Scan barcode
reader4evr's review against another edition
4.0
How cute was this! Loved the audiobook! I want my own pet squirrel that writes hehe
bookph1le's review against another edition
4.0
What a winning book, though there were some parts I thought dragged a bit because they added some irrelevant detail to the story, hence the 4-star rating. Still, it was quirky, charming, and often laugh-out-loud hilarious. And the ending! My heart is still a puddle all over my floor. More complete review to come.
Full review:
This book is rather magnificent and very, very near perfect. I laughed, I was touched, and I loved the characters, all of which are, in my opinion, the mark of an excellent book. I'm really looking forward to sharing this one with my daughter.
First off, I love DiCamillo's wonderful, quirky writing style. I've read the Bink and Gollie books she co-authors, so I was familiar with it before reading this one, but I was even more struck by it here. She has such a funny turn of phrase and a refreshing way of looking at things. I often found myself pausing to admire the way she structured a sentence, that's how much I enjoyed her style.
The characters in this book are stellar. Everyone from Flora to her parents to Ulysses to William Spiver is fully realized, unique, and possesses his or her own quirks. There are some surprisingly mature messages in here that I think would help young readers appreciate that all human beings have their quirks and their motivations for acting as they do. I think this is particularly evident in the characterization of Flora's mother. I was taken aback by her in the beginning of the book, but by the end there was such a fantastic revelation of what made her behave the way she did. I very much liked seeing this in a children's book, where adult figures are often absent or written in very simplistic ways. Just as Flora is her own character, so is her mother.
Flora, oh wonderful Flora! She's a headstrong girl who thinks of herself as a cynic, but who's given to flights of fancy. There were moments when my heart ached for her and I just wanted to give her a hug. She was an unconventional heroine, a girl who loved comic books and who wasn't frilly and who didn't want to listen to her mother's admonishments that she should pay a little more attention to her appearance. In a way, I found her a representation of innocent girlhood: before all the expectations, before all the baggage that society foists on girls, they are often people just like this. It was gorgeous the way her mother was aware of this and feared it, but went about trying to protect her child in exactly the wrong way.
I also adored Ulysses. The passages that delved into his squirrel brain were hilarious, and I loved his little poems. The first one made me laugh out loud and the last was so lovely that it brought a tear to my eye. I loved how joyful he was, how he had such a deep appreciation for the simple fact of living. He was a superhero, even if not in the sense that Flora originally thought.
William Spiver is also a treat. He was amusingly neurotic, but at the same time filled with a core that was just so sweet. The development of what led to his temporary blindness and his being at odds with his mother was heartbreaking. And how can you not love a boy who has as excellent a vocabulary as William does?
The integration of the art was also nice. The book is a bit of a hybrid, not exactly graphic novel but not exactly regular fiction either. I particularly liked the look of Flora and William Spiver, though Flora's unassuming and often flustered father is nicely represented her as well. The drawings all look warm and lovingly done, as if the artist loved these characters as much as I loved them.
My one tiny complaint with this book was that I felt it was a little bit unfocused at times. There were a few instances where a character's schtick was carried a bit too far, to the detriment of the narrative because it slowed it down. Some passages also felt extraneous. Still, my complaint about this is minor, though it did keep me from making this a full five-star review.
Regardless, his book was a treat. It was funny, touching, filled with important themes without being heavy-handed, packed with hilarious antics, and just all around wonderful.
Full review:
This book is rather magnificent and very, very near perfect. I laughed, I was touched, and I loved the characters, all of which are, in my opinion, the mark of an excellent book. I'm really looking forward to sharing this one with my daughter.
First off, I love DiCamillo's wonderful, quirky writing style. I've read the Bink and Gollie books she co-authors, so I was familiar with it before reading this one, but I was even more struck by it here. She has such a funny turn of phrase and a refreshing way of looking at things. I often found myself pausing to admire the way she structured a sentence, that's how much I enjoyed her style.
The characters in this book are stellar. Everyone from Flora to her parents to Ulysses to William Spiver is fully realized, unique, and possesses his or her own quirks. There are some surprisingly mature messages in here that I think would help young readers appreciate that all human beings have their quirks and their motivations for acting as they do. I think this is particularly evident in the characterization of Flora's mother. I was taken aback by her in the beginning of the book, but by the end there was such a fantastic revelation of what made her behave the way she did. I very much liked seeing this in a children's book, where adult figures are often absent or written in very simplistic ways. Just as Flora is her own character, so is her mother.
Flora, oh wonderful Flora! She's a headstrong girl who thinks of herself as a cynic, but who's given to flights of fancy. There were moments when my heart ached for her and I just wanted to give her a hug. She was an unconventional heroine, a girl who loved comic books and who wasn't frilly and who didn't want to listen to her mother's admonishments that she should pay a little more attention to her appearance. In a way, I found her a representation of innocent girlhood: before all the expectations, before all the baggage that society foists on girls, they are often people just like this. It was gorgeous the way her mother was aware of this and feared it, but went about trying to protect her child in exactly the wrong way.
