“Flora & Ulysses: The Illuminating Adventures” by Kate DiCamillo, Illustrated by K.G. Campbell

Kate DiCamillo does it again with this year's Newbery Award Winner.  “Flora & Ulysses” is delightful, laugh-out-loud funny, smart, snarky and definitely different.  Flora Belle Buckman is a cynic.  She is also a fan of “Illustrated Adventures” (much to her mother's frustration) and one of those “too wise for her very young years” kids who uses over-the-top vocabulary and yet remains somewhat innocent about the world.  Like Shirley Temple's many roles, this little girl is seemingly wiser than many of the adults around her.  Flora is the child of divorce and discovers a very unusual friend in the opening pages of this adventure. With lots of details that enrich the personalities we encounter, the book is mostly prose but includes selected panel art at some of the more heightened moments. The thing about DiCamillo's work is that it has an edge.  Much like Roald Dahl, her writing can be enjoyed by the very young but has a darker tone that older readers will get.  It is this darker tone that can be disturbing but gives a certain weight to the characters, a weight not typical in a seemingly simple kid's book.  DiCamillo also gets snaps for making Flora a fairly complex character.  She's tomboyish in her looks and dress but doesn't fit into any particular box.  With threads of mystery and romance weaving throughout the tale, it should have broad appeal for many readers.  The story is successfully brought to a conclusion but not in a tight little bow.  Think “homemade sweater” to get a feel for how these plotlines come together.  It's an animal book that will please fans of all sorts of critters and it's a superhero book with a unique hero.  Brava, Ms. DiCamillo.