Flora & Ulysses by Kate DiCamillo

Flora & Ulysses by Kate DiCamillo is the delightful winner of the 2014 Newbery Award.  DiCamillo is one of my favorite authors.  She wrote Because of Winn-Dixie, and The Tale of Despereaux, to name two of her most popular novels.  Flora and Ulysses has easily become another one of my personal favorites.  It is a simple story, rich in vocabulary and peopled with funny, quirky characters.  Flora is a young girl whose parents are separated.  She befriends a squirrel, named Ulysses, who had been accidentally vacuumed up by her neighbor, Tootie.   The poor squirrel seems near death, until Flora takes charge of the situation with CPR and mouth to mouth resuscitation.  Yes, mouth to mouth resuscitation - on a squirrel!  The ensuing, rollicking, comical, wondrous adventures of Flora & Ulysses begins.  Pick up a copy as soon as possible and read this one out loud with your classes. They will love it!

Reviewed by Mrs. Castro

Paperboy by Vince Vawter

Paperboy by Vince Vawter is a special story.  It is about a boy who has a speech problem, he stutters.  The story is based in the southern United States during the time when African Americans and whites were segregated.  There are a lot of themes that the author focuses on, from race relations, to bullying, to family relationships.  But in the end, it really is a story about a boy who is struggling to understand the grownup world he is living in.

Although his stuttering is so bad he can't even tell people his name,Vince Vawter does an excellent job of giving a voice to the main character of the story.   I really wanted him to win out over his problems and was routing for him throughout the book.  There are many memorable characters in this story.  I loved the special relationship the main character had with his "Mam", the black woman who takes care of him and his family.  You can tell Mam would do anything for him, and he would do anything for her. Read this Newbery honor book to find out about their lives and the troubles they must face.

Reviewed by Mrs. Castro