"'This here is on the house in honor of all
the words you have given to my son and
his friend Ferris Wilkey.' Because I had
told Pop about how you and me felt about
those Mielk words - that it was terrible to
memorize them, but good to have them,
and how, in the end, we felt grateful to
her. I had told that to Pop."
I do so hope that you are a Kate DiCamillo fan. If you are, you will be happy to have this new book in your hands as quickly as possible. If you are not, this is a perfect way to learn about her incomparable storytelling, and meet just some of her most memorable characters.
Ferris has finished her year in fourth grade, and is spending the summer in the midst of circumstances that prove the beauty to be found in love. It starts with her family and her best friend, Billy Jackson. Her grandmother is happy to repeat the story of Emma Phineas Wilkey's birth, which fully explains why she is called Ferris. Ferris's family consists of her father, mother, little sister Pinky, and her grandmother Charisse. Her Uncle Ted is living with them at the present time after leaving his wife to work on a history of the world in the Wilkey basement.
Billy Jackson is her constant companion and has been since kindergarten. Billy plays the piano incessantly, as he hears the music of the world at all times. Charisse, her beloved grandmother, is teacher and sage. She tells Ferris she sees an unhappy ghost at her bedroom door. Pinky, her little sister, is a cantankerous annoyance whose dream is to be an outlaw; she does her best to become one. Boomer, their dog, is an equally indispensable part of their family.
Ferris and Billy just spent fourth grade with Mrs. Mielk, whose daily vocabulary lessons help Ferris make sense of the noteworthy summer moments. In her matchless way, Kate DiCamillo manages to engage readers with each of these singular characters and the magic that love brings when a person is open to it. It is a gift to all.
Every good story is a love story.
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