Revver the Speedway Squirrel: The Big Race Home

by Sherri Duskey Rinker, Alex Willan

Overview

"I love this little squirrel!" - Katherine Applegate, Newbery Award winning author of THE ONE AND ONLY IVAN on REVVER THE SPEEDWAY SQUIRREL

The author of the bestselling Goodnight, Goodnight Construction Site picture books continues her fun, illustrated middle grade series that's perfect for fans of Beverly Cleary's The Mouse and the Motorcycle.

Revver is a little squirrel with big plans . . . to drive a race car! Now that he has secured his place on the race squad, there are so many new things to see and explore—and so many lessons to learn.

Tire-changer Bill and his team have grown very fond of Revver, despite his accidental troublemaking. But when the team travels to the airport for a faraway race, Revver's intense curiosity gets himself lost in the terminal, and the plane takes off without him! Will Revver find his way back to the team in time? And if he does, will they still accept him, or has he worn out his welcome as the very first speedway squirrel?

Sherri Duskey Rinker offers another hilarious and heartwarming story about this memorable character, perfect for fans of Ralph S. Mouse.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781547603671
Publisher:	Bloomsbury USA
Publication date:	11/23/2021
Series:	Revver the Speedway Squirrel
Pages:	192
Sales rank:	456,236
Product dimensions:	5.79(w) x 8.45(h) x 0.95(d)
Age Range:	8 - 11 Years

About the Author

Sherri Duskey Rinker is the author of #1 New York Times bestsellers Goodnight, Goodnight, Construction Site; Mighty, Mighty Construction Site; Steam Train, Dream Train; and The 12 Sleighs of Christmas. She loves cooking, gardening, and old oil paintings. Revver was inspired by Sherri's husband (who took her to watch sprint car racing on one of their first dates), her brilliant-but-impulsive oldest son, and her kart-racing, speed-obsessed youngest son.
sherriduskeyrinker.com
@sherririnker

Alex Willan the author and illustrator of Unicorns are the Worst and the Jasper & Ollie series. He grew up in Louisville, Kentucky, where he was seldom seen without his sketchbook in hand. His love of drawing led him to earn a BFA in illustration from Savannah College of Art and Design. Alex has exhibited in art galleries and has painted murals, theater sets, and squirmy kids' faces, but his true love has always been children's books. He lives in Chicago with his dog, Harley.
alexwillan.com
@alexwillan

Editorial Reviews

2021-08-18
A race car–loving squirrel learns to temper his impulsive streak.

Following 2020’s Revver the Speedway Squirrel, readers are reunited with Revver, the pit crew squirrel. He loves the action and bustle of the racetrack and all the busyness that surrounds it, but he especially loves his human friends, Bill and Joe. When the race team moves circuits, though, Revver has a tough time exercising patience, causing a few catastrophic crashes and then missing his flight with the team. Separated from his humans, he must rely on the goodness of others to help him find his way back to them. Faced with a perilous journey during which he hikes along a treacherous highway, stows away on a crowded train, and encounters a conniving cat, can Revver reunite with his people before the next big race? Rinker’s tale is filled with abundant squirrel cuteness and a smattering of giggle-inducing poop and puke scenes but falls somewhat flat, mired in its own didacticism with its heavy-handed insistence on patience and kindness. Revver’s observations of the world come across as mundane, favoring telling over showing. The text utilizes a plethora of stylistic conventions—words in all caps, bold emphases, italics, and different fonts—which combined may prove too distracting and might have worked better in a shorter-form chapter book. Human characters are presumed White.

Cuteness can’t prop up this sagging sophomore slump. (Animal adventure. 8-11)

Kirkus Reviews

This warm, funny, and action-packed tale stars Revver, an endearing squirrel with big dreams and an even bigger heart. Perfect for a family or classroom read-aloud, don't miss this sure-fire crowd-pleaser. I love this little squirrel!” —Katherine Applegate, Newbery Award winning author of THE ONE AND ONLY IVAN on REVVER THE SPEEDWAY SQUIRREL

“Expressive illustrations, near disasters, and gags with Revver's brother Farty (also aptly named) sustain the light adventure. . . For budding race-car enthusiasts and readers who've ever felt they learn differently.” —Kirkus Reviews on REVVER THE SPEEDWAY SQUIRREL

“Spry cartoons by Willan. . . comically capture Revver's spunk . . . Sweet.” —Publishers Weekly on REVVER THE SPEEDWAY SQUIRREL

From the Publisher