Flora and Ulysses

Flora and Ulysses is a great book by Kate DiCamillo. It is the latest Newbery Medal winner (for 2014) and is truly amazing book. It is a mix of comic and a Novel, as there are plenty of illustrations.This book is about a ten year old girl Flora, a ‘natural born cynic’ and a squirrel named Ulysses.Flora loves reading comics, specially comics about this super hero called ‘Incandestol’. Her mother does not approve of comics. She is divorced and a writer by profession. She writes romance novels. Flora hates romance!

One day, while Flora is reading her comic, she looks out her window and sees her neighbor vacuuming the yard. Her neighbor vacuums up a squirrel while vacuuming the yard. The vacuum cleaner is a strangely powerful machine and goes out of control. Flora rushes to the rescue. When the squirrel is revived, it lifts up the vacuum cleaner with one paw over its head so Flora and her neighbor think it is a super hero. That was how it all started, really.

The squirrel is then named Ulysses, after the vacuum cleaner that almost consumed him. Overnight, Ulysses types some words on Flora’s mum’s typewriter and Flora is shocked. Then, her neighbor, Tootie’s great-nephew, William Spiver suddenly turns up and is staying with their neighbor, Tootie for the summer.

Flora (and I) think he is quite annoying. Flora’s mum hates Ulysses. Tootie takes him for a while to her house. Flora goes with her. There Ulysses types a poem! Tootie then raises a point- what kind of super hero types? Flora’s dad shows up at that point.

Flora goes back to her house with Ulysses. There, she overhears her mum telling her dad to kill Ulysses. Her dad refuses. Flora and her dad then go (with Ulysses) to the ‘Giant Do-Nut’. There something wonderful, astonishing and  … unfortunate happens (read the book if you wish to know).

That unfortunate thing, then leads them to someone called Dr. Meescham’s house. They have a conversation and then Flora returns home.

Her mum suddenly starts to act strange and accepts Ulysses in the house. It is not long before she kidnaps him. Will he escape? Will Flora be able to find him?

Read the book if you wish to know!

It is a wonderful, funny, hopeful, difficult and a bit strange book all at once. There are many illustrations in this book and they are very helpful in picturing the book in your mind.

You will love the book!

Sarah, Plain and Tall

Sarah, Plain and Tall is a wonderful book. I love it.  It’s  a Newbery award winner book by Patricia MacLachlan.

As a new mother for Anna and Caleb arrives by train, rides a wagon to come and wears a yellow bonnet, a wonderful story is unraveled. Anna and Caleb have lost their mother and Papa has sent an advertisement in the newspaper asking for a wife. Sarah (the new wife) arrives, and everyone is nervous. They wonder if she will stay. If she does, Papa and Sarah will marry in summer, next month. I really hope she stays. I am curious and nervous just like the characters in this truly wonderful book. Also, what amuses me the most is how the two children are always thinking about Sarah and wondering if she will stay. They always try to be at their best behavior to impress her!

What I liked most in this book is not the plot or characters, but the way the rural life in the past is described. Very detailed descriptions and very wonderful. It is as if a movie is forming in your head. You can picture everything so wonderfully.  The plot is good, but not the best thing about the book. The best thing is its simplicity in the story.

They live on a farm. They have two dogs, two horses, a few sheep, and few cows on the farm. Moreover Sarah comes with her pet cat. She also gets three chicks for eating but keeps them as pets. There are few interesting incidents involving these animals.  

   

Sarah really and badly misses the sea, where she came from, so there is not much chance she will stay. Worse, their house is small and a storm suddenly comes. Sarah says there are storms by the sea, too, so there is no problem. Anna, Caleb and Papa are not so sure. Sarah wants to learn to ride a horse wagon by herself, so Papa teaches her. Sarah is a fast learner and Anna and Caleb are worried. Will she ride to town, take a train ticket and go away? Does she not like them? I was nervous too.

