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 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.
Hardcover, 233 pages
Published September 24th 2013 by Candlewick Press
Winner of the 2014 John Newbery Medal.
Within the first couple pages of this book, I knew I was in for a real treat. What a wonderful book, it felt rather whimsical and a pleasure to read. I think I was smiling the whole way through this book.
There were a number of subplots here and they came together triumphantly in the end. What an adventure it was, you take a reborn squirrel, a girl named Flora (who is a self-professed cynic), a romance writing mother, the boy next door, a weird lamp (and much more), put them all together to create a phenomenal tale.
The illustrations were enjoyable and added to the story, not too many but just the right amount.
This is definitely a book that I will be purchasing for the grandkids, what a wonderful time for parents and kids to cuddle and read together.
This book is part of my personal library.
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