The Magician's Elephant

Haunted by the idea that his baby sister might still be alive, Peter Augustus Duchene, a young orphan being raised by an old soldier-friend of his father's, visits a fortune teller. Her declaration that Adele lives, and that an elephant will lead him to her, leaves Peter shaken - is it possible that Vilna Lutz, the soldier who has been raising him, could be lying about Adele? and if so, where will this prophesied elephant come from, when no such creature exists in all the city of Baltese? - until a magician unexpectedly conjures an elephant at his final show. As Adele dreams of elephants in her cold orphanage, and the elephant herself dreams of home, Peter must find a way too see this most unusual visitor, and to fulfill the show more fortune-teller's prophecy...

The Magician's Elephant is something of a departure for Kate DiCamillo, whose previous output has been more in the line of animal fantasy - Newbery Medal titles The Tale of Despereaux and Flora and Ulysses - or contemporary realistic fiction - most notably, Newbery Honor book Because of Winn Dixie. This is more of a fantasy, and has a different feeling to it altogether than any other DiCamillo tale I have read. It is quite atmospheric, transporting the reader to the grey gloom of a Baltese winter. I enjoyed the story, and recognized a number of DiCamillo themes - the importance forgiveness, for instance, as Madame LaVaughn must eventually find a way to pardon the magician, whose magic has crippled her. That said, I wasn't as emotionally involved here, as I have been with some of this author's other stories. I'd be interested to see what else she produces, if she ventures into this territory again. Perhaps this, as her first foray, suffered a bit? However that may be, still a solidly engaging work, one I would recommend to fans of the author, and to any young readers looking for atmospheric works in which young orphans find a home. show less

Disclosure: I am NOT a teacher or a children's librarian, so I respond to these books solely from my own personal enjoyment. I greatly admire Kate DiCamillo, and love many of her books. Somehow I'd missed this one, and was thoroughly charmed. She has a gift for building magical worlds - this one is sort of fairy tale, in a sort of central European town, with dukes and other nobility, a battle-damaged soldier, a fortuneteller, an orphan, a lovable policeman, a crippled stonecarver, and of course, an elephant. DiCamillo intertwines their lives, dreams, trials, and misfortunes in a sweet and poignant fashion, with mysteriously smoky and lovely illustrations. Occasionally she can lay the treacle on just a *little* too thick, but she mostly show more touches your heartstrings with delicacy and gentleness. I laid this one aside at the end with a smile and a hint of a tear. Very nice indeed. show less

Some books marketed as children’s books strike me as fables for adults instead. The Magician's Elephant is such a book. Clearly children will enjoy the story for itself, but it would be a shame if adults passed up the chance to read this charming book about following one’s dreams.

Peter Augustus Duchene is a 10-year-old orphan who is in the keeping of his guardian, an old soldier named Vilna Lutz. Lutz is training Peter to be a soldier just like him, requiring him to perform such tasks as marching in place. Lutz has told Peter that his entire family is dead, including his sister, Adele; she was stillborn, Lutz tells Peter, and his mother died in birthing her.

One day Lutz sends Peter out with a coin intended to pay for fish and bread. show more In the marketplace, Peter comes across the red tent of a fortuneteller, bearing a sign promising: “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 cannot help but be seduced by this promise, for “[t]he audacity of the words, their dizzying promise,” are too much to resist. His decision to spend his coin on the fortuneteller is worth the lost meal that results, for he learns that his sister lives. To find her, he must follow the elephant.

What the heck? An elephant? There are no elephants in the city of Baltese. But the fortuneteller assures Peter that what she has said is the truth, and “the truth is forever changing.”

That very evening a magician “of advanced years and failing reputation” attempts to conjure a bouquet of lilies for his audience at the Bliffendorf Opera House. He intends merely to use sleight of hand to present the lilies to a noblewoman watching the performance. But something deep inside the magician yearns to work real magic, and he whispers a spell. Through the roof comes an elephant, landing squarely on the noblewoman’s lap, crippling her. The magician is jailed, and the elephant is locked in a horse stable.

