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A review by the_fabric_of_words
Squirrel Meets World by Shannon Hale, Dean Hale
5.0
We entered this series on book two and only this past week did I finally read the first book, Squirrel Meets World.
Fourteen-year-old Doreen Green was born with a tail, teeth she has to gnaw on wood to wear down, retractable claws, proportional strength and agility of a squirrel, and an absolutely unstoppable, unflappable spirit. Her parents are hilariously supportive, advising her to keep her tail hidden in her pants because otherwise everyone else would feel sad they don't have one and want one.
But deep down inside, she calls herself "Squirrel Girl," and she imagines herself a hero. Right up there with Capt. America and Iron Man, and, yeah, She-Hulk.
She's a typical teen starting high school, and ends up sitting at lunch with a deaf Hispanic girl, Ana Sofia, who she adopts as her BFFAEAE. Also sitting at the table, but not interacting much other than to mutter to himself, is fellow social outcast, Mike Romanger. (Remember his name. Say it a few times, so when it appears later...wink, wink).
She saves the tree squirrel Tippy-Toe from a metal trap, and the beginnings of her squirrel "posse" are born.
Events start off innocuously enough. Someone's trying to trap the local squirrels. Then, when that's thwarted, someone puts high-frequency emitters in the parks, rousing the local pack of feral dogs to barking and attacking the squirrels in rage. SG notices an insignia on the devices, from the traps to the emitters: MM.
Then when that's thwarted, Ana Sofia runs into the town's group of LARPers (live action role playing gamers), who have a decidedly medieval bent, and is placed in a pillory -- the long wooden bar with cutouts for your neck and wrists. SG sets her free and wins the adoration and fealty of the LARPers.
Then, someone carjacks a baby -- gasp! And the video of SG and her posse of squirrels, saving the baby, taken from all sorts of angles, is all over YouTube. Suddenly, SG is cool and Ana Sofia is asked to induct the popular kids as "Squirrel Scouts."
What in the heck is going on here? Of course it can't last.
SG doesn't know it, but it's her first encounter with her first, well, not yet a super villain, but on his way to being one: the Micro Manager, forgotten progeny of a Hydra experiment gone wrong. And he'll do whatever it takes to catapult SG into the limelight, so she can be recognized as a super hero -- and he can take her down.
I won't spoil how it ends. The texting is hilarious. I absolutely loved how Black Widow and Thor make guest, brief, appearances at the end.
And She-Hulk...of course!
A super fun read with guaranteed giggles for summer!
Visit my blog for more great middle grade book recommendations, free teaching materials and fiction writing tips: http://amb.mystrikingly.com/
Fourteen-year-old Doreen Green was born with a tail, teeth she has to gnaw on wood to wear down, retractable claws, proportional strength and agility of a squirrel, and an absolutely unstoppable, unflappable spirit. Her parents are hilariously supportive, advising her to keep her tail hidden in her pants because otherwise everyone else would feel sad they don't have one and want one.
But deep down inside, she calls herself "Squirrel Girl," and she imagines herself a hero. Right up there with Capt. America and Iron Man, and, yeah, She-Hulk.
She's a typical teen starting high school, and ends up sitting at lunch with a deaf Hispanic girl, Ana Sofia, who she adopts as her BFFAEAE. Also sitting at the table, but not interacting much other than to mutter to himself, is fellow social outcast, Mike Romanger. (Remember his name. Say it a few times, so when it appears later...wink, wink).
She saves the tree squirrel Tippy-Toe from a metal trap, and the beginnings of her squirrel "posse" are born.
Events start off innocuously enough. Someone's trying to trap the local squirrels. Then, when that's thwarted, someone puts high-frequency emitters in the parks, rousing the local pack of feral dogs to barking and attacking the squirrels in rage. SG notices an insignia on the devices, from the traps to the emitters: MM.
Then when that's thwarted, Ana Sofia runs into the town's group of LARPers (live action role playing gamers), who have a decidedly medieval bent, and is placed in a pillory -- the long wooden bar with cutouts for your neck and wrists. SG sets her free and wins the adoration and fealty of the LARPers.
Then, someone carjacks a baby -- gasp! And the video of SG and her posse of squirrels, saving the baby, taken from all sorts of angles, is all over YouTube. Suddenly, SG is cool and Ana Sofia is asked to induct the popular kids as "Squirrel Scouts."
What in the heck is going on here? Of course it can't last.
SG doesn't know it, but it's her first encounter with her first, well, not yet a super villain, but on his way to being one: the Micro Manager, forgotten progeny of a Hydra experiment gone wrong. And he'll do whatever it takes to catapult SG into the limelight, so she can be recognized as a super hero -- and he can take her down.
I won't spoil how it ends. The texting is hilarious. I absolutely loved how Black Widow and Thor make guest, brief, appearances at the end.
And She-Hulk...of course!
A super fun read with guaranteed giggles for summer!
Visit my blog for more great middle grade book recommendations, free teaching materials and fiction writing tips: http://amb.mystrikingly.com/