Flora and Ulysses by Kate DiCamillo Book Review

Flora Ulysses: The Illuminated Adventures would simply be the poignant story of a lonely and cynical 10-year old named Flora if it werent so funny. After all, how sad can it be when one of the main characters is a squirrel who becomes a poet after the life-changing experience of being sucked up by a giant vacuum cleaner and rescued by Flora who names him Ulysses. The more serious story of how Flora learns to cope with her parents divorce and her relationship with her mother, makes a friend, and begins to exchange hope for cynicism is brilliantly woven into the adventures of Flora and Ulysses. Summary of the Story It all starts when the next-door neighbor, Mrs. Twickham, receives a new vacuum cleaner that is so powerful that it sucks up everything in sight, indoors and out, including a squirrel, which is how Flora comes to meet Ulysses.  Getting sucked into a giant vacuum cleaner turns Ulysses into a  superhero with great strength and the ability to learn to type and write poems. As Flora Belle would say, Holy bagumba!  While Flora is thrilled with Ulysses, her mother is not and conflict ensues. As the story unfolds with the illuminated adventures of Flora and Ulysses, the reader learns that Flora is a very cynical child who expects the worst at all times. Now that her parents are divorced and she is living with her mother, Flora misses having her father around all the time. Flora and her father understand one another and share a great love for the comic book series The Illuminated Adventures of the Amazing Incandesto!, which her mother hates. Flora and her mother do not get along well. Floras mother is a romance writer, always busy trying to meet deadlines, writing what Flora calls treacle. Flora is lonely -- she feels abandoned by her mother and unsure of her love. It takes a master storyteller to weave the wacky story of a squirrel with superpowers with a poignant coming-of-age story, but Kate DiCamillo is up to the task. In addition to the imaginative story, the reader benefits from Kate DiCamillos love of words. Children tend to be intrigued by interesting new words and DiCamillo has a lot to share, including: â€Å"hallucination,† â€Å"malfeasance,† â€Å"unanticipated† and â€Å"mundane.† Given the story and the quality of the writing, its not surprising that DiCamillo won her second Newbery Medal for young peoples literature for Flora Ulysses. An Unusual Format While in a lot of ways the format of Flora Ulysses is like many other illustrated middle-grade novels, there are some notable exceptions.  In addition to the black and white one-page illustrations that are interspersed throughout the book, there are brief segments in which the story is told in comic-book format, with panels of sequential art and voice bubbles. For example, the book opens with a four-page comic-book style section, which introduces the vacuum cleaner and its incredible sucking power.  In addition, throughout the 231-page book, with its very short chapters (there are 68), a variety of bold typefaces are used for emphasis. A recurring phrase, in bold caps, is one Flora has adopted from her favorite comic: TERRIBLE THINGS CAN HAPPEN. Awards and Accolades 2014 Newbery MedalParents Choice Awards Gold AwardPublishers Weekly Best Books of 2013 Author Kate DiCamillo Kate DiCamillos has had a successful career since her first two middle-grade novels, Because of Winn-Dixie, a Newbery Honor Book, and The Tiger Rising. DiCamillo has gone on to write more award-winning books, including The Tale of Despereaux, for which she won the 2004 John Newbery Medal. All About Illustrator K.G. Campbell Although he was born in Kenya, K.G. Campbell was raised  in Scotland.  He was also educated there, earning a Master’s degree in Art History from the University of Edinburgh. Campbell now lives in California where he is both an author and an illustrator.  In addition to Flora and Ulysses, his books include Tea Party Rules by Amy Dyckman and Lesters Dreadful Sweaters, which he both wrote and illustrated and for which he received an Ezra Jack Keats New Illustrator Honor and a Golden Kite Award. In reference to illustrating Flora Ulysses, Campbell said, â€Å"This has been an expansive and joyful experience. What wonderfully oddball and charismatic characters people this story. It was a thrilling challenge to bring them to life.† Related Resources and  Recommendation There are additional resources on the Candlewick Press website where you can download the Flora and Ulysses Teacher’s Guide and the Flora and Ulysses Discussion Guide. Flora Ulysses is one of those books that will appeal to 8 to 12-year-olds on multiple levels: as a wacky story filled with eccentric characters, as a coming-of-age story, as an engaging story with an intriguing format, as a story about loss, hope and finding home. As Flora copes with the changes the squirrel brings to her life, she also finds her place in her family, realizes how much her mother loves her, and becomes more hopeful. Her feelings of loss and abandonment are ones many kids will easily identify with and the books outcome will be celebrated.  However, it is the addition of a healthy dose of humor that makes ​Flora and Ulysses a must-read. (Candlewick Press, 2013. ISBN: 9780763660406) Sources Candlewick Press,  Flora and Ulysses press kitKate DiCamillos websiteK.G. Campbell’s website

