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The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl (Novels) #1
Squirrel Meets World
WHO RUNS THE WORLD? SQUIRRELS!
Fourteen-year-old Doreen Green moved from sunny California to the suburbs of New Jersey. She must start at a new school, make new friends, and continue to hide her tail. Yep, Doreen has the powers of . . . a squirrel!
After failing at several attempts to find her new BFF, Doreen feels lonely and trapped, liked a caged animal. Then one day Doreen uses her extraordinary powers to stop a group of troublemakers from causing mischief in the neighborhood, and her whole life changes. Everyone at school is talking about it! Doreen contemplates becoming a full-fledged Super Hero. And thus, Squirrel Girl is born!
She saves cats from trees, keeps the sidewalks clean, and dissuades vandalism. All is well until a real-life Super Villain steps out of the shadows and declares Squirrel Girl his archenemy. Can Doreen balance being a teenager and a Super Hero? Or will she go . . . NUTS?
Fourteen-year-old Doreen Green moved from sunny California to the suburbs of New Jersey. She must start at a new school, make new friends, and continue to hide her tail. Yep, Doreen has the powers of . . . a squirrel!
After failing at several attempts to find her new BFF, Doreen feels lonely and trapped, liked a caged animal. Then one day Doreen uses her extraordinary powers to stop a group of troublemakers from causing mischief in the neighborhood, and her whole life changes. Everyone at school is talking about it! Doreen contemplates becoming a full-fledged Super Hero. And thus, Squirrel Girl is born!
She saves cats from trees, keeps the sidewalks clean, and dissuades vandalism. All is well until a real-life Super Villain steps out of the shadows and declares Squirrel Girl his archenemy. Can Doreen balance being a teenager and a Super Hero? Or will she go . . . NUTS?
324 pages, Hardcover
First published February 7, 2017
369 people are currently reading
3543 people want to read
About the author
Shannon Hale
144 books14.1k followersShannon Hale is the New York Times best-selling author of six young adult novels: the Newbery Honor book Princess Academy, multiple award winner Book of a Thousand Days, and the highly acclaimed Books of Bayern series. She has written three books for adults, including the upcoming Midnight in Austenland (Jan. 2012), companion book to Austenland. She co-wrote the hit graphic novel Rapunzel's Revenge and its sequel Calamity Jack with husband Dean Hale. They live near Salt Lake City, Utah with their four small children, and their pet, a small, plastic pig.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 927 reviews
March 29, 2017
This was a super fun prequel to the existing Squirrel Girl comics. I love that it had a deaf character (who was totally awesome btw) because you don't see that often in books. Overall, it was silly and outrageous but that is Squirrel Girl in a nutshell (bad pun I know).
February 7, 2017
I love Squirrel Girl. She is, without a doubt, one of my all-time favourite characters for a number of different reasons. What are those reasons? LET ME TELL YOU…
Doreen Green is hella delightful, to start with. She has endless supplies of optimism and positivity. She’s not a brooding puddle of angst and she has a strong support system involving her parents (alive and well) and her friends (also alive and well). She is compassionate and kind and is always trying to look for an alternative way to saving the day. She has super strength but she uses her mind and her charisma to talk with the people she comes up against and tries to level with people not as hero to villain but simply person to person. She’s the freaking best.
I was over the moon when the news came out that Marvel would be releasing a Squirrel Girl YA book. I’m a big fan of The She-Hulk Diaries and the Black Widow books, Forever Red and Red Vengeance. I think it’s a great way to crossover into a different market and potentially bring in a new readership so why not do the same for Squirrel Girl? Marvel hired established writers Shannon and Dean Hale to pen the novel and carry on the series outside of Ryan North and Erica Henderson’s run on the comics.
I have to admit that I was a tad worried that the Hale’s wouldn’t be able to capture the same spirit and tone that we’ve grown accustomed to in the comics but those worries were squashed immediately upon diving into the book.
In Squirrel Meets World, Doreen is a 14-year old “normal” teenage girl. She’s just moved to New Jersey and is starting at a brand new school. She’s trying to make friends (among humans AND squirrels) and having a really lousy time with it. However, as she adjusts to her new city and meets new friends (sorry, spoilers but you knew that was coming), she realizes something sinister is afoot.
Doreen has to decide between keeping her secret squirrel powers to herself or whether to step up and use her powers to make a difference.
Shannon and Deal Hale do a fabulous job with Squirrel Girl and channel the spirit of the character we’ve come to know and love. She’s the same Doreen Green from the comics but young and more naive, trying to figure out how to be Doreen and how to be Squirrel Girl. She juggles school, making new friends (and enemies) with the same gusto as before and even without the imagery from Erica Henderson, it’s written in such a way that it’s easy to imagine the character bounding from tree to tree with her squirrel posse and saving the day.
Squirrel Meets World is nothing short of delightful. There are ups and downs as Doreen figures out who she is and what her place is in the world and it’s not without emotion. Her parents are wonderful and I got teary reading about their love for their daughter and their unwavering support for her. The new and the characters already familiar to us are welcome additions to the story and add so much to who Doreen is. Plus you get to learn some chitterspeak in the book too, so you know, it’s educational and such or as Tippy-Toe might say, “Chhkt-chiktt, ckt.”
The book, despite already giving you insight into Doreen’s mind, even carries on with commentary at the bottom of the page that we’ve seen within the comics. At first I kind of thought that maybe they should’ve avoided this to have their own “thing” for the book but you know what? Who cares… it’s fun and the Hale’s have nailed the voice of the character so it works. It works really well.
Verdict:
“Chkkt-kit!” which roughly translates in chitterspeak to “BUY THIS BOOK!”
Squirrel Meets World is perfect for you or perfect for your whole family to read together. You won’t regret picking it up and it’s something that can sit on your forever bookshelf as a classic you’ll come back to again and again.
Squirrel Meets World is on sale on Feb 7, 2017.
Doreen Green is hella delightful, to start with. She has endless supplies of optimism and positivity. She’s not a brooding puddle of angst and she has a strong support system involving her parents (alive and well) and her friends (also alive and well). She is compassionate and kind and is always trying to look for an alternative way to saving the day. She has super strength but she uses her mind and her charisma to talk with the people she comes up against and tries to level with people not as hero to villain but simply person to person. She’s the freaking best.
I was over the moon when the news came out that Marvel would be releasing a Squirrel Girl YA book. I’m a big fan of The She-Hulk Diaries and the Black Widow books, Forever Red and Red Vengeance. I think it’s a great way to crossover into a different market and potentially bring in a new readership so why not do the same for Squirrel Girl? Marvel hired established writers Shannon and Dean Hale to pen the novel and carry on the series outside of Ryan North and Erica Henderson’s run on the comics.
I have to admit that I was a tad worried that the Hale’s wouldn’t be able to capture the same spirit and tone that we’ve grown accustomed to in the comics but those worries were squashed immediately upon diving into the book.
In Squirrel Meets World, Doreen is a 14-year old “normal” teenage girl. She’s just moved to New Jersey and is starting at a brand new school. She’s trying to make friends (among humans AND squirrels) and having a really lousy time with it. However, as she adjusts to her new city and meets new friends (sorry, spoilers but you knew that was coming), she realizes something sinister is afoot.
Doreen has to decide between keeping her secret squirrel powers to herself or whether to step up and use her powers to make a difference.
Shannon and Deal Hale do a fabulous job with Squirrel Girl and channel the spirit of the character we’ve come to know and love. She’s the same Doreen Green from the comics but young and more naive, trying to figure out how to be Doreen and how to be Squirrel Girl. She juggles school, making new friends (and enemies) with the same gusto as before and even without the imagery from Erica Henderson, it’s written in such a way that it’s easy to imagine the character bounding from tree to tree with her squirrel posse and saving the day.
