The Magician's Elephant by Kate DiCamillo (English) Paperback Book

Description: The Magician's Elephant by Kate DiCamillo, Yoko Tanaka When ten year-old orphan Peter Augustus Duchenne encounters a fortune-teller in the marketplace one day and she tells him that his sister, who is presumed dead, is in fact alive, he embarks on a remarkable series of adventures as he desperately tries to find her. FORMAT Paperback LANGUAGE English CONDITION Brand New Publisher Description Kate DiCamillos New York Times best-selling fable about trusting the unexpected and making the extraordinary come true.When a fortunetellers 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 fortunetellers mysterious answer (an elephant! An elephant will lead him there!) sets off a chain of events so remarkable, so impossible, that you will hardly dare to believe its true. With atmospheric illustrations by fine artist Yoko Tanaka, here is a dreamlike and captivating tale that could only be narrated by Newbery Medalist Kate DiCamillo. In this timeless fable, she evokes the largest of themes — hope and belonging, desire and compassion — with the lightness of a magicians touch. With dreamlike illustrations and a cover by Yoko Tanaka. Author Biography Review Kate DiCamillo has a gift, inequitably distributed among writers of all kinds, of eliminating the obvious and still egging on the reader. She writes beautifully but thinks simply. The purity of her prose – the reader goes from paragraph to paragraph delighting in the wonderful simple sentences – only adds to the winsome purity of her vision.—New York Times Book ReviewDiCamillos carefully crafted prose creates an evocative aura of timelessness for a story that is, in fact, timeless. Tanakas acrylic artwork is meticulous in detail and aptly matches the tone of the narrative.—School Library Journal (starred review)Reading like a fable told long ago, with rich language that begs to be read aloud, this is a magical story about hope and love, loss and home, and of questioning the world versus accepting it as it is.—Kirkus Reviews (starred review)From the unexpectedly miraculous feats of a two-bit illusionist to the transformative powers of love, forgiveness, and a good mutton stew, there is much magic afoot in this fable-like tale… The profound and deeply affecting emotions at work in the story are buoyed up by the tales succinct, lyrical text, gentle touches of humor, and uplifting message of redemption, hope, and the interminable power of asking what if?—Booklist (starred review)Thoughtful readers will feel a quiet satisfaction with this almost dainty tale of impossible happenings.—VOYADiCamillos allegorical novel seems to pack more mass per square inch than average. The plot is fantastical, surreal…And the prose is remarkable, reflecting influences from Kafka to the theater of the absurd to Laurel-and-Hardy humor.—The Horn BookThe mannered prose and Tanakas delicate, darkly hued paintings give the story a somber and old-fashioned feel. The absurdist elements—street vendors peddle chunks of the now-infamous opera house ceiling with the cry "Possess the plaster of disaster!"—leaven the overall seriousness, and there is a happy if predictable ending for the eccentric cast of anguished characters, each finding something to make them whole.—Publishers WeeklyKate DiCamillo tells a tale of hope, redemption, faith, love, and believing in the impossible with her usual quiet elegant prose.—Library Media ConnectionTanakas shadowy, evocative acrylic paintings echo the dreamy nature of the storytelling and add a surprising amount of solidity (and a particularly nice elephant).—Bulletin of the Center of Childrens BooksWith its rhythmic sentences and fairy-tale tone, this novel yields solitary pleasures but begs to be read aloud. Hearing it in a shared space can connect us, one to one, regardless of age, much like the books closing image: a small stone carving, hands linked, of the elephants friends.—Washington Post Book WorldThough DiCamillos first success was with realistic fiction, she has since explored fantasy, here looking at how individuals and society take an impossible event into their narrative of the way the world is. Is it broken or fixable by those who embrace the unusual?—Chicago TribuneDiCamillos elegant, evocative prose underpins the otherworldliness of Baltese, a place where a long-accepted truth can be shattered as easily as an elephant crashes through the opera-house ceiling.—Austin American-StatesmanReaders willing to venture a little deeper into the darkness will be reassured and rewarded by the singular sense of hope that nearly glows from DiCamillos prose, and from the incandescent illustrations created by Yoko Tanaka.—Minneapolis Star TribuneThe power of DiCamillos writing enables the hope and determination of the characters to break through the gloom that penetrates the story...DiCamillo has again captured the loneliness and unwavering optimism that can only be found in children.—ForewordUsing short yet powerful sentences and cinematic descriptions, DiCamillo creates another emotion-swelling gem in what is becoming an impressive crown of work.—Cleveland Plain DealerLyrical language and many interesting characters make this a wonderful read aloud book or one to be savored alone.