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Reviewed by: Lisa Rice, Middle School Librarian Title: Ferris Author: Kate DiCamillo Publisher: Candlewick Press
Year: 2024 Good for Grades: 3-7 Genre/Type of Book: J fiction, families, ghosts (but not horror), death/dying
Content Warnings, or things that other School Librarians should be aware of: Ghosts/spirits but not in an overly spooky/horror way Recommended for a school library: Yes Reason(s) for choosing the book: I love Kate DiCamillo and looked forward to diving into this book! If you were tasked by the publisher with writing a short quote for the back cover of this book, what would it be: "All of life hinges on knowing the right word to use at the right time." -Aunt Shirley, page 20 |
Review:
Ten-year-old Emma Phineas Wilkey, or Ferris, is going into the fifth grade. She is called Ferris because she was born beneath a Ferris wheel. Ferris has a six-year-old sister named Pinkey and a music-loving best friend, Billy Jackson, who she loves and first held hands with in kindergarten. Charisse is Ferris' grandmother, and Boomer is the family's pet dog. He is part sheepdog, part German Shepard, and part woolly mammoth. A ghost appears on the threshold of 73-year-old Charisse's room, and luckily, Charisse is not afraid of ghosts (only indignities), but the family wonders why the ghost keeps appearing only to Charrise.
Aunt Shirley and Uncle Ted's relationship was my favorite. Aunt Shirley is a cosmetologist and although Uncle Ted has a PhD, he decides he'd rather paint a visual history of the world. Aunt Shirley is not amused that Ted has quit his job and asks Uncle Ted to leave the house (he goes to live in the basement of Ferris' house) while he re-evaluates his priorities. Uncle Ted consistently asks Ferris to go talk to Aunt Shirley and see if she misses him yet. Ferris agrees to be a spy for Uncle Ted. Since Ferris is at the beauty shop spying on Aunt Shirley (who immediately knows why Ferris is there), Aunt Shirley decides to give Ferris a perm, and it is probably just best if Aunt Shirley goes back to cosmetology school! Poor Boomer is not allowed in the beauty shop as, according to Aunt Shirley, letting Boomer in "sends the wrong message, as he is unkempt, in the extreme," (page 19). Poor Boomer.
Pinkey is the trouble-causing younger sister that elementary students would find funny. At one point in the book, six-year-old Pinkey tries to rob the local bank. Pinkey's antics were a bit over the top for an older reader. Including me.
Although there are some funny one-liners that made me laugh, overall, I didn't enjoy this book as much as I thought I would. I think there were too many zany characters, it seemed silly, and I didn't get all the feels like I usually do with a DiCamillo book. That said, I can see this book appealing to kids in the 3-5th grades who may appreciate the over-the-top moments and humor.
As an educator, I liked seeing the positive ways the family worked through the various problems that came up in the book, and I loved the vocabulary! Ferris loves explaining what words mean and there are a lot of good vocabulary words in this book. I think it could be fun to make a word wall with all the new words learned when reading Ferris. There are some great quotes in this book relating to life and love. Music is also important in this book. Billy Jackson spends most afternoons in the steakhouse practicing the piano. He tells Ferris that everything in the world makes music; the whole world is singing all the time.
Readers find out why the ghost is visiting Charisse. It was somewhat touching, but I think I was done with silliness and antics at that point. Maybe if there were just one or two characters that were quirky, instead of most of them. Not that it will stop me from picking up the next DiCamillo, and I would still recommend this book as a library purchase.
Number of party hats:
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