Junior Book

I should probably preface any discussion of a Kate DiCamillo book with the fact that she is my favorite kid’s author ever. Everything she has done, from Mercy Watson to The Magician’s Elephant is just fabulous. I have read her aloud to my boys, they have read her separately, and we are all fans. We are all also fans of buttered toast, so Mercy is a particular favorite.

Louisiana’s Way Home is the story of a girl named Louisiana. Her granny wakes her in the middle of the night and has her leave her home in Florida to never return. This is hard for Louisiana as she has made a life for herself there. When granny leaves her in a hotel with a note telling her that she is not her granny, Louisiana doesn’t know what to do. Luckily, she has made a friend and his family is there to help her pick up the pieces.

There is a lot of loss in this book and it might be difficult for some kids. I am writing a book study to go with it (will post it here when done) and I had a hard time with the questions. I want kids to think deeply about what they read but I don’t want to traumatize them into thinking anything like Louisiana’s story could happen to them. I sometimes wonder if kids worry like that? As adults, I think we see more boogeymen because we know they are real.

The great thing about how Kate DiCamillo writes is that something that is extremely scary is made less scary by her characters. Louisiana is tough and plucky. She brings humor to the situation. She has a moment where she is at a loss, but luckily she had already made a friend who helped her move forward.

There is nothing in this book that is a hard no. As long as a kid can handle Louisiana’s loss, they can handle this book just fine.

Link to Book Study on TPT