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Summary
Summary
This you should know: Gray squirrels are almost always larger, faster, and more aggressive than reds. They out-eat the reds and out-breed them. Science says the grays will eventually win.
Nutley is a young red squirrel. For most of his life, he's been content to live on local seeds and the cautious wisdom of his parents. But like so many young squirrels before him, he feels the call of the wild (and the hazelnuts) beyond the safety of his family's own tree. Nutley wonders what it would be like to be Dangerous, like the growing band of gray squirrels that roam his neighborhood.
Nature, which is truly red in tooth and claw, forces Nutley to find out if he's cut out for a life of danger. He must flee his familiar tree for the smelly shelter of the local landfill. There, with the help of some unlikely allies, he might just be able to make a stand against the grays.
This you should know: No matter what scientists say is almost always true, the exceptions are almost always the best stories.
Author Notes
Jane Yolen was born February 11, 1939 in New York City. She received a bachelor's degree from Smith College in 1960 and a master's degree in education from the University of Massachusetts in 1976. After college, she became an editor in New York City and wrote during her lunch break. She sold her first children's book, Pirates in Petticoats, at the age of 22. Since then, she has written over 300 books for children, young adults, and adults.
Her other works include the Emperor and the Kite, Owl Moon, How Do Dinosaurs Say Goodnight? and The Devil's Arithmetic. She has won numerous awards including the Kerlan Award, the Regina Medal, the Keene State Children's Literature Award, the Caldecott Medal, two Nebula Awards, two Christopher Medals, the World Fantasy Award, three Mythopoeic Fantasy Awards, the Golden Kite Award, the Jewish Book Award, the World Fantasy Association's Lifetime Achievement Award, and the Association of Jewish Libraries Award.
(Bowker Author Biography)
Reviews (5)
Publisher's Weekly Review
When an inquisitive red squirrel named Nutley summons the nerve to offer the "Paw of Friendship" to a group of nearby gray squirrels, they respond by tossing him off a cliff. Fearing for his life after the Grays subsequently kill his parents, Nutley escapes to a landfill, Trash Mountain, where he settles in among the rats and gulls. "It was said that the very earth of Trash Mountain was sullied and malodorous, which is another way of saying it stank," writes Yolen (Stone Angel) in one of several context-bringing sections titled "This You Should Know," which appear between chapters. A story of identity and survival develops into one of friendship, courage, and teamwork, culminating in a tense showdown between the Grays and the landfill residents. Yolen balances the story's more upsetting moments with humor (a good bit of it is delivered by Larie, a rude but loyal gull Nutley befriends), while Monroe's (Monkey with a Tool Belt) b&w illustrations-a mix of heavily inked scenes and wiry spot art-capture Nutley's affability and determination to survive. Ages 8-15. (Apr.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Horn Book Review
Yolen's contribution to the squirrel-centric novel trend is a welcome addition. Nutley, a young red squirrel, finds himself in conflict with gray squirrels that have invaded his territory. He forms unexpected alliances with rats and seagulls to defeat the interlopers. Readers will painlessly learn a fair amount of squirrel facts as they enjoy this pleasant fantasy, which is accompanied by delicate line drawings. (c) Copyright 2015. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Booklist Review
Prolific children's author Yolen offers a fable about accepting others in spite of their differences and respecting the natural environment. Imaginative and inquisitive Nutley is a tiny red squirrel. In an attempt to become more daring and worldly, he leaves the safety of his family's nest and sets out for Trash Mountain, the local landfill. Smelly, inhospitable, and lawless, the landfill is teeming with rats, gulls, and mean gray squirrels who dislike outsiders. Nutley must make unlikely alliances in order to navigate the dangers of Trash Mountain and overcome his enemies. After each chapter a this you should know summary provides facts about the species mentioned in the book and about the effects of dumping some of the objects found on Trash Mountain. Simple but winsome black-and-white illustrations highlight the action, and appropriately portioned chapters make this book a perfect selection for the reader who is new to novels.--Anderson, Erin Copyright 2015 Booklist
School Library Journal Review
Gr 3-6-Nutley, a young red squirrel, lives with his doting parents on a small English farm. He longs to explore the outside world: ask questions, explore, perhaps even be as Dangerous as the gray squirrels who have overrun the farm and pose a threat to the reds. Their threat is realized when grays attack and kill Nutley's parents. He is forced to seek refuge in the neighboring landfill where Larie, a seagull, and Naw, a rat help Nutley realize he has more courage than he thinks and that kindness and friendship are more important than being Dangerous. Yolen's clear voice is a benevolent presence, strongly felt in "This You Should Know" paragraphs, which open each chapter. They offer scientific facts about red and gray squirrels along with whimsical speculations which encourage readers to look for meaning behind the facts. Middle grade readers will relate to Nutley's chafing against well-intentioned parental restrictions and his eagerness to discover the complexities of the world. The deceptively simple story, enhanced by rich vocabulary and elegant prose, encourages deeper thought: "There is more meaning here if you would have it be so." Larie and Naw are endearing supporting characters and Yolen has fun naming Naw's rat-children, from "Nawshus" to "Nawmal" and "Nawty." Rustic, finely detailed black-and-white illustrations by Monroe reinforce the novel's environmental subplot; endpapers map helps readers visualize Nutley's world. A quiet gem from a master storyteller.-Marybeth Kozikowski, Sachem Public Library, Holbrook, NY (c) Copyright 2015. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
When young Nutley's parents are attacked and killed by the violent members of an invading "inferior race" living nearby, Nutley must leave his babyhood home and learn to make it on his own. Nutley is a red squirrel, while the assailants are gray squirrelsbrutish, feisty and larger than red squirrels. His escape leads him to refuge in the town dump, where he encounters rats and sea gulls and negotiates several brushes with death while hanging on to his innate kindness. Violence and death, and the threat of both, are constants in the form of aggressive gray squirrels, nighttime predators and the swift-moving People Carriers (which roll over and crunch a gray squirrel or two at one point). Nutley longs to be Dangerous, as he characterizes the gray squirrels, yet at nearly every turn, another quality is demanded of himsomething that one of his new friends calls courage. Conversational, nature-oriented sections titled "This you should know" address readers before each chapter. Monroe's black-and-white drawings help to make this small world familiar, while Yolen charmingly creates a believable interior life for Nutley, complete with squirrel appetites and the worries of a youngster just a bit unready for survival. Though there's a suggestion the story is meant as fable, Nutley's adventure stands alone as a satisfying animal fantasy. (Fiction. 8-11) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
