of a potentially interesting story, and that simplicity, which felt intentional, ended up feeling too much like a fable for me. I detest novel-length fables. I want characters, not archetypes. I just skimmed across the surface and thought, "pretty sentence" and waited to be caught up in the story. There were too many characters introduced too quickly and too briefly. This is, perhaps, a matter of taste. I'll have to work on argument before the discussion rolls around in January.

[Kim · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars ⭐️

[Renee Wallace · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow, Reader, if you make up your mind about what to read/purchase/borrow at your library from these reviews, then pay attention to this one! :-)

I keep wondering, with each new book, Can Kate DiCamillo really do it again? Can she possibly make the magic again? And the answer is always a resounding YES.

I do not recall the last time I actually wept while reading a book, but I not only did while reading this one, I even know the page number that brought it about--but you have to weep on your own timetable, not someone else's! :-)

What amazes me is how the author actually includes, among all the magic, all the wonder, the dreams, the hopes, the heartaches, she actually works in there the practical means for dealing with those "dark nights of the soul," which, dreadfully, each young reader will probably face some day. When the hero is at his lowest ebb, she has him look his terrible loss head-on, dead-on; and he faces it, and grows stronger. Also, nearing that dreadful point, he is urged to eat. Such a simple lesson, and yet each child needs to know: if you can get your basic needs met, you can face what must be faced. When in despair, you must take care of the body, in order to take care of the soul.

Best of all, she asks the reader these questions, with this story: Can dreams come true? Can the impossible ever really happen? Can happy endings not only happen, but happen with such deep meaning?

And she manages all of that without soppiness, syrup, goo, or becoming maudlin.

She must believe, as I believe, as children long to believe, that good happens. Prayers are answered. Hope does indeed beat eternal, and for good reason.

I LOVE it. I absolutely love it. Ms. DiCamillo, I salute you.

And P.S. I love Iddo.

Oh, wait! Ms. Tanaka! Your illustrations help make the magic, too. The elephant's eyes! Incredible. All your illustrations, actually, are incredible.

[Kathleen · Rating 3 out of 5]

This children's story is about an orphan boy named Peter, a fortune teller, an old soldier, a magician, an elephant and Adele. I read this book because I loved Cate DiCamillo's story The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane, which was a five star read for me!
I rated this book 3 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️

[Kaytlin Phillips · Rating 4 out of 5]

Okay...since this is the movie cover, it begs mentioning that the movie and book are quite a bit different but both beautiful and endearing!

Characters:
Peter is so sweet and kind and I loved him!
Leo's what if questions are so fun and I loved his approached to...if we don't ask questions, how are we to know. so true.
Adele is adorbs!
And all the other characters are just really interesting and full of depth as well!

Themes:
That the impossible is not impossible.

Romance:
N/A

Language:
N/A

Violence/Gore:
Someone gets sat on by an elephant.

Overall:
This is a really beautiful story and the movie is gorgeous as well! I recommend both! And definitely think they are worth reading/watching and discussing.
Something about Kate Dicamillo's books are always so cozy and...nostalgic for me. Maybe it's growing up watching Because of Winn-Dixie?

Recommend age 7+

[Spens (Sphynx Reads) · Rating 3 out of 5]

2021

Actual rating: 3.5

This was such a relaxing whimsical read. The writing is very atmospheric. The overall plot is really simple but was composed of cleverly interwoven character arcs. I think this would be best read in audiobook format even though I didn't do that.

[Cassi Haggard · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars
Sometimes I miss the sense of childlike wonder that kids have. Last night one of my little cousins was making up a tall-tell about his mother making him pay rent. The fiction just flew from his lips naturally. It's like the realm of make-believe lives right below the surface and kids can jump in anytime without any effort.

Maybe that's why I keep falling for sweet innocent books that remind me of fairytales. Maybe I'm trying to recapture something I've lost along the path to adulthood. Whatever the reason I love books like Goose Girl, Princess Academy and the latest, The Magician's Elephant.

It's such a sweet beautiful little book. The book contains a magic that my normal YA can never capture. It's the magic of being a 10-year-old child where the world is so big and anything is possible.

The Magician's Elephant completely charmed me. The language is whimsical and witty. It manages to be poetic and unobtrusive. It's simply perfect and I can't imagine the book being written any other way. As I read, I kept hearing a gentle lyrical voice (think of the Pushing Daisies narration) reading the story to me. Almost every page had a clever or poetic phrase. Never have I been so grateful for my Kindle highlighting feature and I'm not typically an underliner.

"Looking out over the city, Peter decided that it was a terrible and complicated thing to hope, and that it might be easier, instead to despair."

The book has an usual premise, a little boy named Peter spends his bread money at a fortuneteller because he wants the truth. The truth he gets is wonderful, yet impossible His sister, who his guardian said was stillborn, lives. She lives! We get the sense of joy and responsibility that Peter feels towards his sister immediately. First he needs to find her. The fortuneteller says the elephant will show him the way. But there are no elephants anywhere near where Peter lives so the wonderful beautiful hope he is given seems cruelly impossible.

