Louisiana's Way Home (utgåvan 2018)

2nd in the Raymie Nightingale group - DiCamillo has riffed on a character and now Louisiana has her own story - and what a story it is. What I love when authors do this well is the developed voice and characterization of someone who just had a supporting role, but is now complete. Granny wakes Louisiana in the middle of the night and hustles her into the car in another madcap escape - from whom or what Louisiana never knows, but this time she has roots in her friends Raymie and Beverly and Arthur the Cat and Buddy the Dog of their Hearts, so leaving is particularly painful, but she doesn't have much time to think about it and they cross the state line into Georgia where the car runs out of gas and Granny runs out of luck and steam. Though she is only twelve, Louisiana is wise beyond her years, wily, and an eternal optimist. When Granny succumbs to toothache, Louisiana takes the wheel, gets them safely to a town and finds a dentist. When Granny leaves her behind Louisiana relies on the kindness of strangers and a young boy named Burke Allen with a crow named Clarence. She is a steel magnolia in the making. As usual there is a cast of unexpected characters with big hearts and small suspicions, who look for the best in each other and the situation. There are fearful times, but no real dangers and a crash course in growing up - in terms of bravery and discovery of personal fortitude and inner strength. Louisiana is introspective in a humorous way that keeps the reader's sympathy and gains the reader's respect. For example, she comes to the conclusion: "Because that is what it means to be alive on this infinitesimally spinning planet. It means you have cares." (146). And Louisiana has them aplenty. She is not who she thought she was - Granny is not who Louisiana thought she was, and she has to confront the family curse of sundering as well as find her place in the world, alone. She does it with grace and heart and sweetness and grit. ( )

5 Stars! ( )

4.5/5 stars
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When Louisiana Elefante’s Granny wakes her up in the middle of the night to pack her bags and scramble into the car, it’s not the most alarming thing. This has happened before, after all, and they always go back. But as they continue driving, Louisiana begins to realize . . . they’re not turning back towards home. They just keep driving, further and further away from her friends, her cat Archie, and the one-eyed dog she shares with her best friends Raymie and Beverly.

I have yet to read anything by Kate DiCamillo that I didn’t love, and Louisiana’s Way Home is no exception. This is a powerful and captivating story, simple and absurd in turn, full of whimsy and hope and hard knocks as well. For Louisiana, her life is just her life, but for the reader, I think the way she’s been raised to grift and charm her way through things is pretty heartbreaking. And in turn, the way she loves stories and music and her friends, the way she keeps trying, is just beautiful. She’s the sort of character that you want all the good things for, even though they don’t seem to be happening much, and the way she focuses on the good things she does get is pretty poignant to read. I promise, this does have a happy ending–one so fulfilling that I ended up crying through much of the last chapter or so. But it’s kind of rough at parts, just in the sort of way that is still ok as a kids’ adventure story. I think this would be a fun story for a middle-grade reader and a heartbreaking, heartwarming story for an adult reader; great in either context! ( )

I got this ARC back in 2018 before I admitted to myself that I'm not great at keeping up with ARCs. Although it took me a while to finally read it, this sweet little middle-grade novel hit the spot today. It's a story of identity, trust, disappointment, and unwanted independence that reads like a short story.

Louisiana is tough and scared and clever and so very much wants to love and be loved. I thoroughly enjoyed spending time with her. ( )