About This Book
Reach for this book when your child feels like a cynical observer of the world or is navigating the quiet loneliness that can follow a family transition like divorce. It is a brilliant choice for kids who use sarcasm as a shield but secretly long for magic and connection. The story follows ten year old Flora, a self proclaimed cynic, and a squirrel named Ulysses who gains superhero powers after a vacuum cleaner accident. Together, they navigate eccentric neighbors and complicated parents. While the premise is hilarious and absurdist, the heart of the book explores how to stay open to hope and love when life feels unpredictable. It is perfect for middle grade readers who appreciate quirky humor and deep emotional truths.
What Parents Should Know
Sensitive Topics
CONVERSATION: Be ready to discuss the emotional impact of divorce. Flora's mother is often portrayed as self-absorbed, and she explicitly asks Flora's father to kill the squirrel with a shovel, which may be distressing to sensitive children. There is also a scene involving a cat attack in a kitchen that is chaotic and briefly intense. Parents should be prepared to talk about how characters sometimes say hurtful things when they are unhappy.
Ideal Reader
A 9 or 10 year old who loves graphic novels and dry wit, especially one who feels a bit like an outsider or is struggling to connect with a parent after a divorce.
Parent Prep
Read the chapter where the mother asks the father to kill Ulysses. It is handled with DiCamillo's signature quirkiness, but the underlying rejection is palpable. A child may ask, Why does the mom want to kill the squirrel? or express sadness that the mom seems to love a shepherdess lamp more than her daughter.
Age Experience
Younger readers (8-9) will focus on the slapstick humor of the superhero squirrel. Older readers (11-12) will deeply resonate with Flora's existential questions and her complicated relationship with her mother.
What Makes It Special
Its genre-bending format. The mix of traditional prose and comic book panels makes it uniquely accessible while maintaining high literary quality.
Read plot summary
Flora Belle Buckman is a girl who lives by the dictates of a comic book guide called Terrible Things Can Happen to You! After her neighbor's vacuum cleaner accidentally sucks up a squirrel, Flora rescues him and discovers he has developed super strength, flight, and a penchant for typing poetry. As Flora tries to protect Ulysses from her mother, who views the squirrel as a nuisance, she forms unexpected bonds with her father and a boy named William Spiver.
This overview was generated by AI based on the book's content and reviews, and may not capture every nuance.
Discussion Prompts
1
Flora calls herself a cynic to protect her feelings. Have you ever pretended not to care about something because you were afraid of being disappointed?
2
Ulysses writes poetry about things he sees. If you were a superhero squirrel, what is the first thing you would write a poem about?
3
Flora's mother loves her shepherdess lamp very much. Why do you think Flora feels like she is competing with a lamp for her mother's attention?
4
The book says that a 'capacious heart' is a heart that can hold a lot. Which character do you think has the most capacious heart by the end of the story?
5
How does the comic book format help tell the story differently than just using words?