Lucky for Peter, this is a book that believes in the impossible.

The Magician's Elephant is a hopeful story. I think all ages will appreciate the beautiful poetic language and deceptively simple story. The story manages to capture the wonder of a child and a child's audacity to believe in the impossible.

"What are we to make of a world where stars shine bright in the midst of so much darkness and gloom?"

It's hard to do this book justice. The Magician's Elephant is a bright, shining, audaciously hopeful book. It's a joy to read And I know it'll be a regular re-read. I loved the feeling of reading this book and I know I'll want to experience that again. The book is magic. For a brief few pages it gave me back my childhood, my sense of wonder and reminded the word is a very big, impressive and magical place. And that maybe, just maybe, believing in the impossible is the best way to live.

Currently only $1.99 for Kindle. Don't know how long that deal will last.

[Sandra Deaconu · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mesajul cărții se referă la nevoia fiecăruia de a găsi acel om pe care să îl numească ,,acasă" și, dacă nu-i prea mult, de a avea și un loc în care să se simtă în siguranță alături de acel om. Dar l-am înțeles pentru că sunt adult. În copilărie nu aș fi înțeles mare lucru din cartea asta pentru că este cam bizară. Autoarea a luat elemente care au succes în povești: copii orfani, animale fermecate, magie. Însă nu le-a legat bine, din punctul meu de vedere. Am regăsit candoarea personajelor și emoția transmisă de subiect, pe care le așteptam, dar la un nivel mai superficial decât mă învățase. E o scriitoare bună și chiar recomand să încercați cărțile ei, doar că, dacă începeți cu asta, s-ar putea să nu mai vreți să reveniți la ea. Recenzia aici: https://bit.ly/3uvc0zj.

,,Și orice om, fiecare în parte, avea visuri și speranțe, dorea să se răzbune, dar și să fie iubit.''

[evelyn · Rating 2 out of 5]

i was so excited for this book. kate dicamillo is probably my favorite author writing right now. after my mother and boyfriends, kate dicamillo is probably the person who can most easily make me cry. if you don't bawl like a baby when winn dixie goes missing you probably have no soul. that said, this book was terribly disappointing. it just tried too hard. dicamillo can write a hauntingly brilliant and touching story about a little girl and her dog. she can write a modern fairy tale like no one else. and now she's trying insanely hard to write an allegory that just isn't that compelling. i found no urgency in this book, nothing surprising, nothing really touching. if it had been much longer i probably wouldn't have finished it. sigh.

[Joy Lee · Rating 3 out of 5]

모르는 단어들이 꽤 많았습니다...
단어 정리가 많이 수고롭게 느껴지지는 않았어요...전투책 읽은 페이지 수를 늘여주니..ㅋㅋ
인물 하나하나에 작가가 다 애정을 가지고 다듬어왔다는 걸 느낄 수 있었습니다...
그리고 다 읽고 난후 하나의 큰 메시지가 마음에 남게 되네요...
나의 꿈을 이루는 것도 눈물나고 소중하시만
나의 꿈의 실현이 불가능하게 될 가능성에 불구하고서라도 다른 이의 꿈을 소중히 여기며
그것이 이루어지도록 돕는 것에 대해서요...
다른 이의 꿈을 먼저 택하는 순간 나의 꿈은 저 멀리 멀어진 것 같은 절망을 느끼게 되겠지만
그 후에 나의 선택에 대해 신이 선물하는 또다른 경이를 보게 되는거 같습니다.
저도 피해의식과 개인주의를 극복하고 다른 이들을 제 삶 가운데 받아들이고 사랑하는 연습을 해 나가야겠다고 생각하게 됩니다...
마음의 온도를 조금 더 높여서 따뜻하게 만들어야 겠다는 생각을 하게 하네요..

[Christine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it. My favorite kind of fairytale. Kate DiCamillo excels at writing heartfelt, elegantly simple stories where the characters all form a greater mosaic that comes into focus at the very end. 10/10 would recommend for escaping a doctor’s office waiting room void.

[Amelie · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Have you, in truth, ever seen something so heartbreakingly lovely? What are we to make of a world where stars shine bright in the midst of so much darkness and gloom?"

A beautiful fable of love and light and doing what you can to fill the world with an overflow of light. Tears sprang to my eyes towards the end, and I'm in awe of Kate DiCamillo's marvelous, lean, simple prose to paint profound symbolism and beautiful quirkiness. Truly a lovely tale that I desire to add to my bookshelf and return to sometime.

🐘 heads-up that a fortuneteller's words are the catalyst for the plot 🐘

"And suddenly, it seemed there was light everywhere. The world was filled with light."

[✨Susan✨ · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this short children's book written like an adult story. The characters and the adventure was darling and suspenseful.

[Alison · Rating 5 out of 5]

this may be my new favorite kids book!

[Amina (ⴰⵎⵉⵏⴰ) · Rating 4 out of 5]

There was magic in this book, but not the usual kind of magic.
It's about the feelings magic: love, hope, compassion, longing, regret, forgiveness and belief.