“Flora Belle Buckman was in her room at her desk.”

From Kate DiCamillo’s Flora & Ulysses.

As a cynical young comic book lover, Flora never expected to meet a real superhero, but then she witnessed her neighbor, Mrs. Tickham, accidentally vacuum up a squirrel with an out of control machine and everything changed. After reviving the little squirrel, Flora is surprised to notice that it now has super strength and intelligence, so she names the little rodent Ulysses after the vacuum that seems to have made it a superhero. On a late night search for food in Flora’s house, Ulysses notices Flora’s mother’s typewriter and with his new powers he is able to type out a message announcing his name to Flora and the world. Armed with the information, both practical and superhero-related, found in her comic books, Flora is working her way through helping Ulysses be the best super squirrel that he can be. When Mrs. Tickham stops by to check on Ulysses, she brings her self-diagnosed-temporarily-blind-from-trauma great nephew, William Spiver, with her. Flora is not thrilled to have William Spiver in her life, but when she hears her mother ask her father to kill Ulysses, Flora accepts reluctantly help from the annoying boy. While Flora, Ulysses, and her father’s neighbor, Dr. Meescham, are able to talk Flora’s father out of killing Ulysses, the squirrel still faces a host of dangerous encounters, both human and feline. However, when Ulysses is kidnapped by his arch-nemesis, Flora and her new friends race to save the squirrel before its too late and Ulysses tries to remember all that Flora taught him.

In this book, DiCamillo easily crafts a story that is captivating and subtly hilarious, especially when coupled with the illustrations. The characters are all unique and grow as the story progresses, which helps the story to develop as a whole. Flora & Ulysses is a quick and interesting read that will leave readers of all ages with a smile.