Kazumi Reads

Plot Summary:
It all started with a squirrel who got sucked up in a vacuum and turned into a superhero. Before his accidental sucking up, Mrs. Tickham was well into her favorite volume of poetry when Mr. Tickham gave her the Ulysses 2000 X vacuum as a present. Not only was this vacuum super sucky, it was multi-terrain! However, when Mr. Tickham turned on the super sucky vacuum, it took ohf with Mrs. Tickham straight into Flora's yard. What should have been a quiet day with her favorite comic The Illuminated Adventures of the Great Incandesto, Flora saw Mrs. Tickham being dragged by a crazy vacuum that was headed straight to a poor, innocent bystander: a squirrel. In a flurry, Flora did everything she could to warn the squirrel, but it was too late...he was being inhaled by the Ulysses 2000X and was kaput. However, Flora read in in a bonus comic of The Illuminated Adventures of the Great Incandesto called the Terrible Things That Can Happen To You how to perform CPR and that is exactly what she did. After resuscitating the former dead squirrel, a miracle occurred...the squirrel had somehow developed a consciousnesses and abilities such as super strength and he can now understand human speech. When Flora explained to Mrs. Tickham that the squirrel, named Ulysses, after his metal maker, was now a superhero like The Great Incandesto, she read to him from her poetry book, which stirred something deep inside of Ulysses: he loved words. Furthermore, when Flora took him home, Ulysses discovered her mother's typewriter, which revealed yet another super power: HE CAN TYPE! Flora decided to take him in under her wing to help him develop his new found powers just like Dolores, the parakeet, from The Illuminated Adventures of the Great Incandesto. However, Flora and Ulysses face a variety of obstacles that another bonus comic, entitled The Criminal Element, has predicted starting with Ulysses arch nemesis who has set out to separate Ulysses from Flora and ultimately destroy him! Holy Bagumba! Will our dynamic duo be able to escape their arch nemesis named "MOM!?!"

Critical Evaluation:
Kate DiCamillo has done it, AGAIN, in making me love everything about her stories. DiCamillo takes some very tough issues such as divorce, broken families, parental neglect, and the onset of adolescence and wraps them up in a funny, yet well-written story of a genuine friendship between a young girl and a squirrel. For Ulysses, he has never known what it's like to be human, in the sense, that he now has a conscience and sudden urge to express himself; everything used to be about food, but it's now about being alive. Although being sucked in a vacuum, and a near death experience, would rattle anyone, this incident has given an animal (that most people neglect) a new purpose in life: to be the superhero that saves everyone in the end. Along with this amazing friendship, Flora, a self-professed cynic, is starting to change because she, like Ulysses, is more aware of her surroundings and herself: Flora realizes how much she misses her father and how lonely she is. Although Flora's mother is the arch nemesis of the story, it's obvious her mother is also still grieving from the divorce, but is unable to express herself to her daughter so she throws herself into her work. It's not until the end of the story that she realizes the error of her ways, but, in the meantime, Flora feels that her mother loved her cheesy lamp than her; Flora's father, who has spent many nights on Mrs. Meescham's horsehair couch,  crying his eyes out because he is separated from his little girl, is also unable to relay his feelings to Flora (he's a pro at evading questions). Clearly, the adults, even Mrs. Meescham, are nuttier than Ulysses breath, but with Ulysses and William Spiver, Flora finally learns that she isn't alone, which not makes her happy, but a little less cynical. The best part of this story are the comics that K.G. Campbell has drawn because he captures not only the mood, and comedy, of the story, but the softness of the penciled comics conveys the fragility of both Ulysses and Flora who want nothing more than to be loved. This really is a sweet story and I giggled quite a bit simply because of all the "Holy Unanticipated Occurrences!" that occurred, a young finally realizes just how loved she really is.

Information about the Author:
According to her website:

I was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, raised in Clermont, Florida, and currently live in Minneapolis, Minnesota. I write for both children and adults and I like to think of myself as a storyteller.

Here are a few more facts about me: I am short. And loud. I hate to cook and love to eat. I am single and childless, but I have lots of friends and I am an aunt to three lovely children (Luke, Roxanne, and Max) and one not so lovely dog (Henry).

I think of myself as an enormously lucky person: I get to tell stories for a living.