Squirrel Meets World is nothing short of delightful. There are ups and downs as Doreen figures out who she is and what her place is in the world and it’s not without emotion. Her parents are wonderful and I got teary reading about their love for their daughter and their unwavering support for her. The new and the characters already familiar to us are welcome additions to the story and add so much to who Doreen is. Plus you get to learn some chitterspeak in the book too, so you know, it’s educational and such or as Tippy-Toe might say, “Chhkt-chiktt, ckt.”
The book, despite already giving you insight into Doreen’s mind, even carries on with commentary at the bottom of the page that we’ve seen within the comics. At first I kind of thought that maybe they should’ve avoided this to have their own “thing” for the book but you know what? Who cares… it’s fun and the Hale’s have nailed the voice of the character so it works. It works really well.
Verdict:
“Chkkt-kit!” which roughly translates in chitterspeak to “BUY THIS BOOK!”
Squirrel Meets World is perfect for you or perfect for your whole family to read together. You won’t regret picking it up and it’s something that can sit on your forever bookshelf as a classic you’ll come back to again and again.
Squirrel Meets World is on sale on Feb 7, 2017.
January 8, 2021
Okay, so this book is just FUN. It's adorable and light and filled with squirrels, and even though I am definitely not a squirrel fan, I enjoyed the heck out of this book. It's a perfect antidote to the grimdark, doom and gloom, we're going to murder people and then stand in the rain trend in superhero comics.
To be clear, though, this isn't a graphic novel. It's a novel-novel, a prequel to the Squirrel Girl comics, about Doreen's assumption of the superhero mantle. And it's everything I liked about the graphic novels, but better, because more. It's fun, it's light, it's personal, it's engrossing. And it involves the best use of squirrels and squirrel powers ever.
This is definitely a book that works better if you know the Marvel Universe, in part because Squirrel Girl has great interactions with various denizens of it (her interactions with Iron Man and the Winter Soldier made me honestly, truly laugh), in part because Squirrel Girl changes the tone and style of the universe in fun and delightful ways.
Oh, and bonus: I gave this to my reluctant-reader teenaged nephew, and he loves it. Truly a book with wide-ranging appeal and a delicious chewy center.
To be clear, though, this isn't a graphic novel. It's a novel-novel, a prequel to the Squirrel Girl comics, about Doreen's assumption of the superhero mantle. And it's everything I liked about the graphic novels, but better, because more. It's fun, it's light, it's personal, it's engrossing. And it involves the best use of squirrels and squirrel powers ever.
This is definitely a book that works better if you know the Marvel Universe, in part because Squirrel Girl has great interactions with various denizens of it (her interactions with Iron Man and the Winter Soldier made me honestly, truly laugh), in part because Squirrel Girl changes the tone and style of the universe in fun and delightful ways.
Oh, and bonus: I gave this to my reluctant-reader teenaged nephew, and he loves it. Truly a book with wide-ranging appeal and a delicious chewy center.
August 24, 2016
"I never understood because what's wrong with lemons to begin with? It's like saying "if life gives you people, grind up their organs for a beverage."."
Received at BEA Chicago 2016
When I grow up I want to be a combination of Squirrel Girl and Nimona. Two of the baddest bitches on this planet. If only I were an adult with a kickass tail and a mohawk.
Story time kids... gather round now and scooch closer.
McCormick Place in Chicago. Standing in line waiting for a book and spot two people wearing squirrel crowns. Double take and Hale and Hale are wondering around. Holy shiitake. My regret in life is not stopping to get a picture. Life over!!
Doreen Green moves from California to New Jersey and leaves all her squirrely friends behind. She wakes up every morning preparing for the friendships she will make today and tsk tsk.. let's not forget to hide that big bushy tail. Can we say bah bam!!
Hey, I'm Doreen! Wanna be friends? On the daily and shifty eyes meet her when she introduces herself.
Finally, she meets a squirrel named Tippey Toe and they become the bestest friends. She even ties a pink ribbon around her neck. Chk chk!
With galactic spiders on the loose, squirrels going missing, trying to find Thors phone number and fighting the evilness that is MM (Muffin Maker) ;) all while trying to find her bffaeae. SG has a full plate. And nuts it is.
If you have read the first graphic novel then you might already know this story. It was great to get a little bit more information into the big move and finding people who don't judge. I think everyone will fall in love with this nutrageous squirrel.
"He was indeed going downtown without a bus pass. He was going to pay, and nothing on sale. And no matter how gross it was, she was going to wipe the floor with that dirty bum. But most of all... she checked her pockets. She was, in fact, all out of nuts."
Don't forget your nuts Dear Readers!!
Received at BEA Chicago 2016
When I grow up I want to be a combination of Squirrel Girl and Nimona. Two of the baddest bitches on this planet. If only I were an adult with a kickass tail and a mohawk.
Story time kids... gather round now and scooch closer.
McCormick Place in Chicago. Standing in line waiting for a book and spot two people wearing squirrel crowns. Double take and Hale and Hale are wondering around. Holy shiitake. My regret in life is not stopping to get a picture. Life over!!
Doreen Green moves from California to New Jersey and leaves all her squirrely friends behind. She wakes up every morning preparing for the friendships she will make today and tsk tsk.. let's not forget to hide that big bushy tail. Can we say bah bam!!
Hey, I'm Doreen! Wanna be friends? On the daily and shifty eyes meet her when she introduces herself.
Finally, she meets a squirrel named Tippey Toe and they become the bestest friends. She even ties a pink ribbon around her neck. Chk chk!
With galactic spiders on the loose, squirrels going missing, trying to find Thors phone number and fighting the evilness that is MM (Muffin Maker) ;) all while trying to find her bffaeae. SG has a full plate. And nuts it is.
If you have read the first graphic novel then you might already know this story. It was great to get a little bit more information into the big move and finding people who don't judge. I think everyone will fall in love with this nutrageous squirrel.
"He was indeed going downtown without a bus pass. He was going to pay, and nothing on sale. And no matter how gross it was, she was going to wipe the floor with that dirty bum. But most of all... she checked her pockets. She was, in fact, all out of nuts."
Don't forget your nuts Dear Readers!!
February 10, 2017
“I’m here to kick butts and eat nuts. And I’m ALL OUT OF NUTS!”
Squirrel Girl is my favorite super hero. (Actually, the only super hero I like!) Ryan North’s Doreen Green is so full of heart and charm… the Hale Doreen came across as obnoxious and weird.
A lot of things bugged me in this novel. The footnotes were awkward and didn’t mesh with the story, chapters from Tippy-Toe’s perspective with forced “squirrel slang” made me cringe a little bit, and I despised how the villain was handled. And the LARPers? Sorry, what was the point of them, besides just to be super annoying?
I will say that having a main character (Ana Sofia) wearing hearing aids was really freaking cool. (And that Ana Sofia called out ableist language!) Ana Sofia and Doreen communicated through sign language, reading lips, and texting. The book brought up issues that people who rely on hearing aids have to face daily—things that I had never thought about before. Like, sometimes Ana Sofia’s teachers wouldn’t wear microphones so she could follow along with lectures, and several times Ana Sofia has to deal with a large group of students all talking at once. However! Maybe I’m being nitpicky, and maybe others will disagree with me and say that we should be happy to see this kind of representation at all, but Ana Sofia’s character sometimes seemed to exist to make Doreen look really inclusive and nice and friendly and ~not like everyone else~. It was just a vibe I got occasionally throughout the book and it bothered me. But maybe others will disagree with me here. (Bonus: Ana Sofia was kinda shallow and… not that great of a friend?)
I did like the general plot, though, because it felt properly Squirrel Girl. Also: the text message conversations between Squirrel Girl and the Avengers were amazing.
Squirrel Girl is my favorite super hero. (Actually, the only super hero I like!) Ryan North’s Doreen Green is so full of heart and charm… the Hale Doreen came across as obnoxious and weird.
