Louisiana's way home

Review by New York Times Review

WASHINGTON BLACK, by Esi Edugyan. (Knopf, $26.95.) This eloquent novel, Edugyan's third, is a daring work of empathy and imagination, featuring a Barbados slave boy in the 1830s who flees barbaric cruelty in a hot-air balloon and embarks on a life of adventure that is wondrous, melancholy and strange. CAN YOU TOLERATE THIS? By Ashleigh Young. (Riverhead, $26.) The New Zealand poet and essayist writes many sly ars poeticas in her collection - a lovely, profound debut that spins metaphors of its own creation and the segmented identity of the essayist, that self-regarding self. BIG GAME: The NFL in Dangerous Times, by Mark Leibovich. (Penguin Press, $28.) A gossipy, insightful and wickedly entertaining journey through professional football's sausage factory. Reading this sparkling narrative, one gets the sense that the league will survive on the magnetism of the sport it so clumsily represents. THE REAL LOLITA: The Kidnapping of Sally Horner and the Novel That Scandalized the World, by Sarah Weinman. (Ecco/HarperCollins, $27.99.) Writing "Lolita," Nabokov drew on the real-life story of a girl held captive for two years by a pedophile. Weinman tracks down her history to complicate our view of the novel widely seen as Nabokov's masterpiece. THE SCHOOLHOUSE GATE: Public Education, the Supreme Court, and the Battle for the American Mind, by Justin Driver. (Pantheon, $35.) This meticulous history examines rulings on free speech, integration and corporal punishment to argue that schools are our most significant arenas of constitutional conflict. TICKER: The Quest to Create an Artificial Heart, by Mimi Swartz. (Crown, $27.) The long, arduous effort to invent and then perfect a machine that could stand in for the human heart offers Swartz a scandalous story filled with feuding doctors willing to stretch ethical boundaries to make great achievements. UNDERBUG: An Obsessive Tale of Termites and Technology, by Lisa Margonelli. (Scientific American/ Farrar, Straus & Giroux, $27.) Margonelli, who believes termites are underappreciated, makes her case via the researchers who study them - especially their ability to build the insect equivalent of a skyscraper. HARBOR ME, by Jacqueline Woodson. (Nancy Paulsen/Penguin, $17.99; ages 10 and up.) In this compassionate novel, a perceptive teacher requires six struggling middle school students to spend one class period a week together, just talking. LOUISIANA'S WAY HOME, by Kate DiCamillo. (Candlewick, $16.99; ages 10 and up.) Louisiana Elefante, first introduced as a minor character in DiCamillo's "Raymie Nightingale," hits the road with her grandmother, nurturing practical optimism despite hardship. The full reviews of these and other recent books are on the web: nytimes.com/books

Copyright (c) The New York Times Company [August 30, 2019]

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Review by Booklist Review

*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. HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: DiCamillo's done it all except write a sequel before. A 10-city author tour and coordinated global release are planned.--Ilene Cooper Copyright 2018 Booklist

From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.

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Review by Publisher's Weekly Review

Fans of Newbery Medalist DiCamillo's Raymie Nightingale will delight in finding out what becomes of Raymie's orphaned friend Louisiana Elefante in this "story of woe and confusion" that is also a "story of joy and kindness and free peanuts." In Florida, 12-year-old narrator Louisiana is whisked out of bed at 3 a.m. by her grandmother-her caretaker-who declares that "the day of reckoning has arrived" and they must leave straightaway. The trip is aborted in Richford, Ga., when suffering Granny has to have all her teeth removed. Stuck in a motel while her grandmother recuperates, homesick Louisiana seethes with resentment but is distracted by young Burke Allen, who has a pet crow and knows how to get free food from the vending machine. Then Granny abandons Louisiana, leaving her with nothing but a letter revealing that everything Louisiana knows about her past is a lie. Populated with unforgettable characters, including kindhearted adults who recognize Louisiana's dire situation and offer options, this bittersweet novel shows a deep understanding of children's emotions and celebrates their resiliency. Readers will feel as much empathy for Louisiana as they did for her friend Raymie. Ages 10-up. (Oct.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved

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Review by School Library Journal Review

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. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

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Review by Horn Book Review

Readers first met Louisiana Elefante in Raymie Nightingale (rev. 3/16) as the orphaned daughter of famous trapeze artists and as one of the Three Rancheros, a steadfast trio of young friends who vowed to always have one anothers backs. In this companion novel, Louisianas flighty, unstable grandmother awakens her one night (because the day of reckoning has arrived), insisting that they must leave town immediately. Louisiana and Granny travel through Florida and stop in Richford, Georgia, at the Good Night, Sleep Tight motel. There Granny abandons Louisiana, leaving behind a florid letter revealing the shattering information that Louisiana is not her kin at all, but a foundling whom she recued and raised. Now Louisiana is truly alone, not really knowing who she is, but knowing she isnt who she thought she was. DiCamillo builds a resilient and sympathetic character in Louisiana, and the juxtaposition of her down-to-earth observations with Grannys capriciousness lightens the narrative and allows for a good deal of humor. DiCamillo graces the plot with a brief moment of magical realism, a device that may allow both readers and Louisiana to eventually forgive Granny. The overarching themes addressing forgiveness, love, friendship, acceptance, home, and family (Perhaps what matters when all is said and done is not who puts us down but who picks us up) ring honest and true. betty carter (c) Copyright 2018. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

