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Summary
Summary
Rory is scared of being away from home for the first time, especially when his sleeping bag is so comfortable . . . but he doesn't want his parents treating him like a baby kit anymore. He'll get to stay up until morning if he sleeps over at his cousins' house. It could even help Rory conquer his biggest fear: starting Remarkable Raccoon Suburban School, which means nights away from his folks. Is Rory ready to show everyone-including his parents-that he's ready to go anywhere?
Author Notes
Jacquelyn Mitchard was born in Chicago, Illinois on December 10, 1957. She studied creative writing at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. In 1976, she became a journalist and eventually achieved the position as lifestyle columnist for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel newspaper. Her weekly column, The Rest of Us: Dispatches from the Mother Ship, appeared in 125 newspapers nationwide until she retired it in 2007.
She is the author of children's, young adult, and adult books. Her first novel, The Deep End of the Ocean, was the first selection for Oprah's Book Club and was named by USA Today as one of the ten most influential books of the past 25 years. It was also adapted into a movie starring Michelle Pfeiffer. Her other adult novels include The Breakdown Lane; Twelve Times Blessed; Christmas, Present; A Theory of Relativity; The Most Wanted; Cage of Stars; and Still Summer. Her children's books include Starring Prima!: The Mouse of the Ballet Jolie; Rosalie, My Rosalie: The Tale of a Duckling; and Ready, Set , School! Her young adult books include Now You See Her; All We Know of Heaven; and The Midnight Twins series.
(Bowker Author Biography)
Reviews (4)
School Library Journal Review
K-Gr 3-Rory, a young raccoon, is nervous about staying overnight with his cousins while his parents attend a gourmet garbage party. Despite his enormous trepidation at trying something new, he has a great time sliding in mud and staying up way past daylight. After this experience, Rory realizes that he is not so anxious about starting Remarkable Raccoon Suburban School, but his parents voice their own anxieties. Rory reminds them of the lesson he learned; most new things are scary until you give them a try. The details of the the creatures' home life, such as Rory's mother reminding him to rinse his apple cores and broken eggs three times, are clever. However, the story is overly long, the plot too loose, and Rory's responses and reactions are, at times, too adult. The full-page and inset illustrations of Rory and family in muted, nighttime colors include some very clever images, such as Rory's parents sharing a toast beside toppled garbage cans. However, the raccoons' eyes are so dark and beady that it can be hard to read the creatures' expressions. Stick with Kevin Henkes's Wemberly Worried (Greenwillow, 2000) or Amy Hest's Off to School, Baby Duck! (Candlewick, 1999) for titles that feature animals who are nervous about starting school.-Rachel G. Payne, Brooklyn Public Library, NY (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
A reticent raccoon named Rory overcomes his separation anxiety in Mitchard's (Now You See Her) somewhat protracted story. Rory is dreading an upcoming sleepover with his aunt and cousins while his parents attend a "gourmet garbage party." He knows it will be good practice for his first night at the Remarkable Raccoon Suburban School, but he remains resistant. Mitchard encapsulates what many new students feel as the first school day approaches: "Rory knew he wasn't a baby kit anymore. He just couldn't admit he didn't want to go! Still, he didn't feel happy when his parents weren't nearby." R tz de Tagyos's (Rooster Can't Cock-A-Doodle-Doo) appealing illustrations depict the accoutrements of a comfortable raccoon existence (Rory sleeps in a trout-shaped sleeping bag and empty tuna cans and apple cores litter his floor), though much of the clever humor might be lost on youngsters unfamiliar with the nocturnal creatures. Comically stout raccoons appear in vignettes and half- and full-page bleeds, carrying on in an anthropomorphic manner-a preview scene of the gourmet garbage party shows several raccoons relishing their nighttime revels, log-rolling a trash can or toasting with wine glasses. Despite a slightly misleading title (well over half the book deals with Rory's coming to terms with his sleepover, while only a couple of spreads focus on his preparations for school), readers won't miss the overall message of confidence gained by trying new things. It's Rory who has to reassure his weepy parents at the end that he's ready for school. Ages 3-6. (July) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Kirkus Review
Oprah Book Club-phenom Mitchard enters the subgenre of "first-day-at-school" books with insouciant charm. Young Rory the raccoon hides from his parents when they want him to have his very first sleepover at his cousins' house, while the adults attend the semi-annual gourmet garbage party. After several surprisingly enjoyable nights with the cousins, Rory knows that time is nigh for attendance at the Remarkable Raccoon Suburban School. By now he feels ready. Until now, any deviation in color of the text is usually a shouted "NO!" from Rory, who is not quite ready to face up to the situation. At the end, his parents' "NO" is rendered in red ink, suddenly unready to send Rory to school. Rory exuberantly shouts out "YES!" Rátz de Tagyos's illustrations add tremendously to the humor--though these are strange-looking raccoons. However, the facial expressions, the warm interior color palette and the vivid deep blue of the evening sky grab the viewer's interest. Numerous examples of visual humor should amuse readers. For its theme, there is nothing unique, but combine the text with the illustrations and there are some very resourceful raccoons on the loose. (Picture book. 3-6) Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
Mitchard folds a child's school fears into a larger story about separation anxiety. Little raccoon Rory is terrified to spend the night at his cousins' home while his parents are at a party. He hides and complains, but after reassurance and coaxing, he enjoys himself. A week later, when school starts, he's ready to spend the day without his parents, and this time, it's Mom and Dad who feel clingy and nervous. The story unrolls at a leisurely pace, and there are heavy messages about finding the courage to try new things. What feels fresh are the whimsical details of the raccoon world the school curriculum (centering around evading garage doors opening gates), the nocturnal schedule that lets raccoon kits play all night all amusingly captured in the colorful, clean-lined artwork. The gentle story, with its final twist about parents' fears, will comfort many nervous new students.--Engberg, Gillian Copyright 2007 Booklist