A lot of things bugged me in this novel. The footnotes were awkward and didn’t mesh with the story, chapters from Tippy-Toe’s perspective with forced “squirrel slang” made me cringe a little bit, and I despised how the villain was handled. And the LARPers? Sorry, what was the point of them, besides just to be super annoying?
I will say that having a main character (Ana Sofia) wearing hearing aids was really freaking cool. (And that Ana Sofia called out ableist language!) Ana Sofia and Doreen communicated through sign language, reading lips, and texting. The book brought up issues that people who rely on hearing aids have to face daily—things that I had never thought about before. Like, sometimes Ana Sofia’s teachers wouldn’t wear microphones so she could follow along with lectures, and several times Ana Sofia has to deal with a large group of students all talking at once. However! Maybe I’m being nitpicky, and maybe others will disagree with me and say that we should be happy to see this kind of representation at all, but Ana Sofia’s character sometimes seemed to exist to make Doreen look really inclusive and nice and friendly and ~not like everyone else~. It was just a vibe I got occasionally throughout the book and it bothered me. But maybe others will disagree with me here. (Bonus: Ana Sofia was kinda shallow and… not that great of a friend?)
I did like the general plot, though, because it felt properly Squirrel Girl. Also: the text message conversations between Squirrel Girl and the Avengers were amazing.
July 20, 2017
4.5 stars. Squirrel Girl is such a great combination of exuberance, optimism, strength and humour, and that's definitely captured in this story of Doreen Green as a 14-year old and her deciding to become a superhero. She's aided by Ana Sofia, a deaf girl in Doreen's new school who's a whiz at math, programming and figuring out problems. Ana Sophia cannot resist Doreen's charm and sheer positiveness, and the two begin dealing with the rising crime in their neighbourhood. A mysterious villain selects Squirrel Girl as his nemesis and various dire situations and high jumps occur. And many, many squirrels. Did I mention we get to meet Tippy Toe and see the beginning of Squirrel Girl's and Tippy Toe's working relationship?
This book was frothy and light, but so much fun. Nobody, and I mean nobody can resist Doreen, and her fangirling of She Hulk (yay!), and Black Widow (yay!) and the rest of the Avengers. Ana Sofia, meanwhile, has an adorable crush on Thor, because Thor, and she's vital to Squirrel Girl's mission and to Doreen's mental health and desire to protect her neighbourhood.
Doreen has a core of kindness and respect for others, covered in more kindness and respect, which is covered by powerful kicks, an amazing tail and humour. Her friendship with brilliant Ana Sofia, and her gradual winning over of others is lovely to watch, and her dealing with the baddie and his plans. And if that wasn't enough, there are a couple of cute-funny conversations with a certain trash-mouthed alien who isn't a raccoon!
This book was frothy and light, but so much fun. Nobody, and I mean nobody can resist Doreen, and her fangirling of She Hulk (yay!), and Black Widow (yay!) and the rest of the Avengers. Ana Sofia, meanwhile, has an adorable crush on Thor, because Thor, and she's vital to Squirrel Girl's mission and to Doreen's mental health and desire to protect her neighbourhood.
Doreen has a core of kindness and respect for others, covered in more kindness and respect, which is covered by powerful kicks, an amazing tail and humour. Her friendship with brilliant Ana Sofia, and her gradual winning over of others is lovely to watch, and her dealing with the baddie and his plans. And if that wasn't enough, there are a couple of cute-funny conversations with a certain trash-mouthed alien who isn't a raccoon!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 4, 2021
This book was recommended by my red-headed goddaughter and her attack pixie sisters. It was a ton of fun - contains jokes, cute animals, and Black Widow. Also, a main POV character is deaf and I appreciated the representation and the foregrounding of ways abled people can be considerate of people with hearing problems.
February 18, 2017
This was a whole lot of fun. It doesn't go super deep, but it is a very entertaining book. I love Squirrel Girl as a character and I also love how we got to see a bunch of Avengers as well as other Marvel characters - so not only do we hear from a bunch of well-known characters like Black Widow, Iron Man etc., but we also see She-Hulk, for example. If you're looking for some light-hearted superhero fun, I'd definitely recommend this book.
April 19, 2021
This series was actually so enjoyable XD I still love them to this day. I had to read it when I saw it was Marvel. And honestly these are some of the funniest books I’ve read😂 I enjoyed Doreen’s adventures and her personality. So if you want some light hearted action, u recommend this series!
August 27, 2021
Divertidinho. Os personagens são carismáticos e aparece alguns dos vingadores (thor, tony stark, rocket, viuva negra...)
April 2, 2019
The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl: Squirrel Meets World is the first in an MG/YA Marvel novel series by Shannon Hale and Dean Hale. I say Middle Grade AND Young Adult because this book resonates powerfully with both age groups, as well as any Marvel fan. One of the best aspects about this novel is that lovers of the original Squirrel Girl comics will adore the voice in this book. Just like in the comics, Squirrel Girl gives us her footnote opinions about everything! And what a great female character for young readers to adore and relate to. She's rather chubby, high spirited, hides her squirrel tail, has huge teeth, and can speak to squirrels!
Doreen Green just moved to a tiny town in New Jersey, and the Avengers are only one state away (but her favorite She-Hulk is back in California). When she makes friends with hearing-impaired Anna Sofia, the learns the true meaning of friendship, how to sign, and how to trust. Also, Anna Sofia happens to be a local sleuth, in her own right. With Squirrel Girl's appearance, strange events begin to happen that are oddly squirrel-related. Strange tree and ground traps appear, made to catch and crush squirrels. Tiny bug bots with poison gas buzz and irritate the dogs of the neighborhood. It's as if someone is targeting her directly, but why?
Meanwhile, the Micro-Manager, raised by parents who work for Hydra, used his tech to target Squirrel Girl. If he can get her to rise as a superhero, he can then make himself rise as her supervillain rival! All he wants is to be seen and accepted into Hydra.
The best aspect of this book is its utter humor. I have never had a book make me laugh out loud so much. My husband turns to me asking what is so funny, and descriptions do not do the humor justice. Therefore, I read him numerous passages from the book, more than willing to re-read these great comic parts.
As I said describing the humor does not do this book justice, here are some quotes to hit the nail on the head for you:
"Garbage-Can Man?...You're making that up."
"Chk chuk chikka."
"Ooooh. You mean Iron Man. I don't think that's actually a garbage can he flies around in." Pg 42-43
And let's not forget pages 142-143, consisting entirely of squirrel names such as "Lazy Susan, Daisy Susan and Dazy Susan" with the footnote "They're twins. Daisy and Dazy, I mean. Lazy is just a friend."
Overall, one of the best books I have read this year! Funny, exciting, with great style and voice. This book has a nice mesh of prose and text messages, diverse characters, and lots of squirrels! A book to be in any school library or classroom bookshelf, and definitely a book to be just as enjoyed by adults!
Doreen Green just moved to a tiny town in New Jersey, and the Avengers are only one state away (but her favorite She-Hulk is back in California). When she makes friends with hearing-impaired Anna Sofia, the learns the true meaning of friendship, how to sign, and how to trust. Also, Anna Sofia happens to be a local sleuth, in her own right. With Squirrel Girl's appearance, strange events begin to happen that are oddly squirrel-related. Strange tree and ground traps appear, made to catch and crush squirrels. Tiny bug bots with poison gas buzz and irritate the dogs of the neighborhood. It's as if someone is targeting her directly, but why?
Meanwhile, the Micro-Manager, raised by parents who work for Hydra, used his tech to target Squirrel Girl. If he can get her to rise as a superhero, he can then make himself rise as her supervillain rival! All he wants is to be seen and accepted into Hydra.
The best aspect of this book is its utter humor. I have never had a book make me laugh out loud so much. My husband turns to me asking what is so funny, and descriptions do not do the humor justice. Therefore, I read him numerous passages from the book, more than willing to re-read these great comic parts.
As I said describing the humor does not do this book justice, here are some quotes to hit the nail on the head for you:
"Garbage-Can Man?...You're making that up."
