Ferris by Kate DiCamillo
Published by Candlewick Press ISBN: 1536231053
Pages: 226
Genres: Humor, Magical Realism, Realistic Fiction
Format: Chapter Book Fiction
Source: MSL Book Review
Goodreads

The summer before fifth grade, Ferris Phineas Wilkey has a lot on her plate. Her beloved grandmother, Clarisse, is seeing ghosts. Her uncle Ted has moved into the basement to paint the history of the world (he got as far as a single foot). Her father is afraid there are raccoons in the attic, and her six-year-old younger sister gets (sort of) arrested for a brazen bank robbery attempt as part of her plan to get on a Wanted poster. And that’s just the beginning.

Ferris is full of DiCamillo’s trademarks: complex words used in charming ways, repeated phrases contributing to character quirks, big themes (here include death, grief), and a plain old unusual way of looking at the world. The ending is bittersweet; tears may be shed, but overall the reader knows things will be okay for the assortment of characters we have met.

Chapters are short; DiCamillo uses language with brevity and great effectiveness, neither talking down to her audience – in fact, expecting them to really lean in to the world she creates – nor making it inaccessible by not keeping things clear. A straightforward story that also manages to be profound. Readers will enjoy Ferris’ unfortunate hair “incidents” at Aunt Shirley’s hair salon and Pinky’s attempts to emulate Houdini, as well as the more mysterious elements (such as when Charisse interprets the ghost’s long held desire to see the dining room chandelier lit).

Highly recommend. Five stars.

-Jenny Martinez Nocito, Maine State Library, Augusta