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.