Finally, one day, Sarah wants to go to town by herself in the horse wagon. Everyone waits and waits. Will Sarah come back? Will she go away? Read the book if you want to find out!

      

The Vain Horse

Long long ago, when the animals could talk, there was a young horse named Stalin and an old horse named Duggy. While they were grazing, Stalin teased Duggy about his old age and challenged him for the race. The day of race was decided. The news spread all around. The old horse was training very hard for the race, every day. But the young horse was not training. He was very vain and kept showing off, "Look at me", he said to the fishes in the pond."I will win the race"."Okay", the fishes answered. He kept showing off. He walked to the only tree in the meadow, all the birds were there. "Look at me", he said. "I am going to win the race". "Okay", the birds answered. He kept showing off.He went to all the other animals who were standing nervously on the middle of the meadow. "Look at me", he said "I am going to win the race"."Okay", the animals answered.

He kept showing off. He was going to the pond for seeing his own reflection in the clear water. He was so proud of himself and loved to admire his own young body. While he was trotting toward the pond in style to impress the other animals, he tripped on a small rock and fell. He hurt his knee and could not do the race.

He tripped because he was not paying attention to where he was going. He was too busy in showing off.

"I will not be vain anymore, I am sorry", he said to the old horse Duggy. Now, the young horse Stalin learned his lesson and was not vain anymore. 

Son

I love Son by Lois Lowry. Son is the last book by Lois Lowry in the series which started with The Giver. The unique setting is same as in The Giver. I will only describe a bit of the ‘community’. There is a normal place. The people in the ‘community’ think of. This place is called ‘Elsewhere’. People in the community think ‘Elsewhere’ is a strange place. Actually their ‘community’ is really strange, but you will have no difficulty understanding it if you've read The Giver. I have also written a review about The Giver on this blog. You can check it out if you want.

Anyways, the community is the one without feelings. Oh yes, they do know anger, hate, like and all, but the feelings aren’t really so deep and they barely feel them. Also, there are no colors, same as The Giver. I really think one should read The Giver first, because it will be easier to realize the settings and all.

Clarie is the main character in SON. Clarie is ‘assigned’ a job of ‘birthmother’. After the first birth she gave, she and the workers who take the ‘newchild’ out of her tummy, realize she cannot do birth anymore and that she should (must) be assigned a different job. Her product, number 36 was taken to the nurturing center. Clarie is sent to work at the Hatchery and she goes to visit number 36 almost every day.

One day Jonas runs away to Elsewhere and takes 36 with him. I felt really sorry for Clarie that her baby was stolen.

Then Clarie accidentally boards a ship there and is shipped off to Elsewhere. She is determined to find her son. I admire her determination and courage, in spite of all odds. After a while, there is a storm and she is flung overboard. The ship is wrecked. She is kind of rescued and brought to an old woman named Alys’s cottage. She spends one year there, without knowledge of her past. Her memory is damaged by the sea and I wanted to tell her all about her past. I felt sorry for her. Clarie is now called ‘Water Clarie’. After one year, her memories come back in for the while she watches the birth of her friend’s sister.

Now she is again determined to climb out the cliff which surrounds the village on one side. Einar, a young man who had climbed out before, helped her train for the treacherous climb. Five years, and she was ready. Six years, she spent in the village. Everyone is sad to hear that she is going. She starts in the middle of the night.

Clarie reaches the top and the ‘Trademaster’ comes up. Read the book if you want to know more about this. Trademaster makes a trade with Clarie that he will take her to her son in return of her youth. I was really puzzled. Why would he want her youth? What did he even mean?

She turns old, finds her son and he, when she is dying, finds out about his mum. Her son, Gabe, finally found her! I felt sad, but also happy at the same time. Gabe goes out to find Trademaster to defeat him and get her youth back.

Will he be able to defeat the Trademaster? Read the book if you are curious!

I love Lois Lowry’s style of writing. The setting is so innovative. I love the way she unravels the plot and setting. It is kind of mysterious and full of suspense.