The Magician's Elephant

The Magician's Elephant by Kate DiCamillo is a fictional novel about a little boy named Peter that takes place in the fictional city of Baltese in Europe.  As with many of Kate DiCamillo's stories, this one includes an animal as a main character - an elephant. The story is 201 pages long and contains beautiful sketched illustrations to help the reader visualize the story.    

Peter was orphaned years ago, his parents dead, and now he lives with Vilna Lutz, an older military man training Peter to become a soldier.  Peter is sent to the market to buy food, but instead is distracted by the tent of a fortune teller.  After much consideration, Peter decides to use the money meant for bread and fish to find the answer to the question that burns deep in his heart: is his sister still alive?  He has been told by Vilna Lutz for years that she is no longer living, but his heart tells him otherwise.  The fortune teller examines his palm carefully to reveal YES!  Peter's sister is alive!  Peter begs her to tell him where she is, but all she will tell him is, "The elephant will lead you to her."  Peter leaves the tent even more confused, but with a determined resolution to find his sister.  There is no elephant anywhere near their city and he begins to question the fortune teller's words.  He goes to bed that night wondering who is lying - Vilna Lutz or the fortune teller?  But he awakes the next morning to the buzz in the town, the unfortunate events that took place in the opera house the night before.  A magician, older and losing his abilities, was attempting to conjure a bouquet of flowers for the Madame Bettine LaVaughn, the guest of honor at the magician's show, when an elephant appeared instead.  The elephant came crashing through the ceiling of the opera house, fell into the audience along with part of the ceiling, and crushed the legs of the Madame LaVaughn.  The Madame was taken to the hospital, the magician thrown in prison, and the elephant chained and locked in a stable.  But Peter knows this is no coincidence - this elephant holds the key to finding his long lost sister.  Peter must figure out what secret the elephant holds and how it will help him find his sister.  

The Magician's Elephant is a beautiful story of hope. I love Kate DiCamillo and if you loved Tale of Despereaux, you are sure to love this story as well! This book would be loved by upper elementary kids, probably best for grades 4 - 6.  While it is a work of fiction, I think lovers of realistic fiction will enjoy this tale as well, for the fictional elements are few.  I think both male and female readers alike would enjoy Peter's journey and the mission he is on to find the truth to the feeling he has kept deep in his heart all these years. Peter is a young man who has had a difficult life, but is committed to being a person of truth and integrity, and his story a heartwarming tale.