Book Review: Oh, Rats! by Tor Seidler

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Book received at no charge to facilitate review

Phoenix loves his bushy red tail. It's his favorite part of being a squirrel. As he's admiring in reflection in the water, while trying to impress a girl, he's swooped up by a red-tailed hawk named Walter. Soaring over New Jersey, Phoenix gets an earful from the hawk who won't stop talking. He thinks his luck has turned when Walter loses his grip and drops Phoenix. Fate changes quickly when Phoenix lands on fresh tar on the streets of downtown Manhattan. The tar chars off his glorious fur, leaving him looking like a sewer rat.

Luckily, the brother and sister team of Lucy and Beckett rescue Phoenix and bring him to home, an abandoned pier, where he is nursed back to health amongst the wharf rats. When the rats learn of a plan to demolish the wharf to make room for a new development, they enlist Phoenix with his excellent climbing skills to sabotage the city's electrical grid. Will their plan work? And an even bigger question is the dilemma that Phoenix must face when Walter returns and offers to take him home.

A light-hearted look at the deeper concepts of cooperation, finding yourself, and creating belonging amongst strangers.

Rating ★★★★☆

Publishing Information

Publisher: Atheneum/Caitly Dlouhy Books 

Publication Date: August 27, 2019

ISBN:  9781534426849

Ages: 8-12

**Review books are donated to my local Little Library. No payment received for posts though purchases through affiliate links help support this blog.**

I am So Over Being a Loser by Jim Smith: Book Review

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Book received at no charge to facilitate review.

When Barry's mom wins a supermarket contest and becomes the "Face of Feekos",  his life becomes an even bigger embarrassment. It's not enough that huge posters of his mom eating some digestive thing pop up all over, but those of her wiggling her butt ensures that everyone at school makes fun of him, topping off his humiliation.

In his effort to deal with his mom's new found fame, he winds up getting himself into trouble and misses a long anticipated ski trip. To make matters worse, his best friend, Bunky, ditches him for his nemesis. Thank goodness he has his napkin collection, a new friend named Nancy Verkenwerken, and his Snailypoos. Maybe he can prove his "keelness" once and for all.

The hilarious third book in the I Am Not a Loser series will have the young reader splitting their sides with laughter. Just when you think it can't get funnier, it does. The plethora of noses give the illustrations a comical life of their own. A definite must read for kids who love humor.

  Recommended to Highly Recommended ★★★★✬ (4 1/2)

Publishing Information:

Publisher: Jelly Pie, an imprint of Egmont UK June 2014)
Ages: 7-9
Pages: 240
ISBN-13: 978-1-4052-6033-6

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