Nurk: The Strange, Surprising Adventures of a (Somewhat) Brave Shrew

I only just discovered Ursula Vernon's first novel for children, and it has the same delightfully off-kilter sensibility as her later writing. In this case, it's a shrew, Nurk, who sets out in search of adventure, inspired by his legendary Grandma Surka's old diary. Nurk receives a letter for Surka by mistake, and he goes downstream to return it to her; when he hits a snag, he is rescued by the letter's sender, who needs Surka's - or his - help: a dragonfly prince has been captured by a giant, blind mole, and his being held prisoner. Nurk somewhat reluctantly agrees to try to save the prince, confronting enormous munching caterpillars and spore-carrying mushrooms along the way.

The story is told in close third person, but an adult show more authorial voice lurks beneath, warning of the consequences of mail fraud. Highly enjoyable for readers young and old.

"Nurk practically skipped to the cage to unlock the prince but restrained himself. There was no need to get weird." show less

I bought this for the library last fall, based on somewhat conflicting reviews. It checked out a few times, nothing phenomenal, and I stuck it on the shelf and forgot about it. But then I read Dragonbreath. I was hooked on Vernon's slightly wacky humor and fresh style and knew I had to read Nurk. So I read it. I loved it!

Nurk has always dreamed of adventure, but he doesn't think he's really brave. Besides, adventure might involve cold, wet feet, and other perils. So he dreams of being as brave and daring as his grandmother, Surka the warrior shrew, and meanwhile he stays at home in his willow tree. Until one day, a letter arrives, begging for help. Does Nurk rush off to the rescue? No. He finds a boat, cleans it out, makes sure it's show more waterproof, packs all essential items, including plenty of clean socks, and sets off downstream, arguing with himself all the while. And thus begins a strange, wonderful, sometimes completely insane, and always completely hilarious adventure. I leave you with a quotation from Surka's journal:

"Most adventures begin at home. You don't really want them to, but they do anyway."

ISBN: 978-0152063757; Published June 2008 by Harcourt; Borrowed from the library; Purchased for the library; Added to my personal wishlist show less

Cute! This one works for me as Dragonbreath doesn't. I like Nurk, and his insecurities and determination are excellent. Ridiculous amounts of luck, of course - from the Snailboat to running into the dragonfly princess, and just happening to have exactly what he needed with him. But it's fairy tale luck, with better characterization than fairy tales usually have. This looks like the first of a series, and I'm delighted - looking forward to reading more.

"Travel broadens the mind."

Nurk is unlike Vernon's other works besides perhaps Digger. It's more aimed at teenagers or adults as far as I could grasp.

It's a rather slow read taking in Nurk as a character. He's not terribly interesting of a character. The illustrations are few and far between for a book under two-hundred pages. Everything about Nurk as a character is a drag, his development is more a literal guilt trip. He's guilted into taking a trip over possible mail fraud in a world where you can gut and murder monsters and so much more without anyone stopping you. Feels odd.

The action doesn't exist, and it's not a bad thing, if you're not here for action. There are some noteworthy lines, zingers, and other things, as is normal in show more a book by Vernon. But nothing really stood out besides a few cracks on a shade of purple nail polish.

There is one really good creepy line in it, something that stood out.

"I don't . . . have . . . to . . . seeee you . . .," breathed the mole. "I can . . . feel . . . your thoughts."

This book ended up feeling like it was a series of small stories or part of a larger series. But there is no book two, no continuation. After building up for a continuation, it simply doesn't.

I'm not sure this book really fits in with anything else Vernon has written, and that makes it a black sheep for me. It's not awful, it has a ton of potential, but it doesn't really build up and go the full length with all that it offers. show less

Nurk, by Ursula Vernon, is very loosely linked to her much larger work, Digger. If you have read that work recently enough, you might remember the character Surka, who is both a shrew, and a troll.

Nurk is the grandchild of Surka, and is living the quiet life and dreaming of going adventuring like his grandmother. When a water spattered letter arrives, enough of the addressees name is obscured that Nurk feels comfortable in opening it, assuming that it is for him. When he works out that a) it isn't, and b) it is a plea for help, he is greatly terrified - both of the consequences of opening someone else's mail, and that there is an adventure that needs having, and there is no-one to have it. Nurk chooses to go to find the sender of the show more letter, with the intention of apologising, returning the letter, and then sneaking off home.

As with many things in life, the links between plan and what happens are tenuous. Nurk does find the sender of the letter, and does make it home, it is just the details in the middle that vary from his plan.

Unlike Digger, this is an almost entirely text work. It presents as a children's book - and I think it does a very good job of presenting scary situations in ways that don't cover up the danger, but also don't over-emphasise them.

(afterthought - I really liked the theme of the young male trying to live up to the reputation of his grandmother. Strong, wonderful, (absent,) grandmothers don't show up enough in fiction) show less

Nurk the shrew receives a letter intended for his grandmother, whose whereabouts are unknown. Nurk has never left home before but, packing clean socks and his grandmother’s diary (for advice), he sets out to return the letter to sender.

Short and illustrated. Cute without being twee.

His grandmother had, been all accounts, been a top-notch warrior, but this skill apparently didn’t translate into penmanship. The direction of the letters S and R appeared to have been determined by flipping a coin. She capitalised things at random and had a pirate’s distrust of punctuation.
There was a definite take-no-prisoners attitude to her spelling, though. Surka spelled words as if they had personally offended her.

A good, solid children's fantasy story with periodic brilliant moments. Vernon's imagination is truly inspired, bringing us a tree of unripe salmon and the often-abstruse scribblings of Nurk's warrior/fighter/dishwasher/pirate queen grandmother, as well as more predictable figures like the flighty adolescent dragonfly princess. Nurk himself is terribly endearing. This book should have wide appeal.