—Kansas City StarBringing all these characters together for a happy ending requires its own special magic, which is enhanced by DiCamillos finely rendered Old World writing style — and the gorgeously muted pencil illustrations of Los Angeles artist Yoko Tanaka.—Los Angeles Times Review Quote Kate DiCamillo has a gift, inequitably distributed among writers of all kinds, of eliminating the obvious and still egging on the reader. She writes beautifully but thinks simply. The purity of her prose - the reader goes from paragraph to paragraph delighting in the wonderful simple sentences - only adds to the winsome purity of her vision. --New York Times Book Review DiCamillos carefully crafted prose creates an evocative aura of timelessness for a story that is, in fact, timeless. Tanakas acrylic artwork is meticulous in detail and aptly matches the tone of the narrative. --School Library Journal (starred review) Reading like a fable told long ago, with rich language that begs to be read aloud, this is a magical story about hope and love, loss and home, and of questioning the world versus accepting it as it is. --Kirkus Reviews (starred review) From the unexpectedly miraculous feats of a two-bit illusionist to the transformative powers of love, forgiveness, and a good mutton stew, there is much magic afoot in this fable-like tale... The profound and deeply affecting emotions at work in the story are buoyed up by the tales succinct, lyrical text, gentle touches of humor, and uplifting message of redemption, hope, and the interminable power of asking what if? --Booklist (starred review) Thoughtful readers will feel a quiet satisfaction with this almost dainty tale of impossible happenings. --VOYA DiCamillos allegorical novel seems to pack more mass per square inch than average. The plot is fantastical, surreal...And the prose is remarkable, reflecting influences from Kafka to the theater of the absurd to Laurel-and-Hardy humor. --The Horn Book The mannered prose and Tanakas delicate, darkly hued paintings give the story a somber and old-fashioned feel. The absurdist elements--street vendors peddle chunks of the now-infamous opera house ceiling with the cry "Possess the plaster of disaster!"--leaven the overall seriousness, and there is a happy if predictable ending for the eccentric cast of anguished characters, each finding something to make them whole. --Publishers Weekly Kate DiCamillo tells a tale of hope, redemption, faith, love, and believing in the impossible with her usual quiet elegant prose. --Library Media Connection Tanakas shadowy, evocative acrylic paintings echo the dreamy nature of the storytelling and add a surprising amount of solidity (and a particularly nice elephant). --Bulletin of the Center of Childrens Books With its rhythmic sentences and fairy-tale tone, this novel yields solitary pleasures but begs to be read aloud. Hearing it in a shared space can connect us, one to one, regardless of age, much like the books closing image: a small stone carving, hands linked, of the elephants friends. --Washington Post Book World Though DiCamillos first success was with realistic fiction, she has since explored fantasy, here looking at how individuals and society take an impossible event into their narrative of the way the world is. Is it broken or fixable by those who embrace the unusual? --Chicago Tribune DiCamillos elegant, evocative prose underpins the otherworldliness of Baltese, a place where a long-accepted truth can be shattered as easily as an elephant crashes through the opera-house ceiling. --Austin American-Statesman Readers willing to venture a little deeper into the darkness will be reassured and rewarded by the singular sense of hope that nearly glows from DiCamillos prose, and from the incandescent illustrations created by Yoko Tanaka. --Minneapolis Star Tribune The power of DiCamillos writing enables the hope and determination of the characters to break through the gloom that penetrates the story...DiCamillo has again captured the loneliness and unwavering optimism that can only be found in children. --Foreword Using short yet powerful sentences and cinematic descriptions, DiCamillo creates another emotion-swelling gem in what is becoming an impressive crown of work. --Cleveland Plain Dealer Lyrical language and many interesting characters make this a wonderful read aloud book or one to be savored alone. --Kansas City Star Bringing all these characters together for a happy ending requires its own special magic, which is enhanced by DiCamillos finely rendered Old World writing style -- and the gorgeously muted pencil illustrations of Los Angeles artist Yoko Tanaka. --Los Angeles Times Excerpt from Book At the end of the century before last, in the market square of the city of Baltese, there stood a boy with a hat on his head and a coin in his hand. The boy s name was Peter Augustus Duchene, and the coin that he held did not belong to him but was instead the property of his guardian, an old soldier named Vilna Lutz, who had sent the boy to the market for fish and bread. That day in the market square, in the midst of the entirely unremarkable and absolutely ordinary stalls of the fishmongers and cloth merchants and bakers and silversmiths, there had appeared, without warning or fanfare, the red tent of a fortuneteller. Attached to the fortunetellers tent was a piece of paper, and penned upon the paper in a cramped but unapologetic hand were these words: The most profound and difficult questions that could possibly be posed by the human mind or