Louisana's Way Home

Author: Kate DiCamillo
Genre: Children's Fiction
Type: e-book
Source: NetGalley
Publisher: Candlewick Press
First Published: October 2, 2018
Opening Lines: "I am going to write it all down, so that what happened to me will be known, so that if someone were to stand at their window at night and look up at the stars and think, My goodness, whatever happened to Louisiana Elefante? Where did she go? they will have an answer. They will know. This is what happened."

Book Description from GoodReads: From two-time Newbery Medalist Kate DiCamillo comes a story of discovering who you are — and deciding who you want to be.

When Louisiana Elefante’s granny wakes her up in the middle of the night to tell her that the day of reckoning has arrived and they have to leave home immediately, Louisiana isn’t overly worried. After all, Granny has many middle-of-the-night ideas. But this time, things are different. This time, Granny intends for them never to return. Separated from her best friends, Raymie and Beverly, Louisiana struggles to oppose the winds of fate (and Granny) and find a way home. But as Louisiana’s life becomes entwined with the lives of the people of a small Georgia town — including a surly motel owner, a walrus-like minister, and a mysterious boy with a crow on his shoulder — she starts to worry that she is destined only for good-byes. (Which could be due to the curse on Louisiana’s and Granny’s heads. But that is a story for another time.)

Called “one of DiCamillo’s most singular and arresting creations” by The New York Times Book Review, the heartbreakingly irresistible Louisiana Elefante was introduced to readers in Raymie Nightingale — and now, with humor and tenderness, Kate DiCamillo returns to tell her story.

My Rating: 4 stars

My Review: Kate DiCamillo, award winning author of The Tale of Despereaux, Because of Winn-Dixie and Flora and Ulysses is a new-to-me author so I wasn't sure what to expect with Louisiana's Way Home. What I got was an entertaining and touching Middle School story that focuses on a memorable young character. 

Louisiana Elephante is a precocious, quirky and loquacious tween girl who will wheedle her way into readers' minds and hearts for her spunkiness, unique view of the world and her forthrightness. Through Louisiana, this book addresses a few big issues (including love, loss, friendship and forgiveness) and has its share of emotional scenes. 

There are some implausible plot points to contend with and DiCamillo leaves readers with a few unanswered questions. Normally, this would bother me but then I remembered that the reader is only privy to Louisiana's POV and all she knows is that life is uncertain, scary and lonely. She doesn't have all the answers, so neither do we.

This book has a lot going on - how many books will feature a stuffed alligator, a stack of bologna sandwiches, a caramel-eating pianist and a friendly crow named Clarence? (I'm assuming not many). But put these things together with DiCamillo's wonderful prose and you'll get a heartfelt story of hope featuring a resilient girl who is struggling to find out who she is, what she wants and where she wants to be in the world. 


Favourite Quote: Perhaps what matters when all is said and done is not who puts us down but who picks us up.

Disclaimer: My sincere thanks to Candlewick Press and NetGalley for providing me with a complimentary digital copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.