FERRIS

FERRIS by Kate DiCamillo

Ferris by Kate DiCamillo takes a different approach than her usual books. It starts with a family. A family that is not perfect, but they love each other tremendously.

Ferris, whose real name is Emma Phineas Wilkey, was born under a Ferris wheel at the local fairgrounds. Experiences that surround her are typically unforgettable and that includes the summer before fifth grade. It was that summer that Uncle Ted and Aunt Shirley split over the fact that he wanted to paint a history of the world and moved into their basement. It was that summer that Grandma Charisse started seeing a ghost that needed help, and Ferris didn't think she was making it up. It was that summer Ferris's little sister (think of a Ramona Quimby type character but to the next level) decided she wanted to be an outlaw, so she attempted to hold up a bank. It was also that summer that Ferris discovered that she could trick bees and raccoons. But I think (so this is me speaking) what Ferris discovered most of all through her summer, is that she could choose to do things that brought people together.

There are some very moving parts in Ferris's story, and there are some down right laugh out loud funny parts. And you may have a comment or two on some parenting.

HEADS UP- There are two things to talk about here. One is the ghost. It is not a scary ghost. SPOILER ALERT The ghost is the wife of a man that died in war. Before he left, he ordered his wife a chandelier from Paris. She never lit the candles on it when he didn't come home. She regrets it now and wants to see it lit, so he can find his way home.

Second is that on two occasions in the story, Ferris is around animals and pretends she isn't there so maybe they won't see her. This gives her an out of body experience where she can see down on her family. The book doesn't tell how she's able to do this. There is no magical element to it. It is a little hard to understand why DiCamillo put it in. It does give Ferris the ability to view her family in their entirety, and it saves her sister's life.