Analysis Of The Movie 12 Angry Men - 1891 Words

The Decision Analysis Assignment Frank Luu The story of 12 Angry Men begins in a New York City courthouse at the conclusion of a murder trial. The judge order the 12 men of the jury to recess and decide on a guilty or not guilty verdict for a 18 year old boy charged with murdering his father. The judge informs them that a guilty decision by the jury will result in a death sentence for the boy as the judge will not show any leniency. The 12 men are lead to the jury room where they will stay locked up until a decision is made. They quickly go to a vote without much discussion and find out that 11 of the 12 men are ready to pass a guilty verdict but 1 man decides to vote not guilty so that they can at least discuss the case. This quickly draws the ire of the other jurors who have all made up their minds already and just want to leave. This sets the stage for the movie as now they other 11 men try to persuade juror #8 into a guilty vote, or perhaps the other way around. Throughout the process there were several times information was presented and recounted and discussed for further evaluation to prove a point. There were several instances of information being presented for analysis and often times it was used to change a juror’s vote (and sometimes back again). One of the first instances is when Juror #8 brings up the point that one of the witnesses that heard the defendant scream I m going to kill you, could not have heard anything because of a train that was passing by.Show MoreRelatedMovie Analysis : 12 Angry Men1639 Words   |  7 Pageswithin a diverse group.The purpose of this paper is to analyze the importance of cooperative communities while providing different aspects of leadership. Movie Summary The movie 12 Angry Men is a depiction of a jury deliberation in the 1950’s involving the trial of a teenager that is accused of murdering his father. These twelve men were brought together by a random selection process to make a unanimous decision. In the beginning, all jurors believed the boy to be guilty without a doubtRead More12 Angry Men : Movie Analysis : 12 Angry Men1103 Words   |  5 PagesThe 1957 movie version of 12 angry men, brings twelve people together with different personalities and experiences to discuss the fate of a young boy that allegedly killed his father. At the very beginning many agree that the boy is guilty except for one man. Juror #8 votes not guilty and pushes to have the evidence talked through. Slowly after reviewing all the evidence carefully the eleven to one vote switched from eleven thinking guilty to eleven thinking not guilty. Each juror brought differentRead More12 Angry Men Movie Analysis782 Words   |  4 PagesTwelve Angr y Men Analysis BA 321 Reaching a unanimous vote, beyond a reasonable doubt, was a difficult task for the jurors represented in the film, 12 Angry Men. All but one were convinced the boy on trial was guilty of first degree murder based on eye witness testimony and circumstantial evidence. Uncomfortably hot and sweaty, one intent on getting to a ball game, eleven of the twelve jurors had no intention to stop and think about the life contingent on their verdict. The entireRead MoreAnalysis Of The Movie 12 Angry Men 933 Words   |  4 Pages12 Angry Men Overview In the movie of 12 Angry Men, a group of jurors must decide the fate of an inner-city boy, who is charged with killing his father. The case should have been a slam dunk, yet one man (Juror No. 8) in the initial vote cast reasonable doubt over the evidence of the trial. While deliberating their verdict, the details are revealed. Subsequently, the jurors slowly changed their vote to innocent on the basis of doubt. Despite their duty to separate personal matters from the factsRead MoreAnalysis Of The Movie 12 Angry Men 946 Words   |  4 Pages12 Angry Men For the purpose of this paper I will be using a movie based on a teen male who is on trial for the murder of his father in 1957. There are twelve men on the jury who are from all different areas of society. They have one goal, to decide based on testimony and evidence on whether the accused is guilty or not. The following information is one person’s observation of the movie â€Å"12 Angry Men† using the 5 Stages of Group Development. Keywords: Forming, Storming, Norming, Performing, AdjourningRead MoreMovie Analysis : 12 Angry Men1404 Words   |  6 PagesThe group type presented in the film 12 Angry men appears to be a task group. Task groups typically come together to accomplish a specific charge. In this case, their task was to decide a verdict of guilty or not guilty for the boy on trial. According to our text, some feature of this task group would include those listed under the â€Å"teams† category such as appointed leadership and focus on a specific task or charge. The members’ bond is simply there interest in the task, as they have no previousRead MoreAnalysis Of The Movie 12 Angry Men 1929 Words   |  8 Pages12 Angry Men is a 1957 American courtroom drama film adapted from a teleplay of the same name by Reginald Rose. Written and co-produced by Rose himself and directed by Sidney Lumet, this trial film tells the story of a jury made up of 12 men as they deliberate the guilt or acquitta l of a defendant on the basis of reasonable doubt, forcing the jurors to question their morals and values. In the United States, a verdict in most criminal trials by jury must be unanimous. The film is notable for its almostRead MoreMovie Analysis : 12 Angry Men1769 Words   |  8 Pages1. Is this jury a group or team? Does the jury have entitativity? Why or why not? (define and give 2 examples from the movie) (10 points) It can be debated whether the jurors who made up the jury in the film 12 Angry Men comprised of a group or a team. Teams and groups are often terms that are used interchangeable to describe a multitude of gathered individuals. Teams are often thought of as a specific type of group, and essentially they are classified as hypergroups (Forsyth). As discussed inRead MoreAnalysis Of The Movie 12 Angry Men 2223 Words   |  9 Pages12 Angry Men is a movie centered around a murder case and the 12 men that are in charge of providing a verdict for a kid charged of first degree murder of his own father. In this movie, the characters have to face a long and grueling procedure of figuring out how to charge the kid after a six day long trial and hours long deliberation between the jurors. The film of 12 Angry Men has several key psychological aspects to it that can be accurately and summarily described. In the movie, the jury hasRead MoreAnalysis Of The Movie 12 Angry Men 1239 Words   |  5 Pageshands, such as a juror, you hope for the best, but that is not always enough. Sometimes there are certain variables, which can impact decisions and alter a person’s life forever. The movie â€Å"12 Angry Men† is a great example of how these variables play a role in determining a person’s innocence. Throughout this movie there were numerous examples of psychological science. The four domains I will focus on are stereotyping, eyewitness testimony, attribution process and problem solving. In the beginning

