Flora & Ulysses, written by Kate DiCamillo & illustrated by K.G. Campbell

Who would have thought that a book that begins with something as silly as a squirrel being sucked into a vacuum cleaner would turn out to be so heart warming? DiCamillo makes this magic happen in Flora & Ulysses. Flora, an odd girl, takes fast action to save the squirrel, Ulysses, and the the two quickly bond over a mutual disdain of Flora's self-consumed mother who spends all of her time writing barf-worthy romance novels instead of giving Flora the time of day. By chance, it's found that Ulysses also has a knack for the written word, though poetry rather than prose, and can fly (literally) in times of desperation. Just like the superhero Flora has been looking for!

This duo is definitely better together. New friends are made, parental ties are mended, and old hurts are put to rest. The story is accentuated by Campbell's lively illustrations, both full-page and comic format, and leaves you wanting to find a unlikely superhero of your own.

Judging a Book by its Judgments

I just read The Catcher in the Rye and The Grapes of Wrath back to back. Both are classics, but both left a very different taste in my mouth. The former, left me disgusted. For years, I've heard what a life-changing book The Catcher in the Rye was for so many people. While this bildungsroman certainly tells the story of an adolescent coming of age, it was a tale that I could relate to or sympathize with; and I don't think it's because I'm a girl.

Holden Caufield has been given every luxury and opportunity in the world. He comes from a wealth, has attended all of the best schools (literally, since he has been kicked out of one after another), seemingly adores his family, and has good looks and charm to boot, yet, he can only find negative in the world and people that surround him. In the documentary, Salinger, which inspired me to finally read the book in the first place, one person interviewed points out that "phony" is used over sixty times throughout the book, which says a lot about this characters outlook on the world. Now, while I realize that this young protagonist, who seems to be a dead-ringer or Salinger himself, is disillusioned by the flaunting of wealth and over-abundance of pomp and circumstance that surrounds him in New York, I may have had a bit more understanding if he had actually attempted to make a change, but rather than reaching out to those on the other end of the spectrum in order to counteract this source of discontent, he pokes fun at their clothes, behavior, and tastes. Over the course of a couple of days he blows his money on booze and entertaining girls after being sent home early for the holidays since he's been kicked out of yet another school. In the end, he confesses to his little sister that he is leaving it all behind. Though, he ends up go right back to his warm home and wealthy parents. It's a hard life.

As for The Grapes of Wrath, the Joads have no home to go home to after their farm in Oklahoma is repossessed by the bank and they are forced to make their way to California, along with thousands of others, in an attempt to piece back together a life ravaged by poverty. A theme throughout the book is that of helping out others no matter how little you may have. All are family and those with the least give so much more. Tom is the oldest Joad son and has returned from prison just in time to head West with his family. Truly tragic events saturate the entire book. Grampa Joad dies before the trip even begins and the Granma Joad passes before they have settled. One daughter, Rosasharn, is with child and must endure her husband, Connie, leaving her without explanation. The youngest boy, Winfield, and girl, Ruthie, don't have much opportunity to be children as they go without food and help pick cotton and peaches right along with the adults. Jim Casy, a former preacher, maintains a philosophical outlook on the devastating circumstances and attempts to rally people around him which leads to an early death. Throughout, all of the jobs, campsites, and extreme weather, Ma Jode is the rock that holds the family together by stepping up to make tough decisions to leave some behind, to comfort the sick in body and mind, and to give basic directions when the circumstances are so overwhelming and death is so eminent that others are rendered mute.

Steinbeck tells the story of people who have every reason to give up, to literally lay down and die, but persevere when the waters are rising so fast that there seems to be no hope, while Salinger weaves a tale of a young man who gives up when he has life rafts being thrown in his direction right and left. While I won't judge a book by its cover, I will judge one by its content and The Grapes of Wrath is now at the top of my list while The Catcher in the Rye is at the bottom due to the manner in which the characters judged the world around them.

Fortunately, the Milk, written by Neil Gaiman and illustrated by Skottie Young

Milk is a must when it comes to early morning cereal, making the series of extraordinary events that one Dad goes through to make it to the store and back with milk in hand more than worth it. Shortly after leaving the store, he finds himself scooped up by aliens, who barely have enough time to inform him of their masterful plans before he is swept to another time and place by a time machine. Forget the aliens, being forced to walk the plank is his new concern, but WAIT there's a rope ladder dangling from a hot air balloon to save him from certain death and at the top of the ladder a...monster?! Of course not, it's a stegosaurus. Dr. Steg to you. Floating through sky and time, the unlikely pair encounter Splod, a one-eyed volcano erupting with anger at the loss of his emerald eye. The two avert this catastrophe only to find themselves face-to-face with wumpires, yes with a "w,"and more pesky aliens, globs. 

The illustrations throughout Fortunately, the Milk contribute as much to the intrigue of this fantastical tale as the text as they twist about the page and extends the detail of every description. I can see this being a really fun one to read-aloud and even use as inspiration for kids to write their own loony story explaining why it took them so long to return with the milk. 

The Name of This Book is Secret, by Pseudonymous Bosh

As with many of my favorite books, this story, The Name of This Book is Secret, revolves around a circus. Often, people who were thought to be missing had, in fact, ran away to the circus, but in this case, children performers have been going missing from the circus. Friends, Cass and Max-Ernest, stumble upon this old mystery when they discover her Grandfathers' Symphony of Smells, a vast collection of vials of various smells. This, in turn, leads to the discovery of a VERY SECRET notebook, sought after by two leaders of a VERY SECRET organization, Ms. Mauvais and Dr. L.

These two will stop at nothing to retrieve the notebook. They lure the kids to a "spa," which turns into anything but a relaxing experience. The two race to save Benjamin Blake, the latest gifted child that has been snatched to be used as an elixir of youth. They must decode ancient Egyptian riddles and outwit an entire underground organization, with hundreds of years of experience on their eleven years of life.

You can imagine the suspense. Literally, there are areas in the book where the narrator asks the reader to come up with their own addition to the story. This breaks up the story and makes the reader feel that they are not only along for the ride, but behind the wheel.

This is the first installment of the five book series, so there is plenty of mystery solving to be had after the last page is read, or, should I say written by you, the reader.