Genre:
Tween Fiction, Tween Adventure

Reading Level/Interest:
Grades 4-6


Books Similar to The Illuminated Adventures of Flora & Ulysses:

• Unhooking the Moon by Gregory Hughes
• Who Could That Be At This Hour? By Lemony Snickey

Awards & Recognition:

• 2014 John Newbery Medal Award Winner 

From Amazon.com:
Newbery-winner DiCamillo is a master storyteller not just because she creates characters who dance off the pages and plots, whether epic or small, that never fail to engage and delight readers. Her biggest strength is exposing the truths that open and heal the human heart. She believes in possibilities and forgiveness and teaches her audience that the salt of life can be cut with the right measure of love.
—Booklist (starred review)

Original, touching and oh-so-funny tale starring an endearingly implausible superhero and a not-so-cynical girl.
—Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

Despite supremely quirky characters and dialogue worthy of an SAT prep class, there’s real emotion at the heart of this story involving two kids who have been failed by the most important people in their lives: their parents.
—Publishers Weekly (starred review)

Rife with marvelously rich vocabulary reminiscent of the early superhero era (e.g., "Holy unanticipated occurrences!") and amusing glimpses at the world from the point of view of Ulysses the supersquirrel, this book will appeal to a broad audience of sophisticated readers. There are plenty of action sequences, but the novel primarily dwells in the realm of sensitive, hopeful, and quietly philosophical literature.
—School Library Journal (starred review)

Eccentric characters, snappy prose and the fantastical plot give this delightful novel a giddy, over-the-top patina, but the core is big and hopeful, contemplative and bursting with heart. No small feat, even for a superhero like DiCamillo.
—Shelf Awareness

In "Flora and Ulysses," longtime fans will find a happy marriage of Mercy Watson's warmth and wackiness and Edward Tulane's gentle life lessons. In Flora, they will find a girl worth knowing, and one they will remember.
—The New York Times Book Review

[L]augh-out-loud funny, tender, difficult and hopeful all at once. ... Cynics beware, this book is meant for those open to joy, wonder, loyalty and friendship of all stripes.
—The Huffington Post

This is a fun and clever tale of an unlikely hero uniting an even more unlikely cast of characters. Kate DiCamillo strikes again. Each character is well-drawn, the story is packed with fun references and asides. It's a perfect blend of poignancy and magic.
—Fall 2013 Parents' Choice Book Awards

DiCamillo does here what she does best, which is tell a deceptively simple story that elucidates big truths. ...
Though their adventures are wild and wacky, the heart of the story is about a girl adrift and how she finds her way home. Pencil illustrations and comic book panels by K.G. Campbell complement Kate DiCamillo's text perfectly. After reading Flora and Ulysses, you'll be asking when the next installment is due.
—NPR Books

Plot Summary:
If it wasn't for Stanley's no-good-dirty-rotten-pig stealing-great-great-grandfather, he wouldn't be at Camp Green Lake. Accused of stealing  the legionary's Sweet Feet Livingston's from a homeless shelter, Stanley is sentenced to dig holes in the former lake known as Green Lake. The moment he arrived, Stanley knew this wasn't going to be like any regular summer camp, especially learning that the bunk he is now occupying belonged to a boy nicknamed Barf Bag. Under the guidance of his counselor, Mr. Pendanski, Stanley and the other boys are forced to wake up at 4:30 a.m., eat breakfast, and set off to the dry lake to dig holes. Although Stanley doesn't understand why he has to dig, he is struggling with the fact that as an overweight boy with soft hands, this whole experience was going to be excruciatingly painful. After surviving his first hole, Stanley is inducted, and given his honorary nickname, to the Camp Green Lake crew where he meets: X-Ray (the leader), Armpit, Zig Zag, Magnet, Squid, and Zero. Stanley (aka. Caveman) isn't quite sure about these guys, but, when he finds the gold trinket in his hole, he gives it to X-Ray so he can have a day off; thus, staying on X-Ray's good side. However, the day he dug up that item, life at Camp Green Lake had changed for the worst when Magnet stole Mr. Sir's sunflower seed bag, which got the the Warden involved. Despite the four-minute cold showers and never ending heat, Stanley befriends Zero who is not only a mystery, but is totally misunderstood by everyone just like Stanley. What readers don't realize is that this friendship is the key to undoing Camp Green Lake but reveal a hidden past.


Critical Evaluation:
Another is a major theme is friendship where those who stick together, survive together. When Stanley went after Zero, not only are we proud of him for his bravery, we are stunned that he would actually take the water truck from Mr. Sir to try and rescue his friend. For Stanley and Zero, their fates are intertwined with the legend of Kissing Kate Barlow and how's his grandfather, Elya's curse, brought him and Zero together in this barren dessert where wild onions, sploosh, and holes are all they need to survive. In fact, they uncovered the past to not only right the wrongs of their ancestors, but bring and end to a tragic story and lots of bad luck. Honestly, Sachar really did do a brilliant job of bringing these three stories together to create a wonderful and satisfying ending that we will never forget. 

