DiCamillo, Kate, and K. G. Campbell. Flora & Ulysses: The Illuminated Adventures. Somerville, MA: Candlewick Press, 2013. ISBN: 076366040X
Summary: Ten-year-old Flora's cynical life takes an adventurous turn when she meets a squirrel who has just endured being sucked up into a vacuum cleaner, changing him into a "superhero." Flora struggles to keep him safe from the arch-nemesis while she struggles with her own TERRIBLE THINGS CAN HAPPEN TO YOU. Flora's motto "Do not hope; instead, observe" keeps her from dealing with her family going through a divorce and a mother that seems to be in her own world, but the little squirrel, Ulysses, comes in and teaches them all about hope.
Analysis: Humorous! I found myself laughing out loud here and there throughout this quirky story with its peculiar little characters. It seems each character has some sort of flaw they are dealing with and it's a "superhero" squirrel that brings them all together to deal with them. Campbell provides black and white comic strip illustrations done in pencil that bring the story alive for the reader, and they will have you laughing with the action they provide.
DiCamillo provides great teaching moments for younger readers with advanced vocabulary, such as, malfeasance; bestirred; jest; treacle; redolent. I think the younger students will have difficulty at times with the big words DiCamillo uses quite often though, but could be a great learning experience. Great examples of hyperbole and euphemisms are provided through her spunky cynical protagonist, Flora, and a great introduction to poetry as well bringing the reader into the thoughts of a special squirrel.
Told in 3rd person point of view, this story shows us all that the impossible happens all the time. The chapter titles lead the reader to infer what is about to happen next. The short chapters make this a quick easy read. Excellent life lessons are taught during this adventurous fantasy, touching on life issues young children face daily... single parent working household, new family members, divorce, and just not being understood. This is a story of a hero's journey vanquishing villains on the quest to be loved and accepted. This is a fantasy within a realistic setting, one that we can all connect to.
DiCamillo provides great teaching moments for younger readers with advanced vocabulary, such as, malfeasance; bestirred; jest; treacle; redolent. I think the younger students will have difficulty at times with the big words DiCamillo uses quite often though, but could be a great learning experience. Great examples of hyperbole and euphemisms are provided through her spunky cynical protagonist, Flora, and a great introduction to poetry as well bringing the reader into the thoughts of a special squirrel.
Told in 3rd person point of view, this story shows us all that the impossible happens all the time. The chapter titles lead the reader to infer what is about to happen next. The short chapters make this a quick easy read. Excellent life lessons are taught during this adventurous fantasy, touching on life issues young children face daily... single parent working household, new family members, divorce, and just not being understood. This is a story of a hero's journey vanquishing villains on the quest to be loved and accepted. This is a fantasy within a realistic setting, one that we can all connect to.
Accolades/Scholarly Review: John Newbery Medal; National Ambassador for Young People's Literature; Pennsylvania Young Readers' Choice Award Nominee for Grades 3-6 (2015), Dorothy Canfield Fisher Children's Book Award Nominee (2015), Alabama Library Association Children's Book of Year Nominee for 4-5 (2014) and many more.
From Booklist 06/01/2013: "Newbery winner DiCamillo is a master storyteller, and not just because she creates characters who dance off the pages and plots, whether epic or small, that never fail to engage and delight readers. Her biggest strength is exposing the truths that open and heal the human heart. She believes in possibilities and forgiveness and teaches her audience that the salt of life can be cut with the right measure of love."
From Publisher's Weekly 06/24/2013: "Newbery Medalist DiCamillo and illustrator Campbell meld prose with comics sequences in a broad comedy tinged with sadness."
From Booklist 06/01/2013: "Newbery winner DiCamillo is a master storyteller, and not just because she creates characters who dance off the pages and plots, whether epic or small, that never fail to engage and delight readers. Her biggest strength is exposing the truths that open and heal the human heart. She believes in possibilities and forgiveness and teaches her audience that the salt of life can be cut with the right measure of love."
From Publisher's Weekly 06/24/2013: "Newbery Medalist DiCamillo and illustrator Campbell meld prose with comics sequences in a broad comedy tinged with sadness."
Connections: After reading this novel, like the Epilogue, students could write their own poems regarding what they have learned from the story. The students could make a figurative language flipbook with examples of hyperbole, metaphors, and euphemisms, or a Words Learned book that they add words they don't recognize or find interesting, then define and come up with an illustration.
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