  | Louisiana's way home Author: DiCamillo, Kate | |
| Price: $21.88 | ||
Summary:
When Louisiana Elfante'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 at first. But this time, things are different. Granny intends for them to never return. As her life intersects with the lives of people in Richford, Georgia, she worries that she may only be destined for good-byes.
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| Accelerated Reader Information: Interest Level: MG Reading Level: 4.50 Points: 5.0 Quiz: 198417 | Reading Counts Information: Interest Level: 3-5 Reading Level: 3.50 Points: 9.0 Quiz: 75810 | |
Reviews:
Kirkus Reviews (+) (07/15/18)
School Library Journal (09/01/18)
Booklist (+) (07/01/18)
The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books (+) (00/10/18)
The Hornbook (+) (00/09/18)
Full Text Reviews:
Booklist - 07/01/2018 *Starred Review* Last seen in Raymie Nightingale? (2016), Louisiana Elefante, daughter of dead trapeze artists and prone to fainting, is awakened in the middle of the night by her grandmother, who orders her into the car. Granny has been told in a vision that they have a date with destiny, an opportunity to reverse the family curse, but they must immediately hit the road. Once over the Florida border into Georgia, Granny’s aching teeth become an emergency. Louisiana, 12, is forced to get behind the wheel and locate a dentist in the small town of Richford. Once there, she finds a friend, but loses both her bearings and her history when family secrets are disclosed, whereupon she discovers she has more moxie in her small body than she thought possible. DiCamillo, in an unusual turn for her, tells Louisiana’s story in first person, bringing the reader close to what’s in the girl’s head and heart—including pure anger at the disruption of her life. The writing is terse, with short paragraphs and even shorter sentences. DiCamillo offers a master class in how to tell and shape a story once all fat has been cut away. Though set in the mid-1970s, there’s a fairy-tale quality to this, with heroes, helpers, villains, and one princess looking for a home. - Copyright 2018 Booklist.
School Library Journal - 09/01/2018 Gr 3–6—DiCamillo returns to a character she introduced to readers in Raymie Nightingale. In a first-person account, spirited 10-year-old Louisiana Elefante tells the story of being abruptly awoken by her grandmother in the middle of the night. Together, they trek to Georgia where emergency dental surgery and a nearly empty wallet cause them to stop in their tracks. Stuck in the rural town of Richford, Louisiana must find a way home to her friends. An old family curse that prevents any Elefante from forging long-lasting relationships looms over her. Through a series of chance encounters with the eclectic residents of the small town, Louisiana discovers the power of her own voice and her ability to set her own course. DiCamillo is able to address complex topics in an accessible and ultimately hopeful way. There is never sadness without comfort, fear without consolation. Louisiana's soul-searching is no exception and further solidifies DiCamillo's reputation as a skilled storyteller who trusts her readers to wrestle with hard things. VERDICT A thoughtful and finely written story that earns its place among DiCamillo's other beloved novels.—Katherine Hickey, Metropolitan Library System, Oklahoma City - Copyright 2018 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.
