Title: Flora
& Ulysses: The Illuminated Adventures
Author: Kate DiCamillo
Illustrator: K. G. Campbell
Publisher: Sommersville, MA: Candlewick Press,
2013
ISBN: 978-0-7636-6040-6
Summary: 10-year-old cynic Flora Belle Buckman lived a boring life—her only excitement
came in the form of her comic books starring The Amazing Incandesto—until the
day the next-door neighbor’s vacuum cleaner sucked up a common squirrel and he
emerged as Ulysses, the super-strong, flying, poetry-writing superhero rodent!
As she serves as Ulysses’ mentor and guardian, Flora’s life becomes more
interesting. Aside from teaching Ulysses how to use his power for good, Flora
has to determine Ulysses’ arch-nemesis. Is his mortal enemy the new boy next
door, the cat at her father’s apartment building, Mary Ann, or (gasp) her own
mother? Only a series of misadventures will tell!
Critical Analysis: DiCamillo’s Newbery-winning Flora & Ulysses transitional novel is
a fun jaunt into low fantasy. Short chapters written from two viewpoints and
sprinkled with full page illustrations liven the reading. Flora
& Ulysses is told in two different styles—DiCamillo’s text gives way at
certain points and is replaced by Campbell’s humorous comic strip-style illustrations
to move the comical story along. The combination should appeal to transitional
and experienced readers alike. Full of fun-to-say words like “Holy Bagumba,” “quark,”
“seal blubber,” and “malfeasance” make this a cheery read-aloud for middle
elementary and up.
The real
beauty of the novel is the characters—they are wacky and loveable. The new boy,
William Spiver, has a vocabulary beyond his years (as does Flora) and a psychosomatic
vision disorder. Flora’s mom is amusingly annoyed and angry; her father is
absent-minded; her neighbor Mrs.Tootie Tickham is relatively normal; and Dr.
Meescham is upbeat and full of faith. Mary Ann is just smug, a pretty
impressive feat for a lamp. They are all great fun, but Flora and Ulysses are
the strongest.
Flora’s
cynical mantra is “Do not hope; instead, observe.” At the beginning of the
novel she has wrapped herself into a cynical cocoon, escaping into comic books
and avoiding her mother. However, her efforts to squash hope prove futile because
one can’t help but feel that things will get better with a superhero around. Her
confidence in comic books as reference material in coping with everything from
training superheroes to CPR is amusing. DiCamillo manages to make her
protagonist prickly, tender, and relatable all at once. Ulysses, being a
squirrel, is more limited in his depth, yet it makes perfect sense that his
thoughts tend to be centered around food and Flora’s lovely round head.
It all boils
down to a laugh-out-loud tale of discovering hope. And a superhero squirrel.
Awards:
2014
Newbery Medal
2014
Texas Bluebonnet Award
Reviews:
Publishers
Weekly: “Despite supremely quirky characters and dialogue worthy of an SAT prep
class, there’s real emotion at the heart of this story involving two kids who
have been failed by the most important people in their lives: their parents.”
Huffington Post: “laugh-out-loud funny, tender, difficult and hopeful all at once…Cynics beware, this book is meant for those open to joy, wonder, loyalty and friendship of all stripes.”
.Activity and Website:
Create your own superhero. Would you use an animal? If so,
what animal would you choose? What awesome name would you give your superhero?
No hero would be complete without an arch-enemy. Who would be your hero’s
nemesis?Will the Heimlich Maneuver work on a squirrel? Find out how to do the Heimlich Maneuver
Created for Texas Woman’s University course
LS 5603.21
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