"Chk chuk chikka."
"Ooooh. You mean Iron Man. I don't think that's actually a garbage can he flies around in." Pg 42-43
And let's not forget pages 142-143, consisting entirely of squirrel names such as "Lazy Susan, Daisy Susan and Dazy Susan" with the footnote "They're twins. Daisy and Dazy, I mean. Lazy is just a friend."
Overall, one of the best books I have read this year! Funny, exciting, with great style and voice. This book has a nice mesh of prose and text messages, diverse characters, and lots of squirrels! A book to be in any school library or classroom bookshelf, and definitely a book to be just as enjoyed by adults!
April 30, 2025
Squirrel Girl'ün çizgi romanı olduğunu bilmiyordum ama bence oldukça tatlış bir hikayeydi. Aksiyonundan kimi zaman ben bile yoruldum o yüzden asıl yaş grubu ne der bilmiyorum. Marvel bağlantısı oldukça ilginçti. SG'nin She-Hulk fanı olması daha da ilginçti :) Bu tarz YA kitapları seviyorsanız tavsiye ederim.
August 4, 2017
Beautifully funny and heartwarming. I'm so happy to finally have a super-hero book where the character's parents are a.) alive b.) good parents c.) not stupid d.) supportive. (The only other book in that vein I know of so far is Ms Marvel, I think?) Also ASL as part of the setting and plot, the power of friendship, and several two-page spreads that are the funniest things I have read in my life.
August 5, 2017
5 stars is not enough stars!!!!! This book seriously kicked butts!
Pretty much everything I expected from a Shannon Hale Squirrel Girl Middle grade book, and let me tell you I expected so much.
Everybody should read this book.
Pretty much everything I expected from a Shannon Hale Squirrel Girl Middle grade book, and let me tell you I expected so much.
Everybody should read this book.
October 29, 2020
I recently finished the suckerpunch House of Leaves and I needed something light as a followup book. I'm packing up my bookshelf for my upcoming move and saw this on my shelf. I'm a Squirrel Girl fan and had Shannon Hale on the brain after last month's Austenland. This book was bound very well with a solid hardcover without a dust jacket. You could knock your fist on it and it was so satisfying. Add in great art, cute illustrations of her sidekick Tippy Toe the squirrel on their chapters, and fun texts from various members of the Marvel Universe peppered throughout the book. What could go wrong. This book was written by Shannon Hale and her husband where it was very heavily felt who wrote which part, at least it did to me. Squirrel Girl's and her best friend's chapters were bright, coherent, and perfectly captured teen girls growing up. Tippy Toe and the villain's chapters on the other hand were stupid, incoherent, and made me want to skim right past them (which I did eventually). I wish Shannon Hale had total control of this book and I didn't have to wade through the husband's annoying interjections.
Cringy chapters aside, this book had a lot going for it. Like I said the various texts from Rocket Raccoon, Iron Man, and Black Widow were cute additions to the story and it was fun to see them in a different context. Squirrel Girl is very endearing and it was nice to see their personalities in text format. I also liked how Doreen's best friend was a Deaf POC. Double representation! I thought the author nicely touched on how some hearing parent don't always adapt to sign language and try to force their child to orate. It was also sweet Doreen already knew some ASL and made an effort to communicate with her friend. This book had a lot of promise but it got ruined by the non sequiturs. I was enjoying it but lost interest and starting skimming halfway through the book. I'm happy to have gotten more Squirrel Girl content but I think I'll just stick to comics for now. Remember eat nuts and kick butts!
Cringy chapters aside, this book had a lot going for it. Like I said the various texts from Rocket Raccoon, Iron Man, and Black Widow were cute additions to the story and it was fun to see them in a different context. Squirrel Girl is very endearing and it was nice to see their personalities in text format. I also liked how Doreen's best friend was a Deaf POC. Double representation! I thought the author nicely touched on how some hearing parent don't always adapt to sign language and try to force their child to orate. It was also sweet Doreen already knew some ASL and made an effort to communicate with her friend. This book had a lot of promise but it got ruined by the non sequiturs. I was enjoying it but lost interest and starting skimming halfway through the book. I'm happy to have gotten more Squirrel Girl content but I think I'll just stick to comics for now. Remember eat nuts and kick butts!
June 9, 2019
Doreen es una chica de 15 años con los poderes de una ardilla, debe lidiar con un cambio de escuela, hacer nuevas amistades, trabajar de niñera y enfrentarse a un misterioso malvado para lo cual solicita ayuda a Black widow, y Rocket subestimando a Iron man. Un libro muy sencillo y bastante divertido.
August 14, 2018
I liked the sequel better, but only because I feel so-so about origin stories. Marvel kind of inundates us with them.
Otherwise, another solid read! This book has clever dialogue and fun characters. I love Squirrel Girl's optimism.
Otherwise, another solid read! This book has clever dialogue and fun characters. I love Squirrel Girl's optimism.
March 19, 2017
This novel is a prequel to the Squirrel Girl comics. I picked it up on a whim, squirrel super hero-what's not to love, and half way through the book I went to the book store and bought 6 comic books. Now that I know where she started from I want to read about squirrel girl when she had come into her own.
I liked this regardless because of the awkward jr high-ness of it. Doreen is weird and awkward like most jr high kids, watching the "somebodies" from the table in the back of the cafeteria. Except Doreen doesn't see them as any different than Mike, the guy who shares the table with her and her bff Ana Sofia. I thought Ana Sofia was great. I'd actually like to know more about her and hope she will be in the comic books as well. Doreen kind of reminded me of Sue Heck from The Middle with the enthusiasm and obliviousness. Tippy Toe, her pink bow wearing squirrel sidekick is amazing, and although the squirrel slang was a little much I loved the squirrel parts. I don't know much about super heroes at all (at all) but I also really liked how much Doreen likes super heroes and her text conversations with the avengers are pretty funny.
Squirrel Girl-read her, love her!
I liked this regardless because of the awkward jr high-ness of it. Doreen is weird and awkward like most jr high kids, watching the "somebodies" from the table in the back of the cafeteria. Except Doreen doesn't see them as any different than Mike, the guy who shares the table with her and her bff Ana Sofia. I thought Ana Sofia was great. I'd actually like to know more about her and hope she will be in the comic books as well. Doreen kind of reminded me of Sue Heck from The Middle with the enthusiasm and obliviousness. Tippy Toe, her pink bow wearing squirrel sidekick is amazing, and although the squirrel slang was a little much I loved the squirrel parts. I don't know much about super heroes at all (at all) but I also really liked how much Doreen likes super heroes and her text conversations with the avengers are pretty funny.
Squirrel Girl-read her, love her!
October 29, 2017
SQUIRREL POWER! I'm a massive fan of the SG comics, and I'm delighted that Shannon and Dean Hale have brought Doreen into a novel so well. This is geniunely exciting, clever, funny and wonderful, and I know readers will go NUTS for it. 8+
*Please note: this review is meant as a recommendation only. Please do not use it in any marketing material, online or in print, without asking permission from me first. Thank you!*
*Please note: this review is meant as a recommendation only. Please do not use it in any marketing material, online or in print, without asking permission from me first. Thank you!*
February 12, 2017
This prequel to the current SquirrelGirl comic series is a fun, charming and endearing read.
A great addition to the SQuirrelGirl mythos.
A great addition to the SQuirrelGirl mythos.
November 17, 2017
Meet Doreen Green, or Squirrel Girl! Here to save the day, or well mostly babies and squirrels!
I was a bit hesitant when I spotted this book (yes, they had this book at one of my libraries). My first meeting with Doreen/Squirrel Girl was through the comics and I have to say I hated it so much I dropped it quite fast. Doreen/Squirrel Girl was annoying, the story was eh, the only good thing was the humour, that was pretty decent. So yes, I was worried. But I still wanted to try, and see how Shannon Hale and Dean Hale have imagined Squirrel Girl.