I also adored Ulysses. The passages that delved into his squirrel brain were hilarious, and I loved his little poems. The first one made me laugh out loud and the last was so lovely that it brought a tear to my eye. I loved how joyful he was, how he had such a deep appreciation for the simple fact of living. He was a superhero, even if not in the sense that Flora originally thought.
William Spiver is also a treat. He was amusingly neurotic, but at the same time filled with a core that was just so sweet. The development of what led to his temporary blindness and his being at odds with his mother was heartbreaking. And how can you not love a boy who has as excellent a vocabulary as William does?
The integration of the art was also nice. The book is a bit of a hybrid, not exactly graphic novel but not exactly regular fiction either. I particularly liked the look of Flora and William Spiver, though Flora's unassuming and often flustered father is nicely represented her as well. The drawings all look warm and lovingly done, as if the artist loved these characters as much as I loved them.
My one tiny complaint with this book was that I felt it was a little bit unfocused at times. There were a few instances where a character's schtick was carried a bit too far, to the detriment of the narrative because it slowed it down. Some passages also felt extraneous. Still, my complaint about this is minor, though it did keep me from making this a full five-star review.
Regardless, his book was a treat. It was funny, touching, filled with important themes without being heavy-handed, packed with hilarious antics, and just all around wonderful.
uutopicaa's review against another edition
4.0
¿Qué puedo decir? Este libro fue una hermosa sorpresa. Si bien es muy infantil en su vocabulario y en los detalles de la narración, se adecúa perfectamente para que tanto los más chicos como los más grandes puedan disfrutarlos. Hay explicaciones sencillas de asuntos complicados y un montón de hermosas metáforas que nos dejan pensando.
Miremos por donde miremos al libro, está colmado de enseñanzas y mensajes para que tomemos en cuenta en los distintos momentos de nuestras vidas.
Esta no es una novela con narración compleja y elaborada. Esta no es una novela con una trama enredada y llena de giros y sorpresas. Esta no es una novela que se destaque por la perfección o la calidad de las palabras, sino por el mensaje que deja, por lo intangible. Es un libro excelente y especial sin necesitar elementos ridículamente engorrosos.
Pueden leer la reseña completa en mi blog: http://pardonmispanglish.blogspot.com/2017/10/resena-flora-y-ulises-kate-dicamilio.html
Miremos por donde miremos al libro, está colmado de enseñanzas y mensajes para que tomemos en cuenta en los distintos momentos de nuestras vidas.
Esta no es una novela con narración compleja y elaborada. Esta no es una novela con una trama enredada y llena de giros y sorpresas. Esta no es una novela que se destaque por la perfección o la calidad de las palabras, sino por el mensaje que deja, por lo intangible. Es un libro excelente y especial sin necesitar elementos ridículamente engorrosos.
Pueden leer la reseña completa en mi blog: http://pardonmispanglish.blogspot.com/2017/10/resena-flora-y-ulises-kate-dicamilio.html
littleashes99's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
suehc's review against another edition
5.0
Flora is lonely and finds love and understanding in the world through comics. Then a strange thing happens when she rescues a squirrel from a vacuum cleaner. The squirrel named Ulysses acquires superhero powers and is able to communicate by typing on a typewriter. Ulysses and Flora's friend, William Spiver as well as some other quirky characters, help Flora on her quest for love, acceptance and friendship. Kate DiCamillo has written another charming tale that is deserving of top honors!
mehsi's review against another edition
1.0
Wel, dit was gewoon slecht.
In plaats van mijn gebruikelijke review formaat, doe ik nu gewoon een tig aantal redenen waarom ik het boek enorm bleh en totaal niet voor mij vond.
1. De woorden. Dit is een kinderboek (voor best jonge kinderen). Toch worden er woorden als cynicus, poneren, lumineuze en nog een paar anderen gebruikt, soms veelvoudig. Ik denk dat veel kinderen toch echt het moeilijk gaan hebben met dit boek en het misschien zelfs opgeven. Erg jammer.
2. Het constante: Ik ben een cynicus. Ja, we weten het nu wel. Na 10x had ik het wel door dat je enorm vervel, um een enorme cynicus bent.
3. Herhaling, herhaling. De hele tijd werd dit gezegd: 'De verluchte avonturen van de lumineuze Incandesto' (in groot, dikgedrukte letters). Bijna altijd werd dat weer gevolgd door: 'Vreselijke dingen kunnen jou ook overkomen!' Dit ook weer in een speciaal lettertype. Het werd gewoon een beetje vervelend. Leuk dat je verschillende fonts wilt gebruiken, maar moet dat nu elke keer x oneindig? En moeten deze woorden nou zo vaak voorkomen?
