Print Run Set for New DiCamillo Novel
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By Judith Rosen -- Publishers Weekly, 3/19/2009 4:10:00 PM
Newbery Medalist Kate DiCamillo’s eagerly awaited new novel, The Magician’s Elephant (Candlewick, Sept.), illustrated by Yoko Tanaka, continues to move forward. This week Candlewick revealed the cover art and announced a hefty first printing of 500,000 copies for the 208-page fable, in which a boy who learns from a fortuneteller that not only is his sister alive but an elephant will take him to her.
As part of the promotion, says Laura Rivas, manager of marketing, publicity and events at Candlewick, the company created a widget of the first chapter of The Magician’s Elephant, which booksellers can place on their Web sites. In addition, the company is planning its
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Kate DiCamillo. |
Heather Doss, children’s merchandise manager at Bookazine, is one of the few booksellers to have read the full novel, which she describes as “awesome,” and is planning a large initial buy. She finds it more philosophical than DiCamillo’s Because of Winn-Dixie and The Tale of Despereaux -- more like a children’s version of Life of Pi.
