Rascal

by Sterling North

Book Overview

A Newbery Honor Book

Celebrating 50 years of a beloved classic!

Nothing's surprising in the North household, not even Sterling's new pet raccoon. Rascal is only a baby when Sterling brings him home, but soon the two are best friends, doing everything together--until the spring day when everything suddenly changes.

Rascal is a heartwarming boyhood memoir that continues to find its way into the hearts of readers fifty...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0140344454
• ISBN13: 9780140344455
• Release Date: April 1998
• Publisher: Puffin Books
• Length: 189 Pages
• Weight: 0.38 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 5.0" x 7.8"
• Age Range: 8 to 12 years
• Grade Range: Grades 3 to 7

Customer Reviews

Now I Want a Pet Racoon!!

Rascal is a story about a boy (Sterling North) and his pet raccoon Rascal. It’s impossible not to love this sweet inquisitive little animal. As you read about all of Rascal’s discoveries and adventures you feel as if you are really there watching him discover the joys of sweet corn, the exhilaration of riding a bike with his best friend, the taste of fresh crayfish, and the dangers of their snapping pincers. Rascal is definitely the best pet Sterling has ever had though his friendly (and very drooly) Saint Bernard, Wowser, is a close second. Sterling has found just the right companion for fishing, swimming and anything else he and his furry friend can come up with in the woods and creeks of Wisconsin. As Rascal gets older, however, he begins to yearn for freedom and Sterling is torn between wanting to keep him and wanting his raccoon to be happy. I absolutely loved this book, and I am sure that anyone who likes animals, adventure, and humor will too. I definitely recommend it!

Good book!

Read this to my boys and their cousins! They could hardly wait for another day and another chapter! Sweet story and liked by adults and children both!

A wonderful book for all ages

I have read this book many times since I was a small kid. I find that even now, I can pick it up and be transported to the world that Sterling North and Rascal were living in. I never tire of the story line, and love the imagery of the book. I highly recommend it for anybody of any age who is looking for a heartwarming, coming of age book that also connects with the natural world.

Up there with Old Yeller and The Yearling

This is really two great stories. The first is about Rascal, the raccoon who is rescued by Sterling, the young narrator, and who becomes a member of the family. The second story, which is no less entertaining, is about a year in the life of a country boy, circa 1918. The book is organized by chapter, with each chapter usually covering a single month in the life of Sterling. Rascal has earned it's status as a beloved classic, by presenting an unforgettable tale of a boy who falls in love, and then must do the right thing. This is the same formula that makes other books tick, but it's hard to imagine anyone doing a better job than Sterling, who brings us into young Sterling's head so intimately that we share his joy, frustration, and sorrow as he rides an emotional roller coaster powered by Rascal. The intricately drawn black and white illustrations by John Schoenerr are also very good, capturing the classic spirit of the book with ease and style. This story has an amazing hook for young readers. What youngster hasn't dreamed of owning a pet raccoon, or some other exotic pet? Readers will learn important lessons about nature and the human spirit. This is a terrific book, and I highly recommend it.

Rascal book review

Sterling North vividly depicts the adventures, both physically and emotionally, of a boy named Sterling and his pet raccoon. This is a perfectly written book, containing many themes that you can relate to. Read through this book and you will be able to imagine his house perfectly. A menagerie of dogs, crows, skunks, and of course Rascal. The living room with the unfinished canoe and the chicken wired Christmas tree.Having lost his mother at the age of seven, Sterling is a very independent boy who one day finds a baby raccoon, and decides to call him Rascal. As they both grow, their bond becomes strong along with their numerous activities and adventures. No one couldn’t help but laughing when Rascal, who always washes his food before eating, discovers the sugar cubes. He tries to clean them but they just dissolve!In this unforgettable book, Sterling North manages to capture you and take you to a timeless place of life. Rascal is an easy, although deep book, and I strongly recommend it to everyone.

Perhaps the greatest "animal novel" ever written

I read this book many times as a child, and now I am joyfully discovering it all over again through the eyes of my 8-year-old. Parents, don't let your kids miss this book - and don't miss it yourselves, either. This touching autobiographical story of the author's childhood adventures with his pet raccoon, his numerous other pets, his loving, relaxed widower father and a variety of other characters, would be a pleasure to read even if it were more simply written and directed at a younger audience. But this novel also has beautiful, complex language, wonderful imagery and scientific details of the natural setting, making it a great read for teenagers and adults. (In fact, younger readers will probably need a lot of help with the challenging vocabulary.) There are also numerous poignant (but not overbearing) references to the fact that the "outside world" was engaged in World War I at the time - in stark contrast to the quiet unspoiled paradise of the Great Lakes region where the story takes place. You will finish this book feeling as though you had also experienced Sterling North's childhood, and understanding why your parents or grandparents are nostalgic for the "good old days" of America, i.e. the early part of the 20th century. You will also have a new appreciation for the intelligence of raccoons, which are unfortunately much more likely to be regarded as pests than pets these days.

A beautiful adventure

It could have been anyone, the person who found Rascal. But it was our good fortune that it was Sterling North, a writer-to-be who could give us all the wonderful details of Rascal's magnetic personality. The insight into North's childhood was a delight -- his father's instinctive (or was it neglectful?) way of giving the boy responsibilities. The canoe in the living room, kept there unfinished due to the expenses of reining in the pesky little critter. I sensed the coming of a dark ending. But, no, it was simply perfect. I can't imagine a reader not loving this book.

A classic American tale, and a wonderful animal story.

I first read the story of Rascal as a child, and was fascinated with the thought of a raccoon as a pet. The adventures of Sterling and his unusual pet were absolutely captivating, and that is all that I remembered of the book.I recently read this book again to my daughter, piece by piece, at bedtime. The tale of Rascal captured me again, but so much more became evident! As an adult, I am struck by the beauty of the land North describes, and fascinated by the historical and naturalistic detail in his narrative. North's language is natural and readable, though not overly simple. It is as though the reader sits at the foot of a rocking chair as an aged, eminent natural philosopher tells the story of his boyhood. The words flow over and around the reader, and refresh our sense of wonder at the beauty of our natural world.