Ferris by Kate DiCamillo

Ferris

(a Heartfelt and Humorous Middle-grade Coming-of-age Novel About Family, Ghosts, and Growing Up - for Kids Ages 8-12 in Grades 3-7)

Kate DiCamillo

Candlewick Press · Print & ebook · April 1, 2025

“DiCamillo’s gift for conveying an entire person and world in a few brushstrokes of storytelling provides depth and quiet magic to this account of an eventful summer. . . .

Buy on Amazon

We earn from qualifying purchases.

Who it’s for
Playful family chaos and a ghostly presence make room for tenderness and quiet magic.
Themes
Family relationships, Ghosts, Growing up
Genres
Ghost Stories, Family Stories, Friendship

Nearest books

Matched by what the books are about, then ordered by what their readers also loved.

  1. The Wrong Way HomeKate O'Shaughnessy62% match
  2. Louder Than HungerJohn Schu59% match
  3. Lost EvangelineKate DiCamillo66% match
  4. The Remarkable Journey of Coyote SunriseDan Gemeinhart61% matchShares Friendship
  5. Orris and Timble: Lost and FoundKate DiCamillo69% matchShares Friendship
  6. Fighting WordsKimberly Brubaker Bradley61% match
  7. The Trouble With HeroesKate Messner59% match

For older readers: Ghost Roast, Fat Chance, Charlie Vega, Friends With Boys

Start with three books, and this one can be the first.

Members get a new edition every morning: a route out from their books to essays, research and talks, with the reason for each.

Start with this book

About this book

“DiCamillo’s gift for conveying an entire person and world in a few brushstrokes of storytelling provides depth and quiet magic to this account of an eventful summer. . . . Tenderly resonant and memorable.” —Kirkus Reviews (starred review) It’s the summer before fifth grade, and for Ferris Wilkey, it is a summer of sheer pandemonium: Her little sister, Pinky, has vowed to become an outlaw.

Continue reading

Uncle Ted has left Aunt Shirley and, to Ferris’s mother’s chagrin, is holed up in the Wilkey basement to paint a history of the world. And Charisse, Ferris’s grandmother, has started seeing a ghost at the threshold of her room, which seems like an alarming omen given that she is also feeling unwell. But the ghost is not there to usher Charisse to the Great Beyond. Rather, she has other plans—wild, impractical, illuminating plans. How can Ferris satisfy a specter with Pinky terrorizing the town, Uncle Ted sending Ferris to spy on her aunt, and her father battling an invasion of raccoons? As Charisse likes to say, “Every good story is a love story,” and Kate DiCamillo has written one for the ages: emotionally resonant and healing, showing the two-time Newbery Medalist at her most playful, universal, and profound.

Tender Mayhem

Playful family chaos and a ghostly presence make room for tenderness and quiet magic.

Come here for

  • Humor alongside family worry and change
  • A ghostly thread with an unexpectedly tender feel

Expect

  • Lively commotion balanced by warmth
  • A story that holds playful and poignant notes together

Where it sits

Ghost Stories66%
Family Stories29%
Friendship28%

Percentages are BookFrontier’s reading of the book.

Publisher categories

  • Multigenerational Families
  • Loss & Grief
  • Ghost Stories
Authors
Kate DiCamillo
Publisher
Candlewick Press
Published
April 1, 2025
Format
Print & ebook
Theme
Family relationships · Ghosts · Growing up
Reading lane
Multigenerational Families