I quickly found out that this book was different from the comics. It instantly pulled me into the story, and after reading it I have to say I love this Doreen Green.
She is fun, sweet, kind, funny, a bit hyper (but I can relate to that), smart, and she has a good head on her shoulders. When we first meet her Doreen just moved, so she is all new to the area, needs to make new friends, go to a new school. On the one hand she is not happy with the situation, but on the other side... she is only one state away from her superstars: The Avengers!
She tries to find a balance between being a normal girl, but also a superhero, as that is something she does want to be. It was really fun to see her try out her powers, see how far she could jump, what kind powers she had. And she had some amazing powers. I am not sure which one was more awesome. Chatting with squirrels? Jumping way too high in the sky? Not falling? And I also wouldn't mind the tail (though it is a pain to hide it).
Plus I loved how positive she generally stayed. There were moments were things weren't pretty (then again, anyone would feel down after that crap).
The mystery was quite easily solvable. I knew pretty much instantly who MM was. :P But that didn't bother me too much, I was just having too much fun seeing the characters realise the same things as I did. And I was in stitches over Doreen's name for MM (Muffin Master).
The battles, the things that happened in town? It was fabulous, fast-paced, and I was really curious how it would all end. The end battle/last test by the MM was even more exciting, and I was very much worried about Doreen. Would she be OK? Would her friends (the squirrels and others) be OK? Will we see The Avengers? Of course, you will have to read the book to find out how each battle went, I am keeping mum. :P
I am still very curious about how she has gotten the tail/the superpowers, considering her parents are completely normal.
I loved Doreen's parents. How supportive they were, how they tried to help out Doreen when she had problems. Of course they also tried to protect her when things did go the wrong way. They also later explained why she had to hide her tail, not because others would be jealous, no there was another reason, something that Doreen also found out as she did more battles, and became more and more Squirrel Girl.
I was also worried about T-Toe, Doreen's new best friend, a squirrel. She also gets some of the chapters, and those who know me, know that I am a bit on the fence about talking animals/animals taking the lead. It can end up awesome, or it can end terrible. I can tell you from the first chapter from the POV of T-Toe I wanted more. It was so fun to read her POV, to see her being kick-ass, sweet, kind. She did some really lovely things for Doreen.
Then there is Doreen's best friend, Ana Sophia. I wasn't so sure about her at first, but she turned out to be a really great friend. And not only that, I was also very happy for her as she also needed a new best friend. She did so many things for Doreen, helping her out when things got tough, being there for her when she needed it. And the same goes for Doreen btw, she was always there for Ana Sophia.
The text messages (to The Avengers) had me in complete stitches. Oh my gosh. Especially poor Tony. RIP that guy. :P
I also still love the way that people didn't seem to recognise Doreen as Squirrel Girl despite her not covering her face. It is something I see more often in other superhero stuff as well. You can clearly see their faces but nah, that person wouldn't be a superhero, would they?
Phew, I think I have mentioned everything, though I could probably go on and on about the book for a while if I want, but I don't want to make the review too long.
All in all, this is one book that I loved, and I was actually sad that it was all over. I just wanted more.
I have seen that this book will get a sequel, and all I can say is that I want it to be 2018 now!
Highly recommended!!
Review first posted at https://twirlingbookprincess.com/
I was a bit hesitant when I spotted this book (yes, they had this book at one of my libraries). My first meeting with Doreen/Squirrel Girl was through the comics and I have to say I hated it so much I dropped it quite fast. Doreen/Squirrel Girl was annoying, the story was eh, the only good thing was the humour, that was pretty decent. So yes, I was worried. But I still wanted to try, and see how Shannon Hale and Dean Hale have imagined Squirrel Girl.
I quickly found out that this book was different from the comics. It instantly pulled me into the story, and after reading it I have to say I love this Doreen Green.
She is fun, sweet, kind, funny, a bit hyper (but I can relate to that), smart, and she has a good head on her shoulders. When we first meet her Doreen just moved, so she is all new to the area, needs to make new friends, go to a new school. On the one hand she is not happy with the situation, but on the other side... she is only one state away from her superstars: The Avengers!
She tries to find a balance between being a normal girl, but also a superhero, as that is something she does want to be. It was really fun to see her try out her powers, see how far she could jump, what kind powers she had. And she had some amazing powers. I am not sure which one was more awesome. Chatting with squirrels? Jumping way too high in the sky? Not falling? And I also wouldn't mind the tail (though it is a pain to hide it).
Plus I loved how positive she generally stayed. There were moments were things weren't pretty (then again, anyone would feel down after that crap).
The mystery was quite easily solvable. I knew pretty much instantly who MM was. :P But that didn't bother me too much, I was just having too much fun seeing the characters realise the same things as I did. And I was in stitches over Doreen's name for MM (Muffin Master).
The battles, the things that happened in town? It was fabulous, fast-paced, and I was really curious how it would all end. The end battle/last test by the MM was even more exciting, and I was very much worried about Doreen. Would she be OK? Would her friends (the squirrels and others) be OK? Will we see The Avengers? Of course, you will have to read the book to find out how each battle went, I am keeping mum. :P
I am still very curious about how she has gotten the tail/the superpowers, considering her parents are completely normal.
I loved Doreen's parents. How supportive they were, how they tried to help out Doreen when she had problems. Of course they also tried to protect her when things did go the wrong way. They also later explained why she had to hide her tail, not because others would be jealous, no there was another reason, something that Doreen also found out as she did more battles, and became more and more Squirrel Girl.
I was also worried about T-Toe, Doreen's new best friend, a squirrel. She also gets some of the chapters, and those who know me, know that I am a bit on the fence about talking animals/animals taking the lead. It can end up awesome, or it can end terrible. I can tell you from the first chapter from the POV of T-Toe I wanted more. It was so fun to read her POV, to see her being kick-ass, sweet, kind. She did some really lovely things for Doreen.
Then there is Doreen's best friend, Ana Sophia. I wasn't so sure about her at first, but she turned out to be a really great friend. And not only that, I was also very happy for her as she also needed a new best friend. She did so many things for Doreen, helping her out when things got tough, being there for her when she needed it. And the same goes for Doreen btw, she was always there for Ana Sophia.
The text messages (to The Avengers) had me in complete stitches. Oh my gosh. Especially poor Tony. RIP that guy. :P
I also still love the way that people didn't seem to recognise Doreen as Squirrel Girl despite her not covering her face. It is something I see more often in other superhero stuff as well. You can clearly see their faces but nah, that person wouldn't be a superhero, would they?
Phew, I think I have mentioned everything, though I could probably go on and on about the book for a while if I want, but I don't want to make the review too long.
All in all, this is one book that I loved, and I was actually sad that it was all over. I just wanted more.
I have seen that this book will get a sequel, and all I can say is that I want it to be 2018 now!
Highly recommended!!
Review first posted at https://twirlingbookprincess.com/
June 7, 2021
2021 EDIT: Just as good as on the first read. A fantastic, fun, funny, friendly, feminist, flouncy, furry, fuzzy and fabulous Marvel superhero book. What a charmer.
Read my original review for more.
Final Score: 4/5
Original Review:
Oh my gosh, this is so much fun! One of the funniest, most charming and exciting reads of the year.
Squirrel Girl does it again! In her origin story in novel form, written by the wonderful Shannon and Dean Hale. Squirrel power - the unbeatable superheroine of Marvel - and where it all began...
Doreen Green is an adorable, optimistic and full of nutty energy girl of fourteen-years-old, born with a bushy tail and other squirrely attributes like two buck teeth, retractable claws, super agility and strength. And talking to squirrels. She, along with her parents, move into a new town of Shady Oaks in New Jersey, which is a rundown, petty crime-laden location in juxtaposition to her bright nature, with unfriendly and mean kids at her new school.
