Monday, June 09, 2014

Teaser Tuesday 221: Rascal

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

* Grab your current book or recent read.
* Share a few "teaser" sentences from somewhere in the book.
* BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (Make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away. You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
* Share the title and author so that other participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teaser!




This week I am rereading a classic favorite from my childhood, Rascal by Sterling North, the story of a boy and his raccoon. North was a Wisconsin-born author who lived down the road from Madison, in the village of Edgerton.


It was May, 1918, that a new friend and companion came into my life: a character, a personality, and a ring-tailed wonder. He weighed less than one pound when I discovered him, a furry ball of utter dependence and awakening curiosity, unweaned and defenseless. Wowser and I were immediately protective. We would have fought any boy or dog in town who sought to harm him.

(Opening paragraph)




ABOUT THE BOOK:

Skunks, woodchucks, a crow named Poe, an absent-minded father, an eighteen foot, half-finished canoe in the living room—welcome to the North home! Nothing's surprising at the North residence. Not even eleven-year-old Sterling's new pet raccoon. Rascal is only a baby when young Sterling brings him home to join his unusual family. The mischievous raccoon and Sterling are partners and best friends for a perfect year of adventure—swimming, fishing, exploring the countryside together—until the spring day when everything suddenly changes and Sterling realizes he must let Rascal go. This heartwarming and delightful memoir of a boy's friendship with a wild animal, and his growing awareness of the world around him, has become a treasured classic. Rascal has taken his place among literature's most captivating and endearing animals.

Rascal was a Newbery Honor Book.



26 comments:

Laurel-Rain Snow said...

Sounds like a cute story! Thanks for sharing...and here's mine: “DON’T TRY TO FIND ME”


Rebecca said...

I seem to remember a TV show or movie based on Rascal. Starring Billy Mumy. Maybe you can watch it after you finish the book.

Tracy said...

Aww! Puppies! Sounds like such a cute book! Thanks for stopping by Cornerfolds!

Alice Audrey said...

I got hooked with "everything changed."

Heather said...

Laurel-Rain: It is a cute stort--and funny, too. ☺

Heather said...

Rebecca: Yes, there was a 1969 Disney movie, which I have never seen, as well as a 1977 Japanese anime cartoon. PBS also has a great documentary from 2012, Raccoon Nation.

Heather said...

Tracy: Um, no dear, not puppies -- a raccoon. More playful, intelligent, curious and -- IMO -- cuter. ;-)

Heather said...

Alice: Wow, someone read the synopsis. I'm not quite up to the point where everything suddenly changes, but -- for the most part -- I am enjoying the journey. It's been interesting to "explore" our state the way it was a century ago, before it was criss-crossed by miles of paved roads.

Unknown said...

Sounds like a really fun read :)

http://carabosseslibrary.blogspot.com/2014/06/teaser-tuesdays_10.html

Sandra Nachlinger said...

What a delightful book! I'll buy a copy to read to my granddaughter when she gets a little older.
My Teaser is from LEAN ON ME.

Heather said...

Valentina: There are plenty of amusing stories to be found in this book. :D

Heather said...

Sandra: Cool! I hope she likes it as much as I did in grade school. ☺

Kathy Martin said...

Still another book I haven't read. I wonder how I missed it during my childhood of voracious reading. Thanks for sharing!

Cleopatra Loves Books said...

Ah what a lovely sounding book :-) Thank you for visiting my Tuesday Teaser earlier

Unknown said...

I love Rascal! It was one of my favourite books as a kid!

Karen and Gerard said...

Adding this one to my TBR, sounds cute and one I would like!

Yvonne said...

Sounds interesting. I don't think I ever heard of this one before.

Heather said...

Kathy: Wow, how have you missed this one? Considering your occupation, I figured if anyone else had heard of this book it would be you. :)

Heather said...

Cleo: Indeed! I finished it this evening, and while I remembered some events, there were other parts I had completely forgotten. I'm glad i picked it up again! ☺

Heather said...

PD: YAY! It's nice to meet another Rascal fan. ☺

Heather said...

Karen and Gerard: I hope you enjoy the adventure as much as I have. : )

Heather said...

Yvonne: Another who has never heard of it. What are they filling libraries with these days? *G*

Unknown said...

Very interesting. Thanks for sharing, Heather!

Heather said...

Thanks, Andrea!

Alice Audrey said...

I suspect it was a bit like Mongolia.

Heather said...

Uh-huh... Lots of wide open spaces, few cars or paved roads -- even more pristine than it is now.