Welcome to Litsy!

I‘ve been under the weather the past couple days, so I bowed out of activities last night, climbed into bed, and read this entire book. It was a delight. Sweet and reflective and hopeful, just as I‘ve come to expect from Kate DiCamillo. And the illustrations are wonderful as well!

June #BookSpin complete! 😊

What if?
Why not?
Could it be?
We must ask ourselves these questions as often as we dare. How will the world change if we do not question it?

“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.”

“Please. It is important that you say what you mean to say. Time is too short. You must speak words that matter.”

Here‘s where my #BookSpin picks landed for June! I‘ve had The Magician‘s Elephant floating around my coffee table for months, with the intent of reading it and then watching the recently-released movie. BookSpin will make it happen. 😊 #DoubleSpin landed on my Sci-Fi/Fantasy TBR category, which is where my BookSpin landed for May, so I‘m choosing the book I almost picked last month!

A beautiful story with a great cast of characters (and gorgeous illustrations). The characters struggle to hold onto hope against the alluring ease of despair (“Life was so short, so many beautiful things slipped away”) and predictably, I was left crying. DiCamillo makes me feel things.

I haven‘t read one of DiCamillo‘s books since third grade (The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane), and this one was even better! I liked how all the seemingly minor characters ended up being really important, and how it was slightly predictable but still great! 5⭐️

+2891 #MistletoeManiacs @Clwojick #WinterGames

#FirstLineFriday

Good thing I've an awful memory at times, since I was able to enjoy this book twice. I went to log this book into my Goodreads, and saw that I had already reviewed it. 🤣

My excuse is that I read it shortly after having my third child. (Mommy Brain)

A moving tale of faith, hope and magic. Kate DiCamillo continues to win my heart. 🙌🏻❤️Also love the captivating illustrations by Yoko Tanaka.
#DoubleSpin
#BookSpinBingo
@TheAromaofBooks

A magical dreamlike tale of a boy in search of his sister. I love how Kate DiCamillo can always make me feel like a kid again when I read her books. She reminds me that anything is possible if I just believe. 💚

#bookspin #BookSpinBingo @TheAromaofBooks

My hastily put together card for #BookSpinBingo 😀

I'm excited to see how many I can read this month. @TheAromaofBooks A couple on my list this time I've read before, and my 21-25 are library books I currently have checked out.

I've removed so many books from my TBR because of these challenges and I've cleared a whole shelf on a bookcase already this year that I then donated to my local library.

Off i go now to check Kate DiCamillo's work. I had no idea, and from what Patchett says, it sounds fantastic!

Ann Patchett on Why We Need Life-Changing Books Right Now https://nyti.ms/2wPTTsq

“It is cold and dark, and things are not what they seem, and the truth is forever changing.”

There are some illustrations in this book that are so magical.

The Magician‘s Elephant is a great MF book written by Kate DiCamillo. An orphan, Peter, comes across a fortuneteller‘s booth in the market square of the city of Baltese. He knows what needs to be asked: Is his sister alive? If so, how can he find her? The fortune teller reveals that an elephant will lead him there. Read to find out what happens! I love this book because it‘s different than what I expected but still held my interest.

#HelloThursday 4th Quarter check-in edition
1. Tagged
2. 86
3. Meeting Michael
4. Finally taking a much-needed & overdue vacation!
5. 👋🏻 my NaNoWriMo buddy @GingerAntics and my #SFFTBR partner @Leniverse and my book twin @Mitch 😘

It is important that you say what you mean to say. Time is too short. You must speak the words that matter.

All the feels. Love Kate DiCamillo‘s books and the illustrations by Yoko Tanaka were so charming.

My full review on GR:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2422034096

#quote All creatures have names. Everyone has a name.🐘

Such an imaginative story. Who doesn‘t love a story with an elephant?

📕Depends. If it‘s a book I plan on keeping, then yes.
📗 I have a balcony that I occasionally sit & read, does that count? If I had a porch, I would.
📘I try to get the the end of the chapter, but I‘ll stop wherever if needed.
📙I used to and will in a pinch, but like @LadyChristy now that I‘ve found magnetic bookmarks, I don‘t have to. 😀
📚 😎

I almost passed up on reading this book because of the reviews. Please don‘t let them persuade you. This fictional novel written by Kate DiCamillo has a remarkable storyline; especially for our youth.

“The world cannot be change, said Gloria. The world is what the world is and has forever been. No, said Leo Matienne softly, I will not believe that. For here is Peter standing before us, asking us to make it something different.”

An amusing, tongue-in-cheek tale of orphans, loss, and magic. Another one down #mounttbrchallenge

Magical and humane

My daughter and I enjoyed listening to this. Loss, love and a look at what can happen if you question things and believe in change. And a lovely 🐘

Ready for something new for my daughter and me. Got this as an audio daily deal awhile back. It seems to have mixed reviews but that hasn't stopped us before. Off to our next adventure.

Listening to this beauty with the kiddos. Magic, Promises, Loss, and Love. ❤❤❤❤❤🐘

Funny story. This was an audio deal and since I have liked DiCamillo in the past, I grabbed a copy. After I finished, I went to add it to my Goodreads library. I have all ready read it. And I only gave it two stars. oops. lol Clearly not memorable. And, while I think I enjoyed the audio experience better than the reading experience, still just an okay read. She does have some good stuff, but for some reason not this one for me. #catsoflitsy

I really enjoyed this tale! It had a touch of an almost fairy tale type of quality to it ... not quite dark enough to be Grimm-like, not light enough to be a straight up fairy tale and almost Dickensian...it may ALMOST be these things but it was DEFINITELY very enjoyable! I would most certainly read this again!

The city of Baltese has been a wonderful audiobook interlude from the seriousness of life. Peter Augustus Duchene is an orphan who longs to find his sister. The magician is a man who longs for fame. When Peter spends the food money to ask a fortune teller where his sister is, the lives of all of Baltese are changed. This is a magical and heart warming story that's message is: "How will the world change if we do not question it?"

Fellow #AudibleLitsians!🚨🎉📯 $0.99 !! I am a fan of Kate Dicamillo's stories, and one of my favorites is on sale! #TreatYoSelf

"Why not?" said Leo back to him. He smiled.
"Enough," said Gloria.
"No," said Leo Matienne, "not enough. Never enough. We must ask ourselves these questions as often as we dare. How will the world change if we do not question if?"

My 14yo daughter has always been my reader. I started reading YA and good children's lit so I could discuss books with her (it started with Harry Potter & Percy Jackson, which is not a bit unusual). My 11yo liked to read in elementary school, but didn't LOVE to read. Then she found Kate DiCamillo. Now SHE'S the one who is more likely to put a book in my hand, begging me to read it. And I always will. ❤️👭❤️