How we get from here to the rescue of Peter’s sister from an orphanage – a very fine orphanage, run by kindly nuns, but an orphanage just the same – is a tale of determination, love and magic. The poetic text is accompanied by the beautiful illustrations of Yoko Tanaka, who works in shades of grey and a level of detail that makes them worth gazing upon for much longer than it takes to read a page of text. show less

A young orphan named Peter visits a fortune teller in the hopes of finding out whether his sister is still alive. Her confusing answer leads him on an odd journey. Meanwhile a magician accidently makes an elephant appear out of nowhere in the midst of a performance. The story is full of strange characters and impossible situations, but that just makes it all the more delightful.

As the dream-like tale unfolds we meet a nun at a local orphanage, a beggar and his clever dog Iddo, and Hans Ickman, who once had a dog who could jump incredibly high. There’s nothing earth-shattering in this novel, but the way it’s written is charming.

BOTTOM LINE: For a slim little novel this story packs a punch. There were little lines full of wisdom show more that resonated with me. I can’t wait to share this one with my nieces and nephews.

“Magic is always impossible,” said the magician. “It begins with the impossible and ends with the impossible and is impossible in between. That is why it is magic.”

“We must ask ourselves these questions as often as we dare. How will the world change if we do not question it?”

“It is important you say what you mean to say. Time is too short. You must speak words that matter.” show less

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. In the Magician's Elephant, DiCamillo paints a vivid portrait of lost hopes, crushed dreams, impossible desires, and the consequences of losing one's self. She explores very human drives and desires, social classes, and the unfortunate status quo. But she also shows that nothing is set in stone, and that hope, no matter how ridiculous, makes people do great and selfless things.
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.

I have read DiCamillo's story "The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane" previously and really liked it. When I saw she had written another book I was really excited to read it. This is a fabulous book; but touches on more adult topics than her other books.

Peter Augustus Duchene is a 10 year old boy who has lost his father to war, his mother to childbirth, and his sister at birth. He lives with a military friend of his father's. The problem is that Peter remembers hearing his sister cry and is convinced that she isn't dead. A fortuneteller tells his that he will find his sister if he follows the elephant; but he can't figure out what she means as there are no elephants in Peter's life. Then a magician tries to perform a feat of magic show more that goes horribly wrong. Peter needs to figure out how the lonely elephant will help him find his sister. The elephant needs to get home, but before that it will open the eyes of the citizens of Peter's city to the fact that wondrous things can happen.

This was a wonderful book. The characters are engaging and colorful, the writing wonderful. Like DiCamillo's other works the writing style follows classic fairy tale-type prose and results in a darkly atmospheric setting. The story is interspersed with wonderful illustrations by Yojo Tanaka, that fit the mood of the story perfectly.

The book itself is pretty small, at most a couple hours of reading. It seems like it would be a good book to read to children as it starts. As I continued to read it though I think many of the adult characters' pondering and some sensitive topics might make this more suited to the young adult (or older) crowd. At one point the elephant contemplates suicide and Peter's caretaker is occasionally quite cruel. Much of the story centers around characters outside of Peter himself and these characters spend a lot of time contemplating how the wonder of an elephant appearing in the city changes their perception of their lives, because if that can happen anything can happen. I think these contemplations will be lost on a younger child and they may find the book to be very slow moving and boring at parts.

I personally found these contemplations to be fascinating and thought-provoking. This is the kind of book that sounds very good when read out-loud and is very lyrical. The story itself is hopeful as well as thoughtful; although the overall atmosphere is very dark and dreary. I thought it was just a superb story. I look forward to reading DiCamillo's future works and will keep an eye out for her future publications. show less

I'm going to go out on a limb here and name Kate DiCamillo's new children's book, The Magician's Elephant, a classic. I think that this book will be loved by many for years and years to come. It is a beautiful story about the possibility of finding happiness in life.

Peter Augustus Duchene is a young boy who has been raised by a military colleague of his father's after his father dies in battle and his mother dies in childbirth. He is being raised as a young soldier -- living a life of deprivation and order. He has always believed that his baby sister Adele was stillborn and that he is alone in the world but when he visits a fortune teller in town, she reveals that his sister is alive and that he will be able to find her by following the show more elephant. The fact that there is no elephant in their Eastern European town seems like a sticking point but this is soon remedied when a visiting magician performs the greatest trick of his life and summons an elephant into the local opera house. From this point, it is up to Peter to find his sister and, in her arms, find home.

I will admit to getting tears in my eyes because of the hope and beauty in this book. It has been a long time since I felt such joy while reading. Even when things were bleak, there was a sense of everyday magic that flowed through the story.

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