Flora & Ulysses
Delightful
Easy read
Feel good

Flora & Ulysses The Illuminated Adventures

Rescuing a squirrel after an accident involving a vacuum cleaner, comic-reading cynic Flora Belle Buckman is astonished when the squirrel, Ulysses, demonstrates astonishing powers of strength and flight after being revived. By the Newbery Medal-winning author of The Tale of Despereaux.
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Reviews

Photo of Naomi P
Naomi P@bloowind
4.5 stars
Aug 27, 2024

It's quirky, it's light, it's heartwarming. It's about adventure and magic. It teaches kindness and sticking up to values, and guess who teaches that: a squirrel.



+6
Photo of Sarah Sammis
Sarah Sammis@pussreboots
5 stars
Apr 4, 2024

http://pussreboots.pair.com/blog/2014...

Photo of Laura Mauler
Laura Mauler@blueskygreenstrees
4 stars
Dec 25, 2023

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.

Photo of Melissa Palmer
Melissa Palmer@melissapalmer404
4 stars
Nov 5, 2023

Book #32 Read in 2014 Flora and Ulysses by Kate DiCamillo This was a cute book about Flora, a somewhat odd child, and Ulysses, a flying squirrel who is thought of by Flora as being a superhero after he survives being vacuumed. Flora is connected in Ulysses and strides to save him from her mother, who wants to kill Ulysses. This book has cute illustrations in it and would be a good read aloud. There was a lot of humor in this book. http://melissasbookpicks.blogspot.com

Photo of Ashley Wendt
Ashley Wendt@undertheasktra
4 stars
Sep 6, 2022

3.5 EDIT: We just watched the movie, and I have to say, it may be one of the more enjoyable adaptations. They added so much more depth and relatability to the story! Highly recommend for a family movie night! I hadn’t intended on reading this. I was looking for a last minute book talk for some of the SPED students and I had remembered seeing the preview for the Disney+ movie. So, I pulled this from our shelves and started reading the first chapter the way back to my desk. I was immediately drawn into the story. It was absolutely charming, I enjoyed the prose, the message of love and loving people in all their strangeness was perfect; the idea that superheroes come in all forms and they can save us in ways we didn’t know we needed saving. The thing that felt off was the relationship building. This whole story takes place over 2-3 days and yet some of the feelings manifested in ways that would take more time to build and feel palpable.

Photo of Ana Cob
Ana Cob@anacob
4 stars
Mar 8, 2022

I wasn't particularly enjoying it while reading it but after a while, I keep thinking about this book and enjoying the memories. I read the first few chapters to some students and they absolutely loved it. Will re-read!

Photo of Karin
Karin @karinrabia
3 stars
Dec 13, 2021

3.5

Photo of Jeni Enjaian
Jeni Enjaian@jenienjaian
5 stars
Oct 30, 2021

This adorable book captivated me from the first moment I picked it up. DiCamillo's narrative style weaves fantasy with heart-warming tropes in such a perfect way that the reader cannot help but fall in love with all of the characters. I highly recommend this book to readers of all ages.

Photo of Jessica Nottingham
Jessica Nottingham@hdbblog
3 stars
Sep 1, 2021

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.

Photo of Paula Plaza Ponte
Paula Plaza Ponte @paulapp
4 stars
Apr 22, 2024
Photo of Brianna
Brianna@dinosauriaclade
3.5 stars
Dec 31, 2022
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lily k@lilyk0
5 stars
Jan 17, 2022
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Neeharika K@lotusrootheart
5 stars
Apr 20, 2024
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Stephanie Denton@sdenton72
5 stars
Feb 18, 2024
Photo of Rebecca Harwood
Rebecca Harwood@beck
3 stars
Jul 20, 2023
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Victoria@ptoridactyl
4 stars
May 1, 2023
Photo of Caitlin Hooker
Caitlin Hooker@chooker
3 stars
Mar 12, 2023
Photo of Kristen Schutzer
Kristen Schutzer@kschutzer
3 stars
Feb 11, 2023
Photo of Rachel D
Rachel D@vibrantafternoon
5 stars
Dec 30, 2022
Photo of Regan O’Neill
Regan O’Neill@onereg
3 stars
Aug 13, 2022
Photo of Callie Anna
Callie Anna@callieanna
3 stars
Aug 12, 2022
Photo of Heather Anne
Heather Anne@heatherannewithane
5 stars
Aug 11, 2022
Photo of Jordan
Jordan@jordanreads3
4 stars
Jul 24, 2022
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mack_n_cheese@strawberryboy
5 stars
May 5, 2022