Ferris Wilkey lives with her mum, dad and her little sister, Pinky. Her Uncle Ted lives in the basement after having separated from her Aunt Shirley. Her grandmother lives upstairs and feels poorly but has started seeing a ghost recently in her room. Then there is the wonderful loyal dog, Boomer, and Ferris’s friend, Billy.
Ferris, who got her name from being born under a Ferris Wheel, has a lot going on in this busy household. There are many problems that Ferris wants to help solve.
Wild child Pinky has decided she wants to be an outlaw and is constantly devising outrageous ways and means to achieve that goal. Uncle Ted is having somewhat of a crisis being separated from his hairdressing wife, Shirley, and dealing with it by creating a painting of a foot. Her dad is in a tizz over raccoons in the attic. But are they actually racoons? And how will Ferris help her grandmother with the ghost, who she says lived in the house a long time ago. They need a find a way to help the ghost let go. Then there’s Ferris’s teacher, Mrs Mielk, who has lost her husband and is so sad. With her Billy and Boomer in tow Ferris sets out to set the world right.
It’s the love in this family and the fabulous quirky characters who are the basis of Ferris and they come alive under Kate DiCamillo’s skilful hand. Her writing, as always, is so light, yet meaningful. The ending is filmic and heartwarming, reiterating one of the characters who always says, ‘Every story is a love story’.
Reviewed by Jane Stephens
Age Guide 9+
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Kate DiCamillo is one of America’s most beloved storytellers, author of The Tale of Despereaux and Flora and Ulysses, both of which have been awarded the prestigious Newbery Medal; Because of Winn-Dixie, which received a Newbery Honor. The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane won a Boston Globe-Horn Book Award; and the hugely popular trilogy of stories about the Three Rancheros: Raymie Nightingale, Louisiana’s Way Home and Beverly, Right Here.
Born in Philadelphia, she grew up in Florida and now lives in Minneapolis, USA, where she faithfully writes two pages a day, five days a week.
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