Flora & Ulysses: The Illuminated Adventures

Candlewick Press

Flora & Ulysses:  The Illuminated Adventures
Kate DiCamillo
K.G. Campbell
2013

The Summary
Flora Belle Buckman is a cynic.  Ulysses is an unassuming squirrel.  That is, until he's suddenly turned into a superhero after an incident with a monstrous vacuum cleaner.

Now, gifted with incredible superpowers, Ulysses, under the tutelage of Flora, must learn how to use his new found abilities to protect the innocent and save the world.

After he finds something to eat, of course.

The Good
As I have a fondness for squirrels - and I was unexpectedly enchanted by the cover - I decided to read Flora & Ulysses:  The Illuminated Adventures, and I'm very glad I did.  It's an enjoyable little novel (albeit a little strange) with unusually quirky characters and a heart-warming story riddled with adventure and intrigue and danger.

Some part of me adores cynical, comic book-reading Flora Belle Buckman.  I loved her sense of humor and her desire to hope, her love of comics, and her fondness for sweet, heroic Ulysses.  She's such a sweet character, even when she's trying not to be, and she has such hope for little Ulysses.  And I loved that she was constantly changing, constantly learning, building and repairing relationships.

Although the other characters involved in Flora and Ulysses' adventures are unusual, I enjoyed them just as much.  William Spiver, Dr. Meescham, Mr. Buckman and Mrs. Buckman, and others, were all so strange (I might even say downright weird), but they were genuinely nice people who adapted to new circumstances and learned lessons from their mistakes - and, in the end, showed how much they cared for young Flora.

I really did enjoy Flora & Ulysses.  While it may be a children's book, it has a complexity to it that I think speaks to readers (of all ages) who have endured a parents' divorce and, more importantly, dared to hope when it seemed hopeless.

The Bad
It's a children's book, so I doubt it will appeal to all readers.  However fans of Because of Winn-Dixie, lovers of squirrels and superheroes, and younger readers may find something to enjoy in DiCamillo's novel.

The Ugly
Life can be messy.

And life, especially the life of a squirrel, can be rather brutal.

Read Harder Challenge (Part One)

As part of the Read Harder Challenge for 2016, I've picked several books to fulfill some of the criteria.  So far, I've managed to:

1. Read a middle grade novel
2. Listen to an audiobook that has won an Audie Award
3. Read a non-superhero comic that debuted in the last three years

Candlewick Press

For my middle grade novel, I completed Flora and Ulysses:  The Illuminated Adventures by Kate DiCamillo.  A fun little book with amusing illustrations, Flora and Ulysses was a nice surprise for me.  I picked it up for the simple fact that it had a squirrel on the cover.  I simply couldn't help myself--I mean, who wouldn't be enticed by a book that has a squirrel as a main character?  (Not a friend of mine, I can say with certainty.)

Anyway, the main point is that I really liked DiCamillo's novel.  It caters to a younger audience, yes, but it's accessible and enjoyable to read even as an adult.  It toys with more mature themes, like divorce; however, it does so in a way that's understood by children and appealing to parents.  It's a good book with a good story (an odd story, but a good story nevertheless).  DiCamillo is also the author of  Because of Winn Dixie, and she further cements her reputation as an exceptional author with Flora and Ulysses.

Random House

Now, to fulfill my audiobook requirement, I actually revisited World War Z by Max Brooks.  I originally listened to the audiobook simply because I loved World War Z and I was intrigued to see what a full cast would be like reading it (especially since I discovered it featured Nathan Fillion, Martin Scorsese, and, of course, Mark Hamill).  It was just a happy accident that I happened to stumble across an Audie Award winner from 2007.

I highly recommend listening to World War Z if you've read the book--or, actually, even if you haven't read the book.  Having a full cast, World War Z  is singularly entertaining as an audiobook.  It's still full of the same stories, the same diversity and detail that made it such a wonderful novel, but, now, you have the chance to actually listen to those stories and more fully imagine the characters behind them.

(I will note, however, that I think I picked up an abridged version of the novel.  I don't know if the abridged novel is the only one available, or if there's a copy of the audiobook out there that has every single chapter, but, regardless, I recommend trying to get your hands on the full copy for the greatest effect.  My only complaint was that it left out some of my favorite chapters.)

Dark Horse

And then there's my non-superhero comic:  Lady Killer by Jamie S. Rich and Joelle Jones.  I picked up Lady Killer at my local comic book store on a whim, because I liked the cover (oddly enough) and I liked the idea of reading about a housewife who worked part-time as a hired killer.  It was a fascinating dynamic that intrigued and compelled me to pick up a copy for myself.

Josie Schuller is far from being a superhero:  she's pragmatic, ruthless, and cold-blooded.  She's a survivor, which means anything goes when it comes to protecting herself and her own (including her darling twin girls).  Overall, I liked reading Lady Killer.  It's probably one of the best comic books I've read within the last year--and it might simply be one of the best I've ever read.  Period.

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For more on the Read Harder Challenge of 2016, check out Book Riot.  And for more book reviews from Reader's Reach, scroll through the archives to find something you might like.

And, as always, happy reading.