Flora & Ulysses: The Illuminated Adventures

BIBLIOGRAPHY

DiCamillo, Kate. 2013.  Flora & Ulysses:  The Illuminated Adventures.  Ill by K.G. Campbell. Somerville, MA:  Candlewick Press. ISBN  9780763660406

PLOT SUMMARY
Flora struggles to fit in with her family and the world around her. After her parent’s divorce, she tries to ease her loneliness by immersing herself in her comic books. After a crazy encounter with a vacuum and a squirrel, Flora finds that her loneliness is replaced with a close friendship between her and her new superhero squirrel, Ulysses. Even though Flora’s mom worries about her with Ulysses, she is determined to protect him. Will Flora find her place in her family?

CRITICAL ANALYSIS
DiCamillo’s fantasy tale begins with a crazy vacuum accident. We meet ten-year-old Flora, who feels misunderstood by her mom and ignored by her father, after her parent’s divorce. Flora loses herself in her comics as a way of escaping her reality. One day a squirrel is almost sucked into the neighbor’s vacuum and Flora saves his life, opening a new wave of adventure and friendship into her life. They soon discover the squirrel, Ulysses, has superpowers. He and Flora develop a close friendship, despite her mom’s fears about her inability to make friends.

Throughout the story, we see the struggle between Flora and her mother. Her mother worries about the comic books and her lack of friends. Flora feels like her mom does not love her, but during the story we see that she worries and only wants the best for her. The fantasy ties in many realistic situations, and offers a great mix of fantasy elements to catch young reader’s attention.

The comic book like illustrations give the reader a glimpse into the mind of Flora. DiCamillo creatively uses a mix of comics and standard narrative form to tell the story. Ulyssess’ superhero feats are told in the comics which helps keep the text organized. Dialogue is predominant throughout the book, which might make it hard for younger readers to follow.


REVIEW EXCERPT(S)
2014 Newbery Medal
2014 Texas Bluebonnet Award
*Starred review in Booklist:  “Kate DiCamillo is a master storyteller.”
*Starred review in School Library Journal: “Amusing glimpses at the world.”

CONNECTIONS
*Invite students to make their own graphic novel, utilizing elements of fantasy.

*Invite students to read other books by Kate DiCamillo:

2015. The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane. ISBN 978-0763680909