Information about the Author:
Louis Sachar was born on March 20, 1954 in East Meadow, New York. In his website, Sachar's father worked on the 78th floor of the Empire State Building. After leaving New York when he was three-years-old, he and his family moved to Tustin, California where he and a bunch of kids who have orange fights, using the oranges from the orange groves as their ammo. According to Sachar, "I enjoyed school and was a good student, but it wasn't until high school that I really became an avid reader. J.D. Salinger and Kurt Vonnegut were the authors who first inspired me. Some of my other favorite authors include E.L. Doctorow, Margaret Atwood, E.B White, Richard Price and Kazuo Ishiguro." Sachar attended Antioch College in Ohio, but had to come home to be with mother after the untimely death of his father. He enrolled at the UC Berkley where he majored in Economics, but found his calling when he signed on to be a teacher aide at Hillside Elementary to earn three college credits. Not only was he helping as an aide, he became a noontime supervisor where the kids knew him as as "Louis the Yard Man."

After graduating, Sachar wrote his first children's book, Sideways Stories From Wayside School, which was published while he was attending Hastings College of Law in San Francisco, CA. Although he passed the bar exam, his career as a lawyer was short-lived because his stories made him so popular that he was able to write children's books full time. Sachar married his wife, Carla, in 1985 and his daughter, Sherre, was born in 1987. He currently live in Austin, TX with his wife and dog Watson. According to Sachar "I write every morning, usually for no more than two hours a day. I never talk about a book until it is finished. I spent two years on my latest novel, and nobody, not even Carla or Sherre knew anything about it until it was finished. Then they were the first to read it." Sachar has written over twenty children's titles and his latest book is Small Steps, a riveting sequel to Holes. 

Genre:
Tween Adventure

Reading Level/Interest:
Grades 4-7

Books Similar to Holes:

• Small Steps by Louis Sachar
• Hatchet by Gary Paulson

 Awards & Recognition:

• 1999 Newbery Medal (1999)
• 1998 National Book Award for Young People's Literature (1998)
•  ALA Notable Book  (1998)
• ALA Best Book for Young Adults (1999)
• New York Times Book Review Notable Children's Book of the Year
• Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books Blue Ribbon Book 
• School Library Journal Best Book of the Year
• Publishers Weekly Notable Children's Book of the Year
• New York Public Library Children's Book of 1998-100 Titles for Reading and Sharing

Plot Summary:
Alex Rider is an average fourteen year old guy who lives with his Uncle Ian (Alex's parents are gone). One day, when Alex returns home, he is told that his uncle was killed. Confused, and upset, Alex cannot fathom why anyone would want to do this to a banker until he sees the bullet holes in his uncle's car. Although people were telling him he was involved in an accident, he realized that accidents don't involve gun shots. When Alex starts putting things together, officials from the British government reveal to him that that his uncle wasn't a banker at all, but a spy. 

Alex Rider's mission is to investigate Sayles Enterprises., which have recently created a super computer called "Stormbreaker." Now that Ian is dead, Sayles Enterprises is now under investigation for this murder and ties to countries with bad intentnions. Unfortunately, Alex has been chosen to lead these investigation by posing as an honor student who will be accepting the "Stormbreaker" donation, which is being donated to every school in the area. Just like 007, Alex must go behind enemy lines to think out the truth with some really gadgets. Plus, Alex must put his fear and anger aside in order to bring justice to those who are responsible for his uncle's death. Stormbreaker is the first installment of the "Alex Rider" series where 'tweens will enjoy the nonstop action, plot twists, and the suspenseful ending.

Genre:
Tween Adventure

Books Similar to Stormbreaker: 

•  Maximum Ride by James Patterson
  

Reading/Interest Level:
Grades 6 & up

Cover from Amazon.com

Plot Summary:
Life for Soren started out so wonderful. He has parents who loved him and a little owl sister who adored him. All of that changed when he fell out of his nest and was brought to an orphanage called Saint Aggie. Saint Aggie is far from an orphange--in fact, it is a prison where young owlets were snatched from their nests and indoctrinated. The motto at Saint Aggy's is "When Truth is Found, Purpose is Revealed." The only truth that Soren finds is that St. Aggie's, and her leaders, are not at all interested in finding truth. The more Soren fights against the cruel routines of Skench, Spoorn, Jutt, Jat, and Suntie, the more he realizes that he, and the rest of his friends, are in more danger then he could ever imagine.

With his best friend, Gylfie, Soren fights to hold onto his identity and mind by fighting against the system that is plotting a revolution that will change the owl world forever.Is the legend of Ga'Hoole really a legend or will the guardians come to save all owl-kind.

Genre(s):
Tween Adventure

Reading Level/ Reading Interest:
Grades 4 & up

Books similar to The Capture:

•  The Warriors Series by Erin Hunter
• Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer