Raymie Nightingale (Thing 1)

We read Raymie Nightingale by Kate DiCamillo. It's a middle-grade novel about three girls who become friends over a summer of baton twirling lessons. The protagonist, Raymie, wants to win the Little Miss Central Florida Tire contest in the hopes of getting her picture in the paper so her dad will see her and come home. However, her new friend, Louisiana, also wants to compete so she can use the prize money to buy her cat back from the Very Friendly Animal Center. And her other friend, Beverly, wants to sabotage the whole thing.

I always like Kate DiCamillo's books, and this one wasn't an exception. This plot was by far the simplest of any of her stories I've read, but I didn't mind it too much. I like character-driven stories. It wasn't boring at all, it was just a sleepy kind of feel, like a lazy summer read, which I found enjoyable. Beverly's character made me laugh and Louisiana was delightfully quirky. My favorite parts were toward the end when they set out to complete a mission as "the Three Rancheros." The only character I didn't really connect with was Raymie. The other two girls had very distinct personalities, but I felt like Raymie was distant the whole time, which isn't really what you want with a protagonist.

I give this book

I'd recommend it to anyone looking for a quick and simple story. It was really sweet and fun to read.

Raymie Nightingale (Thing 2)

We read Raymie Nightingale by Kate DiCamillo. It's about three girls who in the beginning seem like enemies but are somehow friends? I didn't really get it. Two of the girls want to win a Little Miss Central Florida Tire competition. One of the girls wants to sabotage it for no apparent reason. The three girls go on wonderful adventures like reading to old people, trying to find dead cats, and much, much, more! This book had no plot whatsoever.


 I would give this book

I would have given this book one star, but it had good characters, so, why not!