heart will be answered within for the price of one florit. Peter read the small sign once, and then again. The audacity of the words, their dizzying promise, made it difficult, suddenly, for him to breathe. He looked down at the coin, the single florit, in his hand. " But I cannot do it, " he said to himself. " Truly, I cannot, for if I do, Vilna Lutz will ask where the money has gone and I will have to lie, and it is a very dishonorable thing to lie. " He put the coin in his pocket. He took the soldiers hat off his head and then put it back on. He stepped away from the sign and came back to it and stood considering, again, the outrageous and wonderful words. " But I must know, " he said at last. He took the florit from his pocket. " I want to know the truth. And so I will do it. But I will not lie about it, and in that way, I will remain at least partly honorable. " With these words, Peter stepped into the tent and handed the fortuneteller the coin. And she, without even looking at him, said, " One florit will buy you one answer and only one. Do you understand? " " Yes, " said Peter. He stood in the small patch of light making its sullen way through the open flap of the tent. He let the fortuneteller take his hand. She examined it closely, moving her eyes back and forth and back and forth, as if there were a whole host of very small words inscribed there, an entire book about Peter Augustus Duchene composed atop his palm. " Huh, " she said at last. She dropped his hand and squinted up at his face. " But, of course, you are just a boy. " " I am ten years old, " said Peter. He took the hat from his head and stood as straight and tall as he was able. " And I am training to become a soldier, brave and true. But it does not matter how old I am. You took the florit, so now you must give me my answer. " " A soldier brave and true? " said the fortuneteller. She laughed and spat on the ground. " Very well, soldier brave and true, if you say it is so, then it is so. Ask me your question. " Peter felt a small stab of fear. What if, after all this time, he could not bear the truth? What if he did not really want to know? " Speak, " said the fortuneteller. " Ask. " " My parents, " said Peter. " That is your question? " said the fortune-teller. " They are dead. " Peters hands trembled. " That is not my question, " he said. " I know that already. You must tell me something that I do not know. You must tell me of another -- you must tell me . . . " The fortuneteller narrowed her eyes. " Ah, " she said. " Her? Your sister? That is your question? Very well. She lives. " Peters heart seized upon the words. She lives. She lives! " No, please, " said Peter. He closed his eyes. He concentrated. " If she lives, then I must find her, so my question is, how do I make my way there, to where she is? " He kept his eyes closed; he waited. " The elephant, " said the fortuneteller. " What? " Peter said. He opened his eyes, certain that he had misunderstood. " You must follow the elephant, " said the fortuneteller. " She will lead you there. " Peters heart, which had risen up high inside of him, now sank slowly back to its normal resting place. He put his hat on his head. " You are having fun with me, " he said. " There are no elephants here. " " Just as you say, " said the fortuneteller. " That is surely the truth, at least for now. But perhaps you have not noticed: the truth is forever changing. " She winked at him. " Wait awhile, " she said. " You will see. " Peter stepped out of the tent. The sky was gray and heavy with clouds, but everywhere people talked and laughed. Vendors shouted and children cried and a beggar with a black dog at his side stood in the center of it all and sang a song about the darkness. There was not a single elephant in sight. Still, Peters stubborn heart would not be silenced. It beat out the two simple, impossible words over and over again: She lives, she lives, she lives. Could it be? No, it could not be, for that would mean that Vilna Lutz had lied to him, and it was not at all an honorable thing for a soldier, a superior officer, to lie. Surely, Vilna Lutz would not lie. Surely he would not. Would he? " It is winter, " sang the beggar. " It is dark and cold, and things are not what they seem, and the truth is forever changing. " " I do not know what the truth is, " said Peter, " but I do know that I must confess. I must tell Vilna Lutz what I have done. " He squared his shoulders, adjusted his hat, and began the long walk back to the Apartments Polonaise. Details ISBN0763680885 Author Yoko Tanaka Short Title MAGICIANS ELEPHANT Pages 224 Language English Illustrator Yoko Tanaka ISBN-10 0763680885 ISBN-13 9780763680886 Media Book Format Paperback DEWEY FIC Illustrations Yes Residence minneapolis, MN, US Imprint Candlewick Press,U.S. Place of Publication Massachusetts Country of Publication United States Audience Age 8-12 Year 2015 Publication Date 2015-12-08 AU Release Date 2015-12-08 NZ Release Date 2015-12-08 US Release Date 2015-12-08 UK Release Date 2015-12-08 Publisher Candlewick Press,U.S. Replaces 9780763652982 Audience Children / Juvenile We've got this At The Nile, if you're looking for it, we've got it. With fast shipping, low prices, friendly service and well over a million items - you're bound to find what you want, at a price you'll love! TheNile_Item_ID:95134700;

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