Disturbed-Idestructible Tour free essay sample

Disturbed is a hardcore metal band from Chicago. They have plenty of singles, such as â€Å"Inside the Fire,† â€Å"Down with the Sickness,† â€Å"The Game,† â€Å"Land of Confusion,† â€Å"Indestructible,† â€Å"Stupify,† â€Å"Voices,† â€Å"Prayer,† â€Å"Just Stop,† â€Å"Stricken† and others. The lineup includes front man Dave Draiman, guitarist Dan Donegan, bassist John Moyer and drummer, Mike Wengren. Disturbed-Indestructible tour is a show that anyone with at least half a brain would have to go see. When I saw them live, they blew my mind away. Dave Draiman does an awesome job on the vocals and the instrumentals were perfect (not even counting the solo that one of them does). The lighting was as cool as the other side of the pillow and as sweet as maple sugar. The singer has the coolest coming-on-stage entrance that I have ever seen. Since I don’t want to ruin the surprise I won’t say how the y come out. We will write a custom essay sample on Disturbed-Idestructible Tour or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page They did most of their best songs but the songs I would’ve liked them to play are â€Å"Meaning of Life,† â€Å"he Night,† â€Å"10,000 Fists† and â€Å"Shout 2000† but I’m sure that they have their reasons. The opening bands: â€Å"Art of Dying† and â€Å"Egypt Central† were cool bands but they weren’t quite up to the Disturbed level but they weren’t the ones I wanted to see. Probably the highlight of the opening bands was Art of Dying playing an Alice in Chains cover song. They did that really well. The overall theme in their music is about living in today’s world and all the problems that we have to face every day. They have tremendous pride in our country and got us all chanting USA, USA, USA and talked about the troops overseas. Overall I give their concert a B. I wish that they would’ve been with another band as big as them and not like they did with a couple little known bands. For what the f irst two bands couldn’t do, Disturbed more than made up for it. It was a concert I really enjoyed and if I were someone that hasn’t seen them, I wouldn’t hesitate to get tickets if they come somewhere close.

How is humour created in Roger McGoughs Essay Example For Students

How is humour created in Roger McGoughs Essay The intended audience of this poem is teachers in general, as this is the audience it would be most humorous to. The effect on the audience is rather strong, as they understand the situation and instead of sympathising with the students, laugh along with the teacher who is punishing them. It tells them that teachers can only take over control if violence is used as a punishment. The poem Schoolroom on a Wet Afternoon is all about the attitudes of children and how violence, guns and blades in society today will take over their innocence. This is represented through the rain, the Wet Afternoon as the rain isnt just rain, it suggests that the sky is crying because it is known that they will become vicious and violent. The tone of this poem is extremely dull and boring. It uses long, descriptive, analytical sentences, within three rather large stanzas and has no real pattern in its structure. It contains no rhyming pattern, and uses much taboo language, which is language that isnt spoken today, words that are politically incorrect, such as Negroes. However, this boring and dull tone reflects the mood that is present in that particular schoolroom on a Wet Afternoon. Whereas the Lesson, has a rhyming scheme, ABCB and uses stanzas that only consist of four lines each, which creates a regular tone. The tone is quite uplifting and jolly in this poem from the teachers point of view. This is not present in The Schoolroom on a Wet Afternoon, there is no sign of a jolly or happy tone. Also, in The Lesson, it uses a sarcastic tone, which again the other poem doesnt have. Overall, the tones of these poems are generally different, however still holds a serious issue between the attitudes of students, teachers and the link within society today. For example in The Schoolroom on a Wet Afternoon talks about how society can change innocent children into violent people. BY JASPREET MANN JASPREET MANN Show preview only The above preview is unformatted text This student written piece of work is one of many that can be found in our University Degree Teaching section.