The Magician’s Elephant by Kate DiCamillo

I liked this book, though maybe not as much as The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane.

This is the story of an orphan boy.  He remembers his family: loving parents & an infant sister and misses them.  One day, on a whim, he stops by a fortune teller’s tent and spends his pocket change to hear the amazing revelation that his sister lives and that he must follow the elephant to find her.

Kate DiCamillo paints the story of a number of people who interact with the boy and the elephant, and we see how all of these people rely on one another to give and receive happiness.  It’s a sweet story that leaves you happy and brightens your day a bit.

I think I liked the Edward Tulane story more because the protaganist is flawed and, through the journeys and hardships of life, learns and important lesson and becomes a better person…ahem…bunny.  Or, er, rabbit.

In this book, the boy is sweet and innocent.  All of the characters have some desire or wish, and all these desires are pure and selfless.

But maybe that’s the point.  Maybe the moral of this story is that with one another, you can achieve your heart’s desire.

In either case, despite it being a kid’s book, I would’ve like more conflict and growth.

Rating: 4.5/5

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