This set-up leads to Doreen steadily finding her calling, as a superhero she has always thought of herself in her head until now - Squirrel Girl! who saves other squirrels, dogs, babies, juvenile graffiti gang members, and LARPers taking things too far. A sinister plot involving a robotic takeover and specifically testing and challenging Squirrel Girl to boost some bad guy-wannabe's ego is going on, and the realities of being a (very young) hero in the modern internet age in the Marvel Universe soon begin to sink in for the ray of sunshine and ball of furry hugs that is Doreen Green. It is also here where she first meets her beloved squirrel sidekick, Tippy-Toe. Take that, Wolverine and your jacket!
With 'The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl: Squirrel Meets World', Marvel once again proves how fun it can be when it just goes along for the ride and doesn't take itself too seriously. The authors of the book play along with writing about a superhero world inhabited by colourful characters and crazy science, and you can tell they were having a blast with the silly material and making it all as charming and accessible as possible. It is an all-ages novel - so nice to see something inclusive for younger audiences for Marvel's superhero properties for a change - so it never gets too dark or mean-spirited (Asgard forbid in a Squirrel Girl story!), and nobody dies in it. Nonetheless it is so entertaining and heartfelt, I had a big smile on my face as I shot through the book in two days.
Doreen's lovable if naïve personality is infectious; she is the imaginative child we as adults wish we could be again, living in our own worlds. She listens to and hums loud, upbeat music, and is so hyperactive that rare moments of exhaustion only make her move about even more. Plus she provides hilarious commentary in page footnotes throughout 'Squirrel Meets World', similar to how she would break the fourth wall in the comics; like a teen girl, child-friendly Deadpool. It is her coming-of-age hero's tale (tail, more like; yeah, she makes up funnier word play than me), where she is finding out who she is, and why she does what she does. Can Squirrel Girl be a true superhero? Or a joke, like her initial creation?
And squirrels are awesome little creatures. You learn so much about them on this adventure. Add in babysitting and you get a cute bundle of joy of a book full of robot action, carjacking, compromised dogs, text messages between Squirrel Girl and the Avengers (and Rocket Raccoon), and a talking courgette.
Doreen's parents, Dor and Maureen (get it? Doreen sure does), are as softhearted and scatterbrained as she is. They parent her so sweetly that grounding their kid is a foreign concept to them. They claim that she must hide her squirrel tail in public because people would get jealous of not having a tail themselves. Bless them; they were only trying to protect her from a cruel world where "freak" is still a normal, pejorative term in a world where superpowered humans, aliens and Norse gods exist. Young Doreen believes whatever her parents tell her, until she attempts to become a hero for her new home turf and she can't hide from the harsh reality any longer. But regardless, Maureen and Dor love and support their strange, unique daughter in her choices, unconditionally. They are a cracking, hysterically-funny couple, and surprisingly complex. And so is Squirrel Girl.
The friends she meets and makes aren't limited to the butt-kicking Tippy-Toe and her hundreds of squirrel kin, eating nuts in trees and scouting territories. There is Ana Sofia from school, a lonely deaf girl, also a POC, who is understandably tired of trying to communicate with people and explain her disability over and over again, and is prone to intense glaring. But she's really very sweet, and acts as the detective, computer programmer and hacker Intel person for Squirrel Girl. She loves socks, maths, comic books, and has a crush on Thor (who doesn't?). Ana Sofia would make a great superhero, in fact: it is colossally rare to see a deaf character in anything in the media, much less in a superhero story, and an origin story at that. A three-dimensional dark-skinned female with an honestly-depicted disability. Fantastic representation.
Speaking of which, ethnic minorities and people with dark skin are a constant in 'Squirrel Meets World', and even better, some white people are described as being white when we are introduced to them, negating the white-as-default narrative BS. Doreen has a family in Canada, too!
'Squirrel Meets World' has the makings of a Marvel goldmine. It came so close to getting five stars from me. However, I feel it falls a little flat in terms of its build-up to a battle climax to save Shady Oaks (and the world, possibly. Probably). The final showdown crams in a lot with little page-room for well-rounded development for the many characters, and everything is solved pretty easily. An attempt to sabotage Squirrel Girl's reputation via internet trolling and online abuse felt kind of tacked on for a reason to ensure her breakdown for the beginning of the book's third act (and for her friends to suddenly, seemingly abandon her when she needs them), and it could have been far more explored as commentary. The mystery villain is rather obvious - that this is a kids' book is no excuse - and doesn't get especially interesting until the final battle with the heroine, ironically enough. . There's no LBGTQ representation, sadly.
Lastly, why does Doreen think that Iron Man is a mere Avengers' errand boy? Is there a joke here I'm missing? Poor bastard.
Bonus, and this has to be added:
Just... what a gem. What a charm against cynicism, hate, and the gritty and edgy age of superheroes 'The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl: Squirrel Meets World' is. Sweet, sensitive, ridiculously funny and cute, it is like a sugar rush: a colourful, action-packed Saturday morning cartoon expertly implemented for the novel medium. Think 'Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles' and 'The Lego Batman Movie'. And there is no romance! It says something when the recent books that I've read and loved have no romances in them.
I enjoyed Squirrel Girl and friends immensely. Maybe I'll forgive Marvel, and lift my boycott, at least a little. I crave superheroines and comics too much.
Final Score: 4/5
Read my original review for more.
Final Score: 4/5
Original Review:
Oh my gosh, this is so much fun! One of the funniest, most charming and exciting reads of the year.
Squirrel Girl does it again! In her origin story in novel form, written by the wonderful Shannon and Dean Hale. Squirrel power - the unbeatable superheroine of Marvel - and where it all began...
Doreen Green is an adorable, optimistic and full of nutty energy girl of fourteen-years-old, born with a bushy tail and other squirrely attributes like two buck teeth, retractable claws, super agility and strength. And talking to squirrels. She, along with her parents, move into a new town of Shady Oaks in New Jersey, which is a rundown, petty crime-laden location in juxtaposition to her bright nature, with unfriendly and mean kids at her new school.
This set-up leads to Doreen steadily finding her calling, as a superhero she has always thought of herself in her head until now - Squirrel Girl! who saves other squirrels, dogs, babies, juvenile graffiti gang members, and LARPers taking things too far. A sinister plot involving a robotic takeover and specifically testing and challenging Squirrel Girl to boost some bad guy-wannabe's ego is going on, and the realities of being a (very young) hero in the modern internet age in the Marvel Universe soon begin to sink in for the ray of sunshine and ball of furry hugs that is Doreen Green. It is also here where she first meets her beloved squirrel sidekick, Tippy-Toe. Take that, Wolverine and your jacket!
With 'The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl: Squirrel Meets World', Marvel once again proves how fun it can be when it just goes along for the ride and doesn't take itself too seriously. The authors of the book play along with writing about a superhero world inhabited by colourful characters and crazy science, and you can tell they were having a blast with the silly material and making it all as charming and accessible as possible. It is an all-ages novel - so nice to see something inclusive for younger audiences for Marvel's superhero properties for a change - so it never gets too dark or mean-spirited (Asgard forbid in a Squirrel Girl story!), and nobody dies in it. Nonetheless it is so entertaining and heartfelt, I had a big smile on my face as I shot through the book in two days.
Doreen's lovable if naïve personality is infectious; she is the imaginative child we as adults wish we could be again, living in our own worlds. She listens to and hums loud, upbeat music, and is so hyperactive that rare moments of exhaustion only make her move about even more. Plus she provides hilarious commentary in page footnotes throughout 'Squirrel Meets World', similar to how she would break the fourth wall in the comics; like a teen girl, child-friendly Deadpool. It is her coming-of-age hero's tale (tail, more like; yeah, she makes up funnier word play than me), where she is finding out who she is, and why she does what she does. Can Squirrel Girl be a true superhero? Or a joke, like her initial creation?
And squirrels are awesome little creatures. You learn so much about them on this adventure. Add in babysitting and you get a cute bundle of joy of a book full of robot action, carjacking, compromised dogs, text messages between Squirrel Girl and the Avengers (and Rocket Raccoon), and a talking courgette.
Doreen's parents, Dor and Maureen (get it? Doreen sure does), are as softhearted and scatterbrained as she is. They parent her so sweetly that grounding their kid is a foreign concept to them. They claim that she must hide her squirrel tail in public because people would get jealous of not having a tail themselves. Bless them; they were only trying to protect her from a cruel world where "freak" is still a normal, pejorative term in a world where superpowered humans, aliens and Norse gods exist. Young Doreen believes whatever her parents tell her, until she attempts to become a hero for her new home turf and she can't hide from the harsh reality any longer. But regardless, Maureen and Dor love and support their strange, unique daughter in her choices, unconditionally. They are a cracking, hysterically-funny couple, and surprisingly complex. And so is Squirrel Girl.
The friends she meets and makes aren't limited to the butt-kicking Tippy-Toe and her hundreds of squirrel kin, eating nuts in trees and scouting territories. There is Ana Sofia from school, a lonely deaf girl, also a POC, who is understandably tired of trying to communicate with people and explain her disability over and over again, and is prone to intense glaring. But she's really very sweet, and acts as the detective, computer programmer and hacker Intel person for Squirrel Girl. She loves socks, maths, comic books, and has a crush on Thor (who doesn't?). Ana Sofia would make a great superhero, in fact: it is colossally rare to see a deaf character in anything in the media, much less in a superhero story, and an origin story at that. A three-dimensional dark-skinned female with an honestly-depicted disability. Fantastic representation.
Speaking of which, ethnic minorities and people with dark skin are a constant in 'Squirrel Meets World', and even better, some white people are described as being white when we are introduced to them, negating the white-as-default narrative BS. Doreen has a family in Canada, too!
'Squirrel Meets World' has the makings of a Marvel goldmine. It came so close to getting five stars from me. However, I feel it falls a little flat in terms of its build-up to a battle climax to save Shady Oaks (and the world, possibly. Probably). The final showdown crams in a lot with little page-room for well-rounded development for the many characters, and everything is solved pretty easily. An attempt to sabotage Squirrel Girl's reputation via internet trolling and online abuse felt kind of tacked on for a reason to ensure her breakdown for the beginning of the book's third act (and for her friends to suddenly, seemingly abandon her when she needs them), and it could have been far more explored as commentary. The mystery villain is rather obvious - that this is a kids' book is no excuse - and doesn't get especially interesting until the final battle with the heroine, ironically enough. . There's no LBGTQ representation, sadly.
Lastly, why does Doreen think that Iron Man is a mere Avengers' errand boy? Is there a joke here I'm missing? Poor bastard.
Bonus, and this has to be added:
Just... what a gem. What a charm against cynicism, hate, and the gritty and edgy age of superheroes 'The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl: Squirrel Meets World' is. Sweet, sensitive, ridiculously funny and cute, it is like a sugar rush: a colourful, action-packed Saturday morning cartoon expertly implemented for the novel medium. Think 'Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles' and 'The Lego Batman Movie'. And there is no romance! It says something when the recent books that I've read and loved have no romances in them.
I enjoyed Squirrel Girl and friends immensely. Maybe I'll forgive Marvel, and lift my boycott, at least a little. I crave superheroines and comics too much.
Final Score: 4/5
February 7, 2020
Listened on audio when the kids were 6-7 and 3-4. The older kid loved it. The narrator is very dynamic and fun. The plot is outlandish as superhero plots should be, and it features squirrels, a robotic mom, Mean Girls, and texts from the Avengers. Excellent rep with Squirrel Girl's BFF Ana Sofia, who is hearing impaired. Squirrel Girl's parents are alive and loving and normal, unlike many stories for kids, so hey that's a nice bonus.
February 7, 2017
This is a really fun prequel novel to the amazing Squirrel Girl comics by Ryan North and Erica Henderson, aimed at middle grade readers. This story stars a young Doreen Green as she starts ninth grade at a new school in a new town. Doreen has always been told by her parents to keep her squirrel tail covered up and her awesome leaping abilities on the down-low (so the other kids don't get jealous), but when a villain calling himself the Micro-Manager appears to threaten the town's squirrels, Doreen can't help but get involved. Luckily, she has two new friends to help her out, Tippy-Toe the street-wise squirrel, and sleuth and Thor fanatic Ana Sofia.
Because it's a prequel, no background in the comics is necessary to read and enjoy this book, but at least a little background in the Marvel universe would be preferred for you to get some of the jokes and understand some of the characters who appear, however briefly. (A few parts of the book are much funnier if you know who Black Widow, Iron Man, the Winter Soldier, Thor, and Rocket Raccoon are, for instance.) But if you've seen, say, an Avengers movie or two and Guardians of the Galaxy, I think you'll be pretty set.
That said, if you're already a fan of the Squirrel Girl comics, this will be a delight. Shannon and Dean Hale have managed to capture the spirit of Ryan North's Squirrel Girl to a phenomenal degree, right down to Doreen's footnotes to the third person narration, which mirror Ryan's bottom of the page commentary in the comics. Also a fun sort of in joke is getting to witness Squirrel Girl's first interactions with Iron Man and some of the other Marvel superheroes, which actually make some of the tweeting that goes on in the comics much funnier. It's a testament to the Hales' skills that they've managed to write a novel that is welcoming to SG newcomers but fresh enough for longtime fans AND manages to add depth to the already existing run of wonderful comics.
Recommended for superhero fans of all ages, but especially those ages 8-12.
Thanks to Marvel and Edelweiss for providing an advance review copy.
Because it's a prequel, no background in the comics is necessary to read and enjoy this book, but at least a little background in the Marvel universe would be preferred for you to get some of the jokes and understand some of the characters who appear, however briefly. (A few parts of the book are much funnier if you know who Black Widow, Iron Man, the Winter Soldier, Thor, and Rocket Raccoon are, for instance.) But if you've seen, say, an Avengers movie or two and Guardians of the Galaxy, I think you'll be pretty set.
That said, if you're already a fan of the Squirrel Girl comics, this will be a delight. Shannon and Dean Hale have managed to capture the spirit of Ryan North's Squirrel Girl to a phenomenal degree, right down to Doreen's footnotes to the third person narration, which mirror Ryan's bottom of the page commentary in the comics. Also a fun sort of in joke is getting to witness Squirrel Girl's first interactions with Iron Man and some of the other Marvel superheroes, which actually make some of the tweeting that goes on in the comics much funnier. It's a testament to the Hales' skills that they've managed to write a novel that is welcoming to SG newcomers but fresh enough for longtime fans AND manages to add depth to the already existing run of wonderful comics.
Recommended for superhero fans of all ages, but especially those ages 8-12.
Thanks to Marvel and Edelweiss for providing an advance review copy.
March 8, 2018
So!!!!! Much fun!!!!!! Squirrel Girl in school and fighting bad guys and being optimistic and eager! Yay
March 27, 2017
Ryan North and Erica Henderson write and illustrate the most recent (and wonderful) version of Squirrel Girl comics, but somehow Shannon and Dean Hale managed a very similar voice and feeling. It was great, it made me happy from cover to cover, just like the comics do.
It helped that I already knew exactly what Doreen looked and sounded like, and her mom as well, but I think Doreen would seem cute right off the bat to new readers as well. I really liked the chapters from Tippy's point-of-view; being able to do that was a big advantage the novel had over the comics. I liked the way the squirrels were real partners, especially Tippy-Toe (who got her pink ribbon in this book, a good fill-in of backstory). I liked Ana-Sophia’s chapters too. One of the consistently elements of all of the new Squirrel Girl stories is that Doreen always graciously shares the spotlight, and regular humans and squirrels can contribute to the problem solving as much as Squirrel Girl. One of the things I like best in the comics is how much Nancy, non-mutant human roommate, is an equal, often coming up with the best ideas or moves to save the day. Heroism isn't always about who's biggest or strongest. The consistency of format between the two formats, novel and comic, including having the footnotes/commentary in both, was smart too. It both created a certain intimate and amusing tone and also united the the book and comics into one series more tightly. The tone was a bit young for a fourteen year-old girl main character, but maybe that's a nice change from some of the dark YA stuff I read.