4. Om mooie woorden te gebruiken (want blijkbaar is dat heel normaal in dit boek), ik vond William echt pretentieus en ostentatief. Ja, ja. Mooie woorden hé. Maar echt, in gewone taal. William was één van de meest afschuwelijke karakters in het boek. Zijn blindheid? Sorry, maar dat was eventjes haha, maar dat werd al snel ga eens naar de dokter toe en rot op. Zijn taalgebruik was ook hoogst vervelend. (Dat klinkt chic, niet?)
5. De hoofdstukken. Ik vind het niet erg als hoofdstukken kort zijn, maar het was gewoon niet fijn in dit boek.
6. Het verhaal was gewoon enorm saai en ongelofelijk. Nou is het laatste niet super erg, maar vermengd met het vage en vaak veel te nette taal, was het gewoon niet leuk. Ik heb me echt door het boek gesleept.
7. De volwassenen waren allemaal echt gewoon vreemd en gedroegen zich totaal niet als volwassenen.
8. Ik had wel een betere uitleg willen hebben over waarom de eekhoorn een superheld is geworden. Is de stofzuiger magisch? Is Flora's reanimatie of tot levenwekking datgene wat er voor zorgde dat iets een superheld wordt? Of is het toch iets heel anders?
9. De tekenstijl (want er zijn illustraties en zelfs korte stripjes) vond ik nou niet echt mooi. Het zag er vaak erg surrealistisch uit, wat niet echt mijn stijl is.
Zou ik dit boek aanraden? Nee, helemaal niet.
Review first posted at http://twirlingbookprincess.com/
In plaats van mijn gebruikelijke review formaat, doe ik nu gewoon een tig aantal redenen waarom ik het boek enorm bleh en totaal niet voor mij vond.
1. De woorden. Dit is een kinderboek (voor best jonge kinderen). Toch worden er woorden als cynicus, poneren, lumineuze en nog een paar anderen gebruikt, soms veelvoudig. Ik denk dat veel kinderen toch echt het moeilijk gaan hebben met dit boek en het misschien zelfs opgeven. Erg jammer.
2. Het constante: Ik ben een cynicus. Ja, we weten het nu wel. Na 10x had ik het wel door dat je enorm vervel, um een enorme cynicus bent.
3. Herhaling, herhaling. De hele tijd werd dit gezegd: 'De verluchte avonturen van de lumineuze Incandesto' (in groot, dikgedrukte letters). Bijna altijd werd dat weer gevolgd door: 'Vreselijke dingen kunnen jou ook overkomen!' Dit ook weer in een speciaal lettertype. Het werd gewoon een beetje vervelend. Leuk dat je verschillende fonts wilt gebruiken, maar moet dat nu elke keer x oneindig? En moeten deze woorden nou zo vaak voorkomen?
4. Om mooie woorden te gebruiken (want blijkbaar is dat heel normaal in dit boek), ik vond William echt pretentieus en ostentatief. Ja, ja. Mooie woorden hé. Maar echt, in gewone taal. William was één van de meest afschuwelijke karakters in het boek. Zijn blindheid? Sorry, maar dat was eventjes haha, maar dat werd al snel ga eens naar de dokter toe en rot op. Zijn taalgebruik was ook hoogst vervelend. (Dat klinkt chic, niet?)
5. De hoofdstukken. Ik vind het niet erg als hoofdstukken kort zijn, maar het was gewoon niet fijn in dit boek.
6. Het verhaal was gewoon enorm saai en ongelofelijk. Nou is het laatste niet super erg, maar vermengd met het vage en vaak veel te nette taal, was het gewoon niet leuk. Ik heb me echt door het boek gesleept.
7. De volwassenen waren allemaal echt gewoon vreemd en gedroegen zich totaal niet als volwassenen.
8. Ik had wel een betere uitleg willen hebben over waarom de eekhoorn een superheld is geworden. Is de stofzuiger magisch? Is Flora's reanimatie of tot levenwekking datgene wat er voor zorgde dat iets een superheld wordt? Of is het toch iets heel anders?
9. De tekenstijl (want er zijn illustraties en zelfs korte stripjes) vond ik nou niet echt mooi. Het zag er vaak erg surrealistisch uit, wat niet echt mijn stijl is.
Zou ik dit boek aanraden? Nee, helemaal niet.
Review first posted at http://twirlingbookprincess.com/
justonemorebookhonest's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
vtsarahd's review against another edition
5.0
Loved Kate DiCamillo's beautifully written text and the craziness of the story. Ulysses is such a lovable and quirky character, as are Flora Belle and her family and friends. Wonderfully crafted and fun to read!