The One and Only Ivan
Katherine Applegate
Like Ulysses, Ivan the gorilla is an animal artist with a rich inner voice, and his short, funny, moving chapters share Flora's blend of humor and heartache.
12 books to read next
Books Like Flora & Ulysses
If you loved Flora & Ulysses by Kate DiCamillo
Flora & Ulysses pairs a squirrel who gains superpowers and writes poetry with a self-declared cynic who quotes comic books and hides a lonely heart. Readers love its oddball humor, comic-panel illustrations by K. G. Campbell, big vocabulary words tossed around with glee, and a story that is really about families mending and learning to hope. It is short, quirky, warm and quietly profound, ideal for middle-grade readers who like their laughs with a lump in the throat.
Remarkable animal friends
The Wild Robot
Peter Brown
A robot learning to live among animals offers the same gentle wonder and illustrated, bite-sized chapters, with friendship and belonging at its core like Flora and Ulysses.
Charlotte's Web
E. B. White, Kate DiCamillo
The classic tale of a girl, a pig and a wordsmith spider is the ancestor of Ulysses the poet squirrel, mixing farmyard comedy with real tenderness.
More Kate DiCamillo
Because of Winn-Dixie
Kate DiCamillo
A lonely girl and a scruffy dog bring a small town together, showing the same DiCamillo gift for healing families and odd, lovable neighbors found in Flora's world.
Pax
Sara Pennypacker
A boy and his fox are separated and fight to reunite, offering the bond between child and wild creature that makes Flora and Ulysses so affecting.
Quirky heroines with big words
Matilda
Roald Dahl
A bookish girl with unexpected powers and neglectful adults echoes Flora's sharp mind and difficult home life, with plenty of mischief and comic exaggeration.
Ramona the Pest
Beverly Cleary
Ramona's stubborn, funny, wholly honest view of family life will appeal to readers who loved Flora's outspoken voice and her complicated feelings about her parents.
The Mysterious Benedict Society
Trenton Lee Stewart
Clever misfit kids, puzzles and a love of words give fans of Flora's vocabulary and superhero-style adventure a longer, plot-driven caper to sink into.
Comics meet stories
Roller Girl
Victoria Jamieson
This graphic novel about a girl finding herself on the roller derby track suits readers who loved Flora's comic-book panels and her journey through friendship troubles.
Dog Man
Dav Pilkey
A goofy part-dog superhero offers the same silly superpowered-animal fun as Ulysses, told entirely in comics for readers who loved the illustrated action sequences.
Smile
Raina Telgemeier
An honest, funny graphic memoir about growing up that matches Flora's mix of humor and real feelings, in the comic format Flora herself adores.
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