Squirrel in the House

On a particularly cold, snowy afternoon, Twitch the squirrel decides to take up the next-door dog's invitation to go Inside, where the two wreak havoc before leading the man of the house Outside to rescue a small child. Twitch understands that the world has been designed for squirrels. "Squirrels are everybody's best friend." Cold and curious one winter day, Squirrel heads for the "grand brick entryway...straight down from the roof right into the heart of the house." There, he finds mysterious objects everywhere, as well as many delicious foods to eat. But Twitch is not the only guest; young relatives are also visiting today. When the dog and the youngest visitor chase Twitch, many things get broken. The child is blamed, runs Outside into the cold and snow, falls, and hurts his ankle so he can't get up. As a "polite guest of honor," Twitch knows he has a duty to alert the people to find him, but how? This humorous story is told cheerfully from the squirrel's extremely filtered perspective in present tense, with a surprisingly elevated language. (After all, he is "highly educated.") Readers do not have to have read 8 Class Pets + 1 Squirrel 1 Dog = Chaos (2011) to enjoy this squirrel's-eye view of the world and the slapstick humor. Short chapters illustrated with pen-and-ink line drawings add to the appeal. Delightfully nutty chapter-book fare. (Fiction. 7-10) COPYRIGHT(1) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

August 1, 2016

Gr 2-4-Living next door to each other, Squirrel and Cuddles, a squirrel and a dog, are constantly fighting and causing mischief. One winter's night, Squirrel gets cold and enters Cuddles's family's house. As a result, he and Cuddles leave the holiday decorations in shambles. Cuddles is banished to the basement, and a young human who gets blamed runs away. With a blizzard fast approaching, the young human injures himself, and it's up to Squirrel and Cuddles to save the day. Vande Velde does a great job of realistically bringing to life the personalities of these two squabbling animals. The characters are simple but appealing, and the plot is humorous and engaging. Chapters are short and easily segue into the next. Illustrations are detailed and lovely. VERDICT This is a story young readers will love.-Kira Moody, Whitmore Public Library, Salt Lake City

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