Louisiana’s Way Home
When young Louisiana Elefante's granny hustles her out the door in the middle of the night, she doesn't initially realize her granny's intentions: to leave Florida and never return. They make it as far as a small Georgia town before they are sidelined by Granny's debilitating toothache. While Granny recovers after having all her teeth pulled, Louisiana schemes to return home and tries to stay above the suspicions of the townspeople.
But charming Louisiana is soon a part of the lives of the people she meets, and they too have worked their way into her heart. When she learns some devastating news about her past, she must determine: what defines a person? A family? A home?
Southern charm abounds in this book, made all the better by the audio narration. Quirky characters and a heartfelt story make Louisiana's Way Home a book that both kids and adults will enjoy. This is the sequel to Raymie Nightingale, which I haven't read, but I had no problem reading this as a stand-alone.
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From two-time Newbery Medalist Kate DiCamillo comes a story of discovering who you are — and deciding who you want to be.
When Louisiana Elefante’s granny wakes her up in the middle of the night to tell her that the day of reckoning has arrived and they have to leave home immediately, Louisiana isn’t overly worried. After all, Granny has many middle-of-the-night ideas. But this time, things are different. This time, Granny intends for them never to return. Separated from her best friends, Raymie and Beverly, Louisiana struggles to oppose the winds of fate (and Granny) and find a way home. But as Louisiana’s life becomes entwined with the lives of the people of a small Georgia town — including a surly motel owner, a walrus-like minister, and a mysterious boy with a crow on his shoulder — she starts to worry that she is destined only for good-byes. (Which could be due to the curse on Louisiana’s and Granny’s heads. But that is a story for another time.)
Called “one of DiCamillo’s most singular and arresting creations” by The New York Times Book Review, the heartbreakingly irresistible Louisiana Elefante was introduced to readers in Raymie Nightingale — and now, with humor and tenderness, Kate DiCamillo returns to tell her story.