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Review by Kirkus Book Review

Abandoned twice over, Louisiana Elefante discovers in herself the "magic that puts things back together.""There is a great deal of power in writing things down," Louisiana observes as she begins her chronicle, a powerful tale of finding her way home. In a convincing first-person voice, the 12-year-old relates the facts of her 1977 journey to Richford, Georgia. She takes note of surprising details and adds her own philosophical thoughts. Readers who first encountered Louisiana in Raymie Nightingale (2016) will be heartened to learn more about her, but this is a stand-alone tale of how she lifted the "curse of sundering" she thought was her legacy. This is not only a story of a child deciding who she wants to be, but also of the power of generosity, especially in the family of Burke Allen, the boy who becomes her friend after she has left Raymie and Beverly behind in Florida. Louisiana's life with her grandmother has not been easy, but she has some amazing talents: a voice like an angel and skill at convincing others to meet her needs. Much about her experiences could be devastatingly sadsometimes this vulnerable white child makes other characters crybut there's also humor, especially in Louisiana's biting observations about some of the adults around her. The book adheres to the white default.For readers who relish thoughtfully constructed plots, well-developed characters, and carefully crafted language, this will be a special treat. (Historical fiction. 9-13) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

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One 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. I will begin at the beginning. . . . The beginning is that my great-grandfather was a magician, and long, long ago he set into motion a most terrible curse. But right now you do not need to know the details of the terrible curse. You only need to know that it exists and that it is a curse that has been passed down from generation to generation. It is, as I said, a terrible curse. And now it has landed upon my head. Keep that in mind. We left in the middle of the night. Granny woke me up. She said, "The day of reckoning has arrived. The hour is close at hand. We must leave immediately." It was three a.m. We went out to the car and the night was very dark, but the stars were shining brightly. Oh, there were so many stars! And I noticed that some of the stars had arranged themselves into a shape that looked very much like someone with a long nose telling a lie -- the Pinocchio constellation! I pointed out the starry Pinocchio to Granny, but she was not at all interested. "Hurry, hurry," said Granny. "There is no time for stargazing. We have a date with destiny." So I got in the car and we drove away. I did not think to look behind me. How could I have known that I was leaving for good? I thought that I was caught up in some middle-of-the-night idea of Granny's and that when the sun came up, she would think better of the whole thing. This has happened before. Granny has many middle-of-the-night ideas. I fell asleep and when I woke up, we were still driving. The sun was coming up, and I saw a sign that said Georgia: 20 miles. Georgia! We were about to change states, and Granny was still driving as fast as she could, leaning close to the windshield because her eyesight is not very good and she is too vain to wear glasses, and also because she is very short (shorter, almost, than I am) and she has to lean close to reach the gas pedal. In any case, the sun was bright. It was lighting up the splotches and stains on the windshield and making them look like glow-in-the-dark stars that someone had pasted there as a surprise for me. I love stars. Oh, how I wish that someone had pasted glow-in-the-dark stars on our windshield! However, that was not the case. I said, "Granny, when are we going to turn around and go back home?" Granny said, "We are never going to turn around, my darling. The time for turning around has ended." "Why?" I said. "Because the hour of reckoning has arrived," said Granny in a very serious voice, "and the curse at last must be confronted." "But what about Archie?" At this point in my account of what became of me, it is necessary for you to know that Archie is my cat and that Granny has taken him from me before. Yes, taken! It is truly a tragic tale. But never mind about that. "Provisions have been made," said Granny. "What sort of provisions?" "The cat is in good hands," said Granny. Well, this was what Granny had said to me the last time she took Archie, and I did not like the sound of her words one bit. Also, I did not believe her. It is a dark day when you do not believe your granny. It is a day for tears. I started to cry. . . . I cried until we crossed over the Florida-Georgia state line. But then something about the state line woke me up. State lines can do that. Maybe you understand what I am talking about and maybe you don't. All I can say is that I had a sudden feeling of irrevocableness and I thought, I have to get out of this car. I have to go back. So I said, "Granny, stop the car." And Granny said, "I will do no such thing." Granny has never listened to other people's instructions. She has never heeded anyone's commands. She is the type of person who tells other people what to do, not vice versa. But in the end, it didn't matter that Granny refused to stop the car, because fate intervened. And by that I mean to say that we ran out of gas. . . . If you have not left your home in the middle of the night without even giving it a backward glance; if you have not left your cat and your friends and also a one-eyed dog named Buddy without getting to tell any of them good-bye; if you have not stood on the side of the road in Georgia, somewhere just past the irrevocable state line, and waited for someone to come along and give you a ride, well, then you cannot understand the desperation that was in my heart that day. Which is exactly why I am writing all of this down. So that you will understand the desperation -- the utter devastation -- in my heart. And also, as I said at the beginning, I am writing it down for somewhat more practical matters. And those more practical matters are so that you will know what happened to me -- Louisiana Elefante. Excerpted from Louisiana's Way Home by Kate DiCamillo All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.

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