TITLE: The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane
AUTHOR: Kate DiCamillo
STARTED: October 22, 2011
FINISHED: October 22, 2011
PAGES: 200
GENRE: Juvenile
FIRST SENTENCE: Once, in a house on Egypt Street, there lived a rabbit who was made almost entirely of china.
SUMMARY: [From Amazon] As she did in her Newbery Medal Book, The Tale of Despereaux (2004), DiCamillo tucks important messages into this story and once more plumbs the mystery of the heart--or, in this case, the heartless. Edward Tulane is a china rabbit with an extensive wardrobe. He belongs to 10-year-old Abilene, who thinks almost as highly of Edward as Edward does of himself. Even young children will soon realize that Edward is riding for a fall. And fall he does, into the sea, after mean boys rip him from Abilene's hands during an ocean voyage. Thus begins Edward's journey from watery grave to the gentle embrace of a fisherman's wife, to the care of a hobo and his dog, and into the hands of a dying girl. Then, pure meanness breaks Edward apart, and love and sacrifice put him back together--until just the right child finds him. With every person who taouches him, Edward's heart grows a little bit softer and a little bit bigger. Bruised and battered, Edward is at his most beautiful, and beautiful is a fine word to describe the artwork. Ibatoulline outdoes himself; his precisely rendered sepia-tone drawings and color plates of high artistic merit are an integral part of this handsomely designed package. Yet even standing alone, the story soars because of DiCamillo's lyrical use of language and her understanding of universal yearnings. This will be a pleasure to read aloud.
THOUGHTS: Kate made me cry at 8:30 in the morning! But in a good way, so I guess I'll let it slide. This book, like her other works, was nothing short of magical. Tis a rare day I consider adding an author to my pantheon (i.e. authors whose books I actually buy), but Kate is very close to making that list. Her writing is full of vivid imagery and rich characters, but it is her method of storytelling that is so addictive. In The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane, DiCamillo crafts an old style fairytale with modern themes. Frankly, I think we can say she is one of the best children's book authors in recent memory.
In this book, DiCamillo uses the story of a china rabbit to teach lessons of love, acceptance, and relationships. The rabbit, Edward, serves as both protagonist and antagonist. As he matures, the reader begins to identify more with his character. By the end of the book, we have shared in Edward's vanity, adventures, losses, and final contentment.
DiCamillo's writing is lush without being flowery. Each of her words belongs on the page. There is emotion throughout the book, and none of the pages feels unnecessary. There is an organic almost "old timey" feel to the writing. This story could occur in an era and in an country - I wouldn't hesitate to call it timeless.
This book is short and only took me an hour to read, but it still made me cry. That should tell you how good it is.
RATING: 8/10 [Terrific]
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