Review
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With its short, vibrant chapters and clear, gentle prose, this
triumphant and necessary book conjures the enchantments of
childhood without shying away from the fraught realities of
abandonment, abuse and neglect…Twirling a baton requires flair
and confidence, in addition to an understanding that the baton is
always balanced just a tiny bit off-center. There is something
wonderfully off-balance, too, about ¬DiCamillo’s storytelling. It
allows her characters to sparkle and soar. DiCamillo has called
this novel, based partly on her own herless Florida childhood,
"the absolutely true story of my heart." What a beautiful and
generous heart it is.
—The New York Times Book Review
As in her previous award-winning books, DiCamillo once again
shows that life’s underlying sadnesses can also be studded with
hope and humor, and does it in a way so true that children will
understand it in their s. And that’s why she’s Kate the
Great.
—Booklist (starred review)
DiCamillo's third-person narrative is written in simple words,
few exceeding three syllables, yet somehow such modest prose
carries the weight of deep meditations on life, death, the soul,
friendship, and the meaning of life without ever seeming heavy,
and there's even a miracle to boot. Readers will approach the
tense and dramatic conclusion and realize how much each word
matters. Raymie may not find answers to why the world exists or
how the world works, but she can hold onto friends and begin to
see more clearly the world as it is...Once again, DiCamillo
demonstrates the power of simple words in a beautiful and wise
tale.
—Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
With extraordinary skill, two-time Newbery Medalist DiCamillo
traces the girls’ growing trust in each other while using
understated confessionals and subtly expressed yearnings to show
how tragedies have affected each of them. The book culminates
with a daring cat-rescue mission: fraught with adventure, danger,
and a miracle or two, the escapade reveals how love and
compassion can overcome even the highest hurdles.
—Publishers Weekly (starred review)
The girls don’t form an immediate bond, but their initial
association of convenience eventually turns into a friendship of
understanding and fierce loyalty. After christening the trio the
Three Rancheros, Louisiana delivers these prescient words: “We’ll
rescue each other.” And in a beautifully layered set of
adventures, they do. The limited third-person narration gives
Raymie her distinctive voice and spot-on pre-adolescent
perspective of a young girl trying to make sense of the world
around her. Here DiCamillo returns—triumphantly—to her Winn-Dixie
roots.
—The Horn Book (starred review)
In short, precisely crafted chapters, DiCamillo once again
demonstrates her ability to create unique characters that touch
readers’ hearts. Raymie, in particular, is observant, thoughtful,
and sensitive as she struggles to make sense of the world around
her. Her story unfolds in uncomplicated prose, even as the themes
explored are complex. Surrounded by the fully realized Louisiana
and Beverly, not to mention the adults in her town, Raymie
searches for meaning, a search that will resonate with readers.
Poignant, inful, and ultimately uplifting.
—School Library Journal (starred review)
From start to finish, Raymie feels her soul alternately
shrinking and expanding like an indecisive balloon as she and her
new entourage navigate the waters of friendship and heartbreak,
love and loss, life and death. Most of the characters in this
fine, funny, meticulously crafted novel live life "wishing for
things that are gone," but there's certainly no chance that
Raymie's lovely and large soul will ever completely shrivel with
a "Phhhhtttt."
—Shelf Awareness (starred review)
Although this story is fictional, DiCamillo describes it as the
true story of her heart...DiCamillo does a wonderful job of
allowing readers into the depths of Raymie’s feelings and even
into her soul. By the end of the book, readers feel like Raymie,
Beverly, and Louisiana are true and lasting friends of their own.
It is truly a heart-filled and heartfelt book.
—VOYA
Fans will recognize DiCamillo's unique wry voice as it gives
readers vivid images, dizzying ideas, humor, heart-wrenching
emotions, and gorgeous, gorgeous language. You all have something
to look forward to this April, I promise.
—Huffington Post
DiCamillo writes with her usual easygoing delicacy; the portray-
als of the girls are swift, telling, and gentle, with elliptical
hints at Beverly’s and especially Louisiana’s homelife challenges
(lack of money clearly limits Louisiana’s diet)...While DiCamillo
fans will certainly enjoy reading this on their own, it’s also
excellent classroom material, encouraging kids to stretch their
decoding—and also to realize that even if you don’t get the
outcome you want, it’s still possible to find closure.
—Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books
It’s an inspired choice, for surely this coming-of-age story is
a fairy tale for our times. The young damsels in distress test
their courage and rescue one another; and the book closes not
with a conventional “happily ever after” but with a shared vision
of the world as vast and yet ly connected.
—Washington Post
DiCamillo, who has just ended her tenure as the National
Ambassador for Young People’s Literature, understands that
children can handle the tough stuff in fiction–after all, they
have to handle problems like divorce, grief, abuse and poverty in
real life. And a book like this can help. As Raymie’s neighbor
told her before dying, “If you were in a hole that was deep
enough and if it was daylight and you looked up at the sky from
the very deep hole, you could see stars even though it was the
middle of the day.” For children looking up from their own deep
holes, the Three Rancheros could be those stars.
—TIME Magazine
Kate DiCamillo seems always to write with an understanding heart
and a gentle archness of tone...As the summer progresses, the
girls find poignant points of commonality and a surprising
comradeship in this wistful, tender, funny novel for readers ages
10 and older.
—The Wall Street Journal
Raymie Nightingale is filled with humor, poignancy, and
life-sized lessons. It is predictably unpredictable: a hallmark
of DiCamillo’s brilliant writing.
—New York Journal of Books
…though this book is awash in personal tragedies, it’s not a
downer. It’s tightly written and full of droll lines and, yes I
admit it. It’s meaningful. But the meaning you cull from this
book is going to be different for every single reader. Whip smart
and infinitely readable, this is DiCamillo at her best.
—A Fuse #8 Production (blog)
"Raymie" is fast and fleet — a crystalline ode to childhood
friendship that shines as brightly as anything that DiCamillo has
written.
—Chicago Tribune
DiCamillo...wryly captures the adventure and confusion of
childhood with a gut-wrenching lack of sentimentality and a
razor-sharp wit.
—Star Tribune
Kate DiCamillo shines once again with her latest somewhat
autobiographical children’s novel...Their adventures are fraught
with conflict and humor, as they try to do good deeds, rescue
animals, and even participate in some breaking and entering.
Through their zany antics they realize some things are more
important than winning a contest, and Raymie discovers happiness
and friendship can exist despite unpleasant realities of life.
—School Library Connection
Kate DiCamillo is the author whose books I anticipate with the
most delight. I read them over and over. In simple but elegant
prose, with grace and great humor, she writes truthfully about
the human experience but always with hope.
Raymie Nightingale is
beautiful, a celebration of life, as are all her books.
—Dean Koontz, bestselling author
Newbery winner DiCamillo at her best.
—People
“Modest” and “tour de force” don’t usually go together, but they
perfectly describe this quirky but melancholy coming-of-age
novel.
—San Francisco Chronicle
"Raymie Nightingale" is striking for its portrait of 10-year-old
Raymie Clarke, who hopes to win the contest and push her her,
who has abandoned the family, to come home.
—Orlando Sentinel
While Raymie Nightingale is written for a middle-grade audience,
it is a moving novel that can be enjoyed by readers of all ages.
—Providence Journal
It is an expertly layered and beautifully crafted story with not
a wasted word or moment. The characters are living, breathing
humans in whose struggles the reader becomes invested. And it’s a
novel that shimmers with hope at its close, even if that absent
her never actually pulls through.
—Kirkus Reviews (blog)
Readers will once again be treated with a novel that is rich and
important on multiple levels by the exceptional writer Kate
DiCamillo.
—Books to Borrow...Books to Buy (Kendal A. Rautzhan column)
Everyone should read Raymie Nightingale by Kate DiCamillo. It’s
a classic tale of friendship, which we can all relate to.
—On Our Minds (Scholastic blog)
DiCamillo's original, loveable characters bring with them a hint
of magic and an abundance of humanity and humor.
—News-Gazette
Two-time Newbery Award-winning author Kate DiCamillo has crafted
a unique and deeply appealing character in Raymie, and young
readers will love watching her finally find a degree of peace.
—A Mighty Girl (blog)
Kate DiCamillo featured promoting summer reading
—Panorama Magazine
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About the Author
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