Flora and Ulysses: The Illuminated Adventures (a Middle-Grade Novel about a Cynical Girl and a Superhero Squirrel - For Kids Ages 8-12 in Grades 3-7)

Winner of the 2014 Newbery Medal

A New York Times bestseller!

Holy unanticipated occurrences! A cynic meets an unlikely superhero in a genre-breaking 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 the 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 format -- a novel interspersed with comic-style graphic sequences and full-page illustrations, all rendered in black-and-white by artist K. G. Campbell.

Author: Kate DiCamillo
Publisher: Candlewick Press (MA)
Published: 09/24/2013
Pages: 240
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 1.00lbs
Size: 8.29h x 6.20w x 0.84d
ISBN: 9780763660406
Audience: Ages 9-12

Accelerated Reader:
Reading Level: 4.3
Point Value: 5
Interest Level: Middle Grade
Quiz #/Name: 160221 / Flora & Ulysses: The Illuminated Adventures


Award: Newbery Medal - Winner
Award: Bluebonnet Awards - Nominee
Award: National Book Awards - Nominee
Award: Young Reader's Choice Award - Nominee
Award: Garden State Children's Book Awards - Nominee
Award: Buckeye Children's Book Award - Nominee
Award: North Carolina Children's Book Award - Nominee
Award: Pennsylvania Young Reader's Choice Award - Nominee
Award: Christopher Awards - Winner
Award: Nutmeg Book Award - Nominee
Award: Dorothy Canfield Fisher Children's Book Award - Nominee
Award: Kentucky Bluegrass Award - Nominee
Award: E.B. White Read Aloud Award - Winner
Award: Capitol Choices: Noteworthy Books for Children and Teens - Recommended
Award: Volunteer State Book Awards - Nominee
Award: Nene Award - Nominee
Award: Massachusetts Children's Book Award - Nominee
Award: Midwest Booksellers' Choice Award - Winner
Award: Parents Choice Awards (Fall) (2008-Up) - Gold Medal Winner
Award: Alabama Camellia Award - Nominee


Review Citation(s):
Booklist 06/01/2013 pg. 74
Publishers Weekly 06/24/2013
Kirkus Reviews 07/01/2013 pg. 73
School Library Journal 08/01/2013 pg. 96
Kirkus Reviews Fall Preview 08/15/2013 pg. 39
Horn Book Magazine 09/01/2013 pg. 91
New York Times Book Review 09/15/2013 pg. 23
Shelf Awareness 09/24/2013
Bulletin of Ctr for Child Bks 11/01/2013 pg. 147
PW Best Children's Books 11/11/2013 pg. 24
Kirkus Best Middle Grade Books 11/15/2013 pg. 73
SLJ's Best Books 12/01/2013 pg. 36
Shelf Awareness 12/13/2013
NY Times Notable Bks of Year 12/08/2013 pg. 35
Booklist Ed Choice Youth 01/01/2014 pg. 15
Hornbook Guide to Children 01/01/2014 - Superior,Well Above Average
BookPage 10/01/2013

About the Author
Kate DiCamillo is the author of many beloved books for young readers, including The Tale of Despereaux, which received a Newbery Medal; Because of Winn-Dixie, which received a Newbery Honor; The Tiger Rising, a National Book Award Finalist; The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane, winner of a Boston Globe-Horn Book Award; The Magician's Elephant; and the best-selling Mercy Watson series. Kate DiCamillo lives in Minneapolis.

K. G. Campbell is the author-illustrator of Lester's Dreadful Sweaters. He was born in Kenya, raised in Scotland, and now lives in southern California.