Thalia Kids' Book Club: Kate DiCamillo’s The Magician’s Elephant

I’ll admit: I side-eyed the 57-minute runtime. How could anything so short capture the depth of *The Magician’s Elephant*? But DiCamillo, ever the economy queen, packs more into this conversation than most authors do in hours. She dissects her opening line—*“At the end of the century before last, in the market square of the city of Baltese…”*—with the precision of a surgeon, explaining how every word is a promise. When she laughs about her own “weird” brain (her words) or confesses she didn’t plan the elephant’s arrival, Wolf’s narration catches the spontaneity, making it feel like you’re in the room. The production is clean but not sterile—you hear the occasional rustle of pages, DiCamillo’s sharp inhale before a revelation. My only gripe? The pacing sometimes races when DiCamillo’s excitement peaks; a few more beats during the heavier moments (like discussing the orphan Peter’s loneliness) would’ve let the weight sink in. And while Wolf’s performance is stellar, her voice occasionally dips too soft during DiCamillo’s quieter reflections—headphone listeners might need to crank the volume. Still, these are quibbles. For writers, this is a clinic in craft. For kids, it’s a backstage pass to how stories *happen*. And for anyone who’s ever wondered how an elephant in a magician’s hat could break your heart, here’s your answer.