The Magician's Elephant

My daughters favorite part was at the end when Adele found her brother and Peter found his sister. They all found the family they needed, even the elephant. Beautifully written.

This is one of the most beautiful books I have ever read. It will live in my heart forever. Still wiping my tears away.

I've been slowly making my way through a rather long list of recommended books from my librarian friend, and the premise of this one sounded really interesting. So after diving in, I came away with renewed hope that just maybe, there really IS magic out there (not in the literal sense, but more in that miracles CAN happen, either through divine intervention, fate, or luck).Taking place at the turn of the century, a young orphan boy named Peter, desperately searching to better his lot in life, wishes to find his long lost sister, who he believes is still alive out there, somewhere (despite his cratchety caregiver saying otherwise). He visits a fortune teller, who tells him "the elephant will lead you there". Not long after, an elephant crashes through the roof of an opera house out of thin air, thanks to a magician's magic trick gone wrong. From there, the elephant catches the attention and imagination of the entire city, and we bounce back and forth between various points of view, including Peter, the elephant herself, the magician, the noblewoman who was crippled in the accident, a beggar and his dog, a policeman, and many others; all of whom are directly or indirectly affected by the elephant, and how this one magic trick changes their lives forever.Simply put, the author has created a fairy tale. An actual, technical explanation for how the elephant appeared is never explained (despite many of the characters trying) and one isn't needed. Her presence simply serves as a catalyst that sets the characters in motion. Nearly all the main players lead fairly unhappy and/or dull lives, and whether they're aware of it or not, wish for something better to happen, or just some simple excitement to shake things up. Of course, the appearance of the elephant is more than anyone bargained for, but through the course of the story. one thing leads to another, and like a domino effect, the characters' lives become more intertwined, until finally, one final magical event brings them all together. (Won't spoil anymore.)Some characters get more backstory than others (with Peter being the main player), but all of them are nice to get to know, and none of them feel like just plot devices. It makes me wish that I lived in this town with these quirky, but loveable people. And like all good fairy tales, this one comes with a nice lesson in not losing hope, and that even in the darkest of times, or saddest of circumstances, all isn't lost, and that with a little ingenuity, you can turn your world around and change things for the better.The book is fairly short (you can read it in an afternoon), and while normally I'd want the story to be longer, here, I think the length is just about right. It says what needs to be said with just enough description, and moves at a good pace without dragging anything out for too long. It's a modern day book that feels like a classic fairy tale from the olden days. I recommend it.

"This book is memorable especially because of the elephant" Lucas (my son) we really enjoyed reading this book together the ending was a good one!

Although I don't feel that The Magician's Elephant is quite as good as The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane, it's very easy to read, stays on course, and has an interesting variety of surprisingly deep characters. My only real issue with it has to do with a scene where the little boy Peter flashes back to his dad's days as a soldier on the battlefield. I want to know why his dad was in the war; that is, if he was drafted or if he felt called to volunteer his services. Although I can certainly understand Peter's resentment towards the military for the loss of his dad and his resulting rough upbringing by an insanely obsessed soldier, I still don't see the other side of the issue presented. What if the reason Peter's dad died was so that the city of Baltese would be protected from invaders that would have treated Peter even worse than Vilna Lutz does? It may not be the author's responsibility to present such a scenario, but her failure to present it makes her look naive. I'm sure some folks love wars and all that, but most people would probably not rather mess with them, and would be happy to do away with a military if it were even remotely feasible. I view it as a necessary evil in a fallen world, unless you don't have anything or anyone to protect. But most people have a family. I'm not in the military but I respect people who are, and I sure hope Peter respected his dad if his dad chose to serve to protect Baltese.

A beautiful and gentle story, even though there are hard and difficult truths as well. A father is killed, then a mother dies, two children are left orphans and an elephant is brought to a place she doesn’t belong. But open hearts solve most things in mysterious ways.

Set in the 19th century, this is a rather melancholy but magical fairy tale best suited for parents with a wry sense of humour to read to their precious darlings - who will be likely to better appreciate their abundant blessings when hearing about the woes and seemingly hopeless wishes of an orphan boy being raised on dry bread and fish by a PTSD-scarred soldier in a fictitious cold and cloudy west European city. There's a missed opportunity to tie up a specific loose end vis-a-vis the luckless non-recipient of lillies - when otherwise almost all loose ends are satisfyingly tied - and I'm really not sure why an African elephant has an Indian accent. Overall, however, a beautiful book along the lines of The Polar Express.

Muy buen libro en muy buenas condiciones

The Magician's Elephant, by Kate DiCamllo, tells the story of Peter and Adele and their search for a family. Peter is a young boy who has lost both his mother and his father. One day he is sent out by his carer Vilna Lutz to get food, but instead he spends the money he has been given on a fortune teller and he asks her if his sister is still alive. When the fortune teller tells him she is, he asks how to get to her and she tells him an elephant will take him to her. Meanwhile, Adele is a little six-year-old girl, who is living at an orphanage. Every night, she has a dream that the elephant that has become famous in her city has come to take her home.I liked the book because I found the characters very compelling and it could be very serious at times, but that didn't take away from the comedy. All round, a really amazing book, which I would recommend.This book would be suitable for people of any age, no matter what their interests. I loved it, 10/10!Sam, age 11.

Ths story follows the plight of an orphaned boy named Peter. From an early age he was told that his baby sister died at birth but then he meets a fortune-teller and then has a vivid dream and Peter is suddenly infused with the belief that his sister is actually alive. The strange events that follow in the book are about Peter trying to find his sister. Along his journey he meets a number of different characters who, like him, are in the midst of dealing with varying circumstances in their lives. Peter has an awesome sense of purpose, hope and belief which in turn persuades those he meets to help him out on his journey. All those he meets are lifted by Peter's spirit of 'believing in the impossible' and in turn realise that 'all things are possible' in the midst of their own hopelessness and despair. Peter's journey becomes their journey and more than anything, I believe it can become the reader's journey too.I'm not sure if this book is suitable for children but I will test it out in my class of 10-11 year olds and get their verdict. I have taken the advice of another reviewer and read it as a piece of theatre written in prose. This advice has helped me work through the seemingly strange turns of phrases and repetition in the book. It can be read in less than two hours and like a play, I would encourage you to read it in one full sitting to digest all that this book offers. A highly recommended story.

Bought for my granddaughter as she had seen this on stage at Stratford theatre. Lovely simple story, but beautifully written and illustrated. Would be good to read aloud to an individual or perhaps a class. Suitable for all ages from child to adult. Spoiler alert - happy ending !!

Ilovedthis book. It had an air of magic or other worldliness about it . There are passages which I want to keep forever to put across my pictures …some time . It was well worth the self discipline I used to get into the story( not a big reader).

Kate DiCamillo is one of the best authors we've discovered in the last three years. She knows how to draw you in from the first few lines of the book. The Magician's Elephant is unique, quirky, at times funny and eccentric, at times unusual and outlandish. But most of all, a wonderful read. One that I'd enjoy with a nice cup of hot chocolate, on a comfortable armchair in front of a warm winter's fire.