The Magician's Elephant

This is a wonderful magical story about a little girl in an orphanage, a fortuneteller, an elephant, a countess, and a little boy trying to find his sister. It's a soothing read-aloud for parents of younger children, especially if you read together before naptime or bedtime. There's a lovely flow to the story, and parents will enjoy seeing how the pieces of the plot intersect each other. There are also several black and white illustrations (reminiscent of Brian Selznick's in The Invention of Hugo Cabret). Very comforting and sweet.

The nun recounts to Adele about her arrival to the orphanage (pp 89-90):

"Were you glad?" said Adele. "Were you glad that I came?" She knew the answer. But she asked anyway.

"I will tell you," said Sister Marie, "that before you arrived, I was sitting here in this chair, alone, and the world was dark, very dark. And then suddenly you were in my arms, and I looked down at you..."

"And you said my name," said Adele.

"Yes, I spoke your name."

"And how did you know it? How did you know my name?"

"The midwife said that your mother, before she had died, had insisted that you be called Adele. I knew your name, and I spoke it to you."

"And I smiled," said Adele.

"Yes," said Sister Marie. "And suddenly, it seemed there was light everywhere. The world was filled with light."

Sister Marie's words settled down over Adele like a warm and familiar blanket, and she closed her eyes.

The Thief

Megan Whalen Turner wrote this way back in 1997, when it earned a Newbery Honor. Unfortunately, like the human body slowly replacing every cell over a seven year period, libraries tend to do the same with their collections. I remember loving this book in high school (there, now I've dated myself...) but on this trip back to the western New York area, there was only one area library that still had a copy.

The story opens with the unnamed narrator being released from prison into the custody of a royal magus who wants him to steal a stone from a faraway temple for the kingdom. With little background information, the story unfolds beautifully and mysteriously--the thief accompanies the magus, two young men and an older soldier as they journey closer to where this strange stone is said to be kept. Along the way, members of the group recount tales of the local gods from generations past, and the reader slowly is able to piece elements of the story together. Even with these pieces, nobody would be able to foresee the dramatic and clever ending Turner has so artfully crafted. I would love to recommend this to preteen and teen readers of fantasy--close to Lloyd Alexander and Robin McKinley. The content is all appropriate for a class reading, just for teachers out there to keep in mind.