After her father
leaves her mother for a dental hygienist, Raymie hatches a plan to get him back
by winning the Little Miss Central Florida Tire competition. To pull this off however, she needs to learn how to
twirl a baton. And so she finds herself
in Ida Nee’s class. She never manages to learn much about baton twirling,
but she does befriend two other girls, Louisiana and Beverley. The "Three Rancheros" (as they call themselves) set out to do
good deeds and end up rescuing library books and abandoned dogs along the way.
This period piece, set in the mid-70s, is the usual mix of
DiCamillo’s folksy absurdity and dry humor, making the book a brisk and
enjoyable read. It will remind readers
of her (much better) debut Because of Winn Dixie for the humor and the memorable characters. And while this is not her best book, it is hard not to like her gentle storytelling. For drama, there are some dicey moments with animals in
peril, but everything ends up well in the end.
And a short wrap up with her father at the end avoids sentimentality
while providing satisfaction.
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