Rapunzel Reads
  • Fiction
  • Nonfiction
  • Who We Are
  • For Older Readers
  • Submit a Review
  • Author Interviews
  • Books of the Year
    • 2022 Books of the Year
    • 2021 Books of the Year
    • 2020 Books of the Year
    • 2019 Books of the Year
  • Audiobooks
  • Picture Books
  • Book Group Reads
  • Booklists

Flora and Ulysses by Kate DiCamillo (2013)

2/28/2022

1 Comment

 
Picture
By SK

Ten-year-old self-proclaimed natural-born cynic Flora Belle Buckman has studied enough of her beloved comics to know that it is imperative to be prepared for the Terrible Things that can happen to a person. So when her next-door neighbor's birthday present, a Ulysses Super-Suction, Multi-Terrain 2000x vacuum cleaner, accidentally suctions up a hapless squirrel, she doesn't hesitate--she administers CPR. To the squirrel. 

Except....he's not quite an ordinary squirrel anymore. He looks like a squirrel (albeit a slightly bald one, thanks to the vacuum cleaner), and thinks like a squirrel ("Food?"), but now the newly dubbed Ulysses has the powers of a superhero from one of Flora's comics: He can fly! Lift enormous objects! Type! He even writes poetry. 

If Flora knows one thing about superheroes, it's that they always have a job to do, and people to save. And Ulysses' new powers do spark an unexpected chain of events, setting Flora on a wild adventure filled with a variety of quirky characters, including a dramatic divorced romance novelist (who also happens to be Flora's mother); a doctor of philosophy from Blundermeecen; Flora's father, who shares her love of comics; her improbably named, poetry-loving neighbor Tootie; and William Spiver, Tootie's pedantic, eccentric great-nephew who insists that he is temporarily blind. They will face opposition, archenemies, and giant donuts. They will realize that the universe is a very random, very beautiful place. And in the end, Ulysses might just save the day. 

I first read Flora and Ulysses when I was eight or nine, and I remember enjoying it then--but when I recently reread it for a book group, I utterly adored it. The characters are pitch-perfect and irresistibly quirky, and it's an absolute joy to watch them grow and connect over the course of the story. Kate DiCamillo is brilliant, and her writing makes the many wacky characters, events, and unexpected occurrences hang together perfectly with ease, and keeps the story fast-paced and the reader constantly laughing. It's a difficult book to do justice to in a summary, given the quirky premise, but I can honestly say that it's one of my all-time favorites, and a book which I could read over and over, and would bring me joy every time. Filled with madcap wit, wisdom, hilarity, and surprising tenderness, I would highly recommend Flora and Ulysses to readers ages eight and up--it's an excellent read-aloud, audiobook (complete with superhero music!), or book group selection, and is also a delight to read on one's own. 

1 Comment
GSB
3/14/2022 04:47:12 pm

This is one of my favorite books EVER!!! :)

Reply

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

    Book Reviews By & For Kids

    Everyone knows that Rapunzel spent her early years locked up in a tower. We’d like to think she read plenty of books to while away the time, and that she’d appreciate our own favorites.

    Founded in 2014, our reviews focus on great books for middle grade (MG) readers. Beginning in 2018, we began adding selected Young Adult (YA) books as well, but only if we really love them and think Rapunzel Reads followers will too. Favorite picture books have their own page.


    Rapunzel Reads Profile Photo

    Follow us on Instagram!

    Follow us for book reviews and recommendations, including whenever we post a review! 

    Instagram: 
    @RapunzelReadsBooks

    Note: we're no longer going to update our Twitter account--if you followed us there, please follow us on Instagram instead! 

    Picture

    Check out our favorite books of 2022! 

    Read all about the 10 best books we read in 2022!

    Click here to read what we loved most about our top books. 

    Young Adult Reviews! 

    We're now featuring reviews for YA (ages 12+) books alongside our middle-grade reviews on our main page! (If you're not sure if a book is young adult, check the age range--if it's 12, 13, or 14+, it's YA.)

    ​Looking for more YA recommendations? Until 2022, we had a separate For Older Readers page, where we highlighted over two dozen awesome YA books. Check it out here! 


    Categories

    All
    Adventure
    Ages 10+
    Ages 11+
    Ages 12+
    Ages 14+
    Ages 5+
    Ages 6+
    Ages 7+
    Ages 8+
    Ages 9+
    Animal Stories
    Audiobook
    Author Interviews
    Bookgroup Pick
    Booklists
    Books Of The Year
    Classic
    Diversity
    Fairy Tales
    Family
    Fantasy
    Fiction
    Friends
    Futuristic
    Graphic Novel
    Historical Fantasy
    Historical Fiction
    Horses
    Humorous
    In Verse
    LGBTQ+
    Magic
    Mystery
    Myths & Legends
    Realistic Fiction
    Science Fiction
    Sequels
    Series
    Short Stories
    Siblings
    Sisters
    Superheroes
    Young Adult

    Archives

    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    September 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    March 2016
    January 2016
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    June 2015
    April 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014

    RSS Feed

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.