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Rascal (1963)

by Sterling North

Other authors: See the other authors section.

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5,144422,076 (4.01)56
The author recalls his carefree life in a small midwestern town at the close of World War I, and his adventures with his pet raccoon, Rascal.
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» See also 56 mentions

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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 years later.
  PlumfieldCH | Sep 23, 2023 |
I enjoyed reading this to my son. Sterling writes of a year in his life, after his mother's death, and the lenient household his father allowed: He is handbuilding a canvas & wood canoe in the living room. On a trip to the Brule River region, his father leaves him alone at camp for several days, and apparently frequently Sterling is left to his own devices at home, which he handles responsibly. He finds an isolated baby raccoon and raises it, lavishing it with love. His episode of taking it to show-and-tell at school is very reminiscent of the tale he told in The Wolfling in which the school bully gets nipped after surreptitiously hurting the animal. While the main text concerns the raccoon, he also writes of being cared for by farm relatives during the Influenza Epidemic and a later visit to help them with tobacco stripping. Sterling has to earn his spending money by selling newspapers and trapping muskrats--until his love for Rascal makes him realize he can no longer harm wild creatures. As Rascal matures, his habit of raiding neighboring garden patches makes him persona non grata and Sterling has to take measures to keep him safe from retaliatory shooting.
Excellent role model values shown throughout the book, altho most youth in current times don't experience the same country environment. ( )
  juniperSun | May 22, 2023 |
What a fun little story. I don’t know how I hadn’t encountered this before. It really does seem like a memoir of a better time...I think I would’ve liked to have been around back then. ( )
  MrMet | Apr 28, 2023 |
I enjoyed this. I look forward to hearing what others in my book group think. I was happy about the ending. Sterling North is a good writer. Wonderful story of a boy and his raccoon. ( )
  njcur | Sep 7, 2022 |
Whatever Monroe Junior High School 7th grade teacher made us read this back in 1980-81? Thank you so much. ( )
  ByronDB | May 17, 2022 |
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» Add other authors (7 possible)

Author nameRoleType of authorWork?Status
North, Sterlingprimary authorall editionsconfirmed
Burger, CarlIllustratorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Horppu, LeenaTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Muehlon, IreneÜbersetzersecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Schindler, EdithIllustratorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Schoenherr, JohnIllustratorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
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Epigraph
"A very interesting book could be written about the Raccoon and, with its industrious energy and resourcefulness, it deserves to be elevated to the status of the National Emblem in place of the parasitical, carrion-feeding Bald Eagle." - Ivan T. Sanderson in Living Mammals of the World
Dedication
For Gladys, my constant companion in watching our wilderness world.
First words
It was in May, 1918, that a new friend and companion came into my life: a character, a personality, and a ring-tailed wonder.
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(Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)
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Should not be combined the the simplified Little Rascal.
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The author recalls his carefree life in a small midwestern town at the close of World War I, and his adventures with his pet raccoon, Rascal.

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Book description
Skunks, woodchucks, a crow named Poe, an absentminded father, and an 18-foot, half-finished canoe filling the living room - welcome to the North home! Rascal is only a baby when Sterling brings him home to join the menagerie. But soon the mischievous raccoon is ready to join Sterling in swimming, fishing, and camping excursions. They're partners and best friends for a perfect year of adventure - until the spring day when suddenly everything changes.

Available online at The Internet Archive:
https://archive.org/details/rascal0000...
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