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Reviews
The Magician's Elephant - Gajah Sang Penyihir by Kate DiCamillo, Diniarty Pandia, Yoko Tanaka
maxine_december's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
rsngphoenix's review against another edition
adventurous
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
okiecozyreader's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.0
I read this to 5 classes this year and 3 classes last year.
This is a book about a young boy who lives with a former military officer. He missed his sister Adele, whom he was separated from as a young child, when she was a baby. He was told his whole family died.
One day, he visits a fortune teller who tells him his sister lives and an elephant will lead him to her. He tries to solve the mystery of what happened to his sister and what the truth really is.
Just fyi - the movie doesn’t really follow the book so much. Maybe 30%? There are whole scenes that are made up and others not included. The book is maybe just a quieter story than would make an action packed movie.
“Looking out over the city, Peter decided that it was a terrible and complicated thing to hope, and that it might be easier, instead, to despair.” Ch 4
“The longer he marched, the more convinced Peter became that things were indeed hopeless and that an elephant was a ridiculous answer to any question — but a particularly ridiculous answer to a question posed by the human heart.” Ch 4
“Magic is always impossible,” said the magician. “It begins with the impossible and ends with the impossible and is impossible in between. That is why it is magic.” Ch 14
“Why, it seems as if anything could happen, anything at all.” Ch 16
This is a book about a young boy who lives with a former military officer. He missed his sister Adele, whom he was separated from as a young child, when she was a baby. He was told his whole family died.
One day, he visits a fortune teller who tells him his sister lives and an elephant will lead him to her. He tries to solve the mystery of what happened to his sister and what the truth really is.
Just fyi - the movie doesn’t really follow the book so much. Maybe 30%? There are whole scenes that are made up and others not included. The book is maybe just a quieter story than would make an action packed movie.
“Looking out over the city, Peter decided that it was a terrible and complicated thing to hope, and that it might be easier, instead, to despair.” Ch 4
“The longer he marched, the more convinced Peter became that things were indeed hopeless and that an elephant was a ridiculous answer to any question — but a particularly ridiculous answer to a question posed by the human heart.” Ch 4
“Magic is always impossible,” said the magician. “It begins with the impossible and ends with the impossible and is impossible in between. That is why it is magic.” Ch 14
“Why, it seems as if anything could happen, anything at all.” Ch 16
glowbunny's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
felinecie's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
this book makes you think a lot about “What if…” and “Why…” questions…
i love how the writer goes into the backstories of each character and ties them all together
i love how the writer goes into the backstories of each character and ties them all together
book_concierge's review against another edition
5.0
“At the end of the century before last…” Peter Augustus Duchene (a young orphan boy) comes upon a fortune teller in the market. He simply must find out if his sister lives and how to get to her! The answer is unexpected – “You must follow the elephant. She will lead you there.” An elephant?! What elephant?
And so begins an adventure of the spirit, of hoping against all odds, of believing in the impossible, of love, of loneliness, of trust, of forgiveness. DiCamillo’s prose is magical and evocative. The book begs to be read aloud (and I kept reading sections to anyone who would listen). Yoko Tanaka’s soft pencil illustrations are the perfect complement to DiCamillo’s heartfelt story.
And so begins an adventure of the spirit, of hoping against all odds, of believing in the impossible, of love, of loneliness, of trust, of forgiveness. DiCamillo’s prose is magical and evocative. The book begs to be read aloud (and I kept reading sections to anyone who would listen). Yoko Tanaka’s soft pencil illustrations are the perfect complement to DiCamillo’s heartfelt story.
gmamartha's review against another edition
2.0
Still "processing."... not sure of this one. The kids don't get it.
glowbunny's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
This is a story that grew on me. The first time I read it I thought it was interesting. But the story kept niggling in my mind so I read it again and found it better than I remembered. Still I kept thinking about it and read it again and found it so beautiful, I cried. It's become a go-to book for me whenever I need a beautiful story.