Flora & Ulysses: The Illuminated Adventures

Listened to. Mostly on the drive to ECP. Jovial and tender and more lighthearted as DiCamillo books tend to be and questioning normality. I enjoyed this one and would generally recommend it.

For me this was pretty meh but I can see kids loving this book. Planning on watching the movie adaptation with my kids soon but wanted to preview the book.

This falls between a 3.5 and 4 on the star scale.

Superpowers via near-death experience with a vacuum cleaner? Sure, why not! If superpowers were only to be had by likely methods then nobody would wear their safety glasses during chem lab. And one of the superpowers is writing poetry? HELL YES! Because I truly think that writing a beautiful or moving piece of poetry is akin to a superpower.

I didn't like the character of William Spiver at all, but the delightful Mrs. Tickham and Dr. Meescham more than made up for him.

Such an engrossing read; I read it all in one day.

I'll be honest, and let you know that I tried once before to read Flora & Ulysses. Back when it first came out, actually. Perhaps it was because I was trying to read it on my Kindle, or perhaps it wasn't quite what I needed at the time, but I wasn't able to finish.

However, this read-through was actually rather delightful! I love Kate DiCamillo's writing for many reasons, but the main one is that it is always so deliciously whimsical. She writes about brave mice, strong friendships, and the goodness that hides within everyone. No matter who her stories focus on, they have a message worth reading. Flora & Ulysses is no exception to that rule, and I think young readers will love it.

Flora Belle is a sweet character. A self-proclaimed cynic, she has a habit of looking at the world as literally as possible. Only through her love of comics does that piece of her that might believe in the impossible peek through. That is, until Ulysses appears. An odd pair, this girl and her squirrel. Yet they are one that is undeniably adorable. I loved the idea that Flora's best self was brought to light when she met her superhero squirrel. Plus I loved Ulysses himself to the moon and back!

Now you're probably wondering why I gave this book a three star rating. To be honest, the biggest flaw I found in Flora & Ulysses was the fact that it tried to do so much at once. This isn't just a story about a girl and her friend. It's about a slightly broken family. About finding your best self. About looking for friends in the most unexpected places. Even about forgiveness. While I think that's all admirable, it created a bit of a jumbled story line. I wanted so much to just focus on the relationship between Flora and Ulysses.

Still, I think this is a story that young readers will love. The illustrations enhance the text beautifully, and overall this is just a fun story. It would be wonderful as a read-aloud between parents and their little ones.

This is a very creative story and excellent for young children. Who would have though a superhero squirrel would be so fun.

Great 3rd grade read aloud

This was a very enjoyable and funny book. I liked the subtleness of the messages in the story and recommend this as a fun book to read.

AH this was adorable and surprising and sweet. It reminded me a little bit of Lemony Snicket, with its celebration of language and its straightforward approach to nonsense, but without all the noir. And with a superpowered squirrel. I loved it. I loved Flora's way of thinking in comic book terms, and the fraught relationships between Flora and her parents, and William and his parents all felt so genuine. Just a lovely look at how children and adults can misunderstand each other and act in ways that are hurtful even out of love, and how if you're lucky you can work things out with some late night poetry.

I'm a “sortof” fan of DiCamillo. I loved Desperaux, wasn't crazy about Winn Dixie. So what drew me to this title? It was not the millions of great recommendations or even the writer's reputation. I wanted to read this because Flora sounded a lot like someone I know very, very well. So, with pretty high expectations, I began Flora and Ulysses.

Right from the first page, and an introduction to a mixed race couple, I was hooked. I really enjoyed this crazy story of a girl and her squirrel. Unique characters, cozy settings, and magical realism abound. This is a book for kids that would also make an excellent Wes Anderson movie. Just saying.

Now, something I have always appreciated about DiCamillo is that she NEVER talks (writes?) down to children. Oh, no. There are some words here that the average kid is going to have to grab a dictionary to figure out. There are also some high ideas that may need explaining. As an adult, I think I had an easier time and could just sit back and enjoy the story.

And I did. And it was almost perfect. Almost.