Kate DiCamillo.

Kate DiCamillo.

In the promotional materials for Kate DiCamillo's new book, "The Illuminated Adventures of Flora & Ulysses," there is an adorable photograph of DiCamillo hamming it up next to a giant statue of a squirrel. The photo is not just cute, it's apt--the book is about a girl (Flora) who saves a squirrel (Ulysses) from a vacuum cleaner (wielded by a neighbor, Mrs. Tickman, who is vacuuming her yard).

It's a charming, funny story, told in DiCamillo's spare, direct style. ("Not much goes on in the mind of a squirrel," opens Chapter Two.) (Which is called, "The Mind of a Squirrel.")

The book is illustrated by K.G. Campbell, who contributes both traditional drawings and little segments of graphic-novel panels. It pubs in late September.

And, good news for the slightly younger reader--the third Bink & Gollie book, written with Minneapolis writer Alison McGhee, will be out later this month. Like the previous Bink & Gollie books, this contains three short stories and is illustrated by Tony Fucile. "Bink & Gollie: Best Friends Forever," is the title. But we have read the first two books, and we already knew that: best friends, for sure.

Here's our interview with DiCamillo and McGhee from 2010, when the first Bink & Gollie book came out. 

 

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