Comes close to the magic of The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane, with the same blending of dreamy fantasy and harsh reality but doesn't quite come together at the end, imho. The story touches on some darker subject matter and does not sugar coat anything: the protagonist's father didn't just die in the war but died of a bayonet wound in the war, an elephant stranded far from home isn't just heartbroken but so heartbroken that she wants to die,and the sudden appearance of the elephant, accidentally conjured during a magic show, rather than being a whimsical, zany occurrence, results in the permanent crippling of a random audience member. However, in the hands of a reader who is not completely turned off by this, it adds depth to the theme that magic is still possible in a harsh world. The magician's elephant is a great book it's about a boy named Peter Augustus and he is training to be a soldier but he goes to a fortune teller and she says his sister is alive and to follow the elephant so he sets off. Before he sets off he hears news about an elephant crashing through the roof of and opera house and cripples a noble woman and the magician get sent to jail. I would say more but you can find out if you read it. It's a great book for 4th 5th and 6th graders it's a challenge but really interesting.
What do You think about The Magician's Elephant (2009)?
This book was just okay. I felt like I didn't really get to know any of the characters.
—khushi
Charming fairy tale type story, but not my favorite amongst DiCamillo's books.
—Carmen
..."he was afraid. What if he tried and failed again?"
—Kerry
