REVIEW: FLORA & ULYSSES

Flora and Ulysses 

by Kate DiCamillo

*****5 of 5 stars

Candlewick Press

Release Date: September 24, 2013

Genre: Middle-grade, graphic novel

Pages: 233

Amazon | Indiebound | Goodreads

Synopsis: 
Holy unanticipated occurrences! A cynic meets an unlikely superhero in a genre-breaking new novel by master storyteller Kate DiCamillo. It begins, as the best superhero stories do, with a tragic accident that has unexpected consequences. The squirrel never saw the vacuum cleaner coming, but self-described cynic Flora Belle Buckman, who has read every issue of the comic book Terrible Things Can Happen to You!, is the just the right person to step in and save him. What neither can predict is that Ulysses (the squirrel) has been born anew, with powers of strength, flight, and misspelled poetry—and that Flora will be changed too, as she discovers the possibility of hope and the promise of a capacious heart. From #1 New York Times best-selling author Kate DiCamillo comes a laugh-out-loud story filled with eccentric, endearing characters and featuring an exciting new format—a novel interspersed with comic-style graphic sequences and full-page illustrations, all rendered in black-and-white by up-and-coming artist K.G. Campbell.

This book kicks off like any well-known superhero story: an unexpected event leads to unexpected greatness. Flora, an eccentric, self-proclaimed cynic, spares Ulysses (a squirrel) from a tragic death, thanks to guidance from her comic book Terrible Things Can Happen to You! This book follow the adventures of Flora and Ulysses as they discover Ulysses' new powers, and as Flora finds she is capable of hope and love.

"Holy unanticipated occurrences!" This quote from the book completely sums up my reaction to it. I was floored by how incredible this story was. It was filled with love, passion, and friendship; showing the true goodness of people and what can happen if you hope and believe in something. It was refreshing to look through the eyes of a young, restless, innocent soul (not to mention through the eyes--or stomach--of a squirrel at various points in the story). I was, quite literally, laughing out loud throughout the entire book.

Kate DiCamillo has such a talent for taking the unique perspective and quirkiness of childhood and turning it into something simply profound and funny. And a lot of funny and random things happen, things that will hold a lot of appeal to a middle-grade audience. Super-charged, life-threatening vacuums, giant donuts with sprinkles, and an arch-nemesis that kidnaps. Also important to note, the illustrations by K.G. Campbell give the story more of the grand tone that you find in superhero comics, while still relating perfectly to the everyday occurrences of childhood. Text-graphic mixes like this are fabulous for the struggling reader crowd. This one is mighty delightful--I bought it in hardcover to keep & read to kiddies.

Review by JR. 

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REVIEW: OPHELIA AND THE MARVELOUS BOY

Ophelia and the Marvelous Boy by Karen Foxlee
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book has such a lovely moody tone! The dusty museum, the ghosts, the frightening adventures, and the snow and frost make this a perfectly pitched magical story for the middle-grade audience. I have to say that I think it's good timing with the Snow Queen story--with the raging popularity around Disney's Frozen, this is a great rendition of the story for middle-grade readers.

I thought that some of the chapter titles "In Which . . ." gave away a little too much. But that really seems to be my only complaint. The characters, especially Ophelia, have a lot of heart and are very brave. The writing has an understated poetic and dramatic feel, which if we're comparing, is similar in feeling to Neil Gaiman. This is definitely a book I would recommend to middle-grade and even slightly older readers not just for the thoughts on bravery and things, but for the suspenseful and exciting story.

An advanced copy was provided by the publisher for an honest review. 

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SHORT LIST 02: MIDDLE GRADE BOOKS FOR RELUCTANT READERS

I've been meaning to share this for a while, and a couple of requests made me hurry to finish up this short list of a few good middle-grade books for reluctant readers! 

    

1. Diary of a Wimpy Kid series by Jeff Kinney
A HUGE hit!                                

2. The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick
The beautiful artwork in this book seems to really capture kids' attention.

3. Fablehaven by Brandon Mull

A great fantasy series that has a lot of appeal to imaginative middle-grade readers. 

4. Graphic novels

There's more and more good ones out there; Percy Jackson is one that has been very popular among my students. Which leads me to . . .

5. Percy Jackson and The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan

Rick Riordan has been very prolific lately, and other series by him are big hits too; I would recommend to start with Percy though. 

6. Stories from Guys Write for Guys Read by Jon Scieszka & various authors

Part of a wonderful series edited by Jon Scieszka . . . so fuuny! Great to read out loud or to pass along to kids. They'll like some better than others. 

7. Sports memoirs/biographies

I can't really recommend a specific one, but for the majority of my middle grade reluctant reader male crowd, short nonfiction texts about their favorite sports stars are absolutely necessary. 

. . . And some favorites of mine--great middle grade books but not necessarily the top of the list for reluctant readers (although they have been successful):

8. Wonder by R.J. Palacio

A perspective changing story.

9. Flipped by Wendelin Van Draanen

Hilarious and heart warming. 

Any suggestions for other middle-grade reluctant reader winners?

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REVIEW: Wonder

Wonder by R.J. Palacio
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

August Pullman is starting his first year of middle school . . . his first year of going to a real school, ever. Due to a combination of genetics he has a facial deformity and doesn't look normal (kids call him Zombie behind his back), but is normal in just about every other way.

Loved it. Characters are always a major selling point for me, and the characters were so real and human in this book. They carried the story with their honesty . . . kids make fun of August, while others are kind. Although I think they seemed a little older than 5th grade- more like 7th to me (so that makes this a great middle-grade book . . . borderline YA). When I first started reading, I thought it was only going to be from the POV of August, but when it switched to other characters I loved it! The perspectives and background stories of the other characters made it much more interesting and rounded. Like maybe you thought August had it rough, but once you hear from the others you realize that they have their struggles too, and August actually has some really great things going for him. The way this was written really shows the difference one person can have on other people's lives.

This is definitely a book that touches you, and makes you want to be a better person from reading it. To see the characters act nobly despite their shortcomings and mistakes and completely normal and human feelings . . . makes me think that anyone can be a noble, kind person even in the small, everyday things in their life, and especially in the big moments. These characters had some big moments where they stepped up and were great.

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