The basic, fundamental thing about Squirrel Girl is that you can't not feel good while you read about her. OK, I can’t, and I'm willing to bet that you can't as well. Seriously, even with a major migraine I was smiling and chuckling and feeling uplifted and lighthearted. These authors, here and in the comic, hit the magic formula with this kid and they keep on delivering the fun over and over again.
It helped that I already knew exactly what Doreen looked and sounded like, and her mom as well, but I think Doreen would seem cute right off the bat to new readers as well. I really liked the chapters from Tippy's point-of-view; being able to do that was a big advantage the novel had over the comics. I liked the way the squirrels were real partners, especially Tippy-Toe (who got her pink ribbon in this book, a good fill-in of backstory). I liked Ana-Sophia’s chapters too. One of the consistently elements of all of the new Squirrel Girl stories is that Doreen always graciously shares the spotlight, and regular humans and squirrels can contribute to the problem solving as much as Squirrel Girl. One of the things I like best in the comics is how much Nancy, non-mutant human roommate, is an equal, often coming up with the best ideas or moves to save the day. Heroism isn't always about who's biggest or strongest. The consistency of format between the two formats, novel and comic, including having the footnotes/commentary in both, was smart too. It both created a certain intimate and amusing tone and also united the the book and comics into one series more tightly. The tone was a bit young for a fourteen year-old girl main character, but maybe that's a nice change from some of the dark YA stuff I read.
The basic, fundamental thing about Squirrel Girl is that you can't not feel good while you read about her. OK, I can’t, and I'm willing to bet that you can't as well. Seriously, even with a major migraine I was smiling and chuckling and feeling uplifted and lighthearted. These authors, here and in the comic, hit the magic formula with this kid and they keep on delivering the fun over and over again.
July 3, 2017
Chitty chuk!
(That's OMFG THIS IS SO CUTE in Squirrel, for those of you who haven't yet read it)
I made a pact last year that I would try to read more Marvel comics. I was heavily reading DC (until Rebirth 😒) and Squirrel Girl was one of the comics that came recommended. I couldn't resist picking up Squirrel Girl, to go along with the Red Widow books.
Still thinking about whether or not to read it? Here's my top 5 reasons why you need a little Squirrel Girl in your life.
Kick Butts and Eat Nuts. This tag line tells you everything. Doreen is a superhero with the strength and unique attributes of a squirrel, which means she's strong and can command an army of the twitchy tailed creatures. As someone who once fought a squirrel and lost, I wouldn't want to face her.
Relatable. Remember high school? Anyone else have to move to a new place and start over? This book captures that perfectly. Plus the Hales do a fantastic job of describing each member of the diverse cast.
Marvel Cameos. No, not Stan Lee but Iron Man, Black Widow, and more. I love how Doreen inserted herself into the squad (where she belongs!).
Written for All Ages. Here's a book you can read with your family. Or listen to it, because it has an amazing audiobook. Maybe the kids aren't ready for the violence in the Marvel movies but this is totally up their alley.
But Wait, There's More! This book is a prequel to the current run of Squirrel Girl comics, which are just fantastic. It's clear they partnered with Ryan North to capture the essence of Squirrel Girl. So you can get your fill and then some with the all ages comic.
(That's OMFG THIS IS SO CUTE in Squirrel, for those of you who haven't yet read it)
I made a pact last year that I would try to read more Marvel comics. I was heavily reading DC (until Rebirth 😒) and Squirrel Girl was one of the comics that came recommended. I couldn't resist picking up Squirrel Girl, to go along with the Red Widow books.
Still thinking about whether or not to read it? Here's my top 5 reasons why you need a little Squirrel Girl in your life.
Kick Butts and Eat Nuts. This tag line tells you everything. Doreen is a superhero with the strength and unique attributes of a squirrel, which means she's strong and can command an army of the twitchy tailed creatures. As someone who once fought a squirrel and lost, I wouldn't want to face her.
Relatable. Remember high school? Anyone else have to move to a new place and start over? This book captures that perfectly. Plus the Hales do a fantastic job of describing each member of the diverse cast.
Marvel Cameos. No, not Stan Lee but Iron Man, Black Widow, and more. I love how Doreen inserted herself into the squad (where she belongs!).
Written for All Ages. Here's a book you can read with your family. Or listen to it, because it has an amazing audiobook. Maybe the kids aren't ready for the violence in the Marvel movies but this is totally up their alley.
But Wait, There's More! This book is a prequel to the current run of Squirrel Girl comics, which are just fantastic. It's clear they partnered with Ryan North to capture the essence of Squirrel Girl. So you can get your fill and then some with the all ages comic.
February 12, 2017
In the running for best squirrel superhero novel out there (which is something, given the other one is a Newbery Medal winner). Definitely the best squirrel book with footnotes (sorry, Lynn Rae Perkins.) It's the best of the popular franchise books by distinguished childrens' authors that I've read. (I've also read and liked Tom Angleberger's Rocket and Groot book, but that is a slighter work. I felt E.K. Johnston's Ahsoka novel wasn't as strong as her own original works.)
I thought the first two Princess in Black books were brilliant and this has a lot of the same awesomeness for a somewhat older audience. Some familiarity with the Marvel superheroes helps but not essential. (I had not heard of Squirrel Girl before.)
I thought the first two Princess in Black books were brilliant and this has a lot of the same awesomeness for a somewhat older audience. Some familiarity with the Marvel superheroes helps but not essential. (I had not heard of Squirrel Girl before.)
February 27, 2017
This was really fun, and I'm glad it exists, especially for kids who might be turned off by graphic novels but are interested in the character of Squirrel Girl. Or just squirrels. IDK.
There is a lot of Marvel Universe injokey stuff (Doreen's texts to all the other Avengers) but I think it mostly would still be funny on some level even to kids who aren't as familiar.
I also loved that Doreen's friend is a hearing impaired Latina girl!
I will say that for me, personally, I didn't like it as much as I like Ryan North's comics (the humor is a little more silly and a little less...whatever Ryan North is), but, also, this book isn't really for me, and I think this will be a lot of fun for a lot of middle-grade readers.
I debated between 3 & 4 stars for this but I'm rounding up to 4 mainly for Tony Stark's text messages and Doreen's footnotes.
There is a lot of Marvel Universe injokey stuff (Doreen's texts to all the other Avengers) but I think it mostly would still be funny on some level even to kids who aren't as familiar.
I also loved that Doreen's friend is a hearing impaired Latina girl!
I will say that for me, personally, I didn't like it as much as I like Ryan North's comics (the humor is a little more silly and a little less...whatever Ryan North is), but, also, this book isn't really for me, and I think this will be a lot of fun for a lot of middle-grade readers.
I debated between 3 & 4 stars for this but I'm rounding up to 4 mainly for Tony Stark's text messages and Doreen's footnotes.
March 12, 2018
Actual rating: 3.5
"I'm sure real Super Heroes call their moms sometimes, too. Like Captain America would take his mom along with him, if she hadn't died in 1962 or whatever. She'd put on a star-spangled helmet, hop in the sidecar of his motorcycle, and shoot S.H.I.E.L.D. lasers at bad guys, shouting 'Leave my boy alone!' I bet you my last acorn that Cap's mom was totally awesome."
SOMEONE WRITE SOME FANFICTION. PLEASE.
As for the rest of the book, it was lots of fun.
"I'm sure real Super Heroes call their moms sometimes, too. Like Captain America would take his mom along with him, if she hadn't died in 1962 or whatever. She'd put on a star-spangled helmet, hop in the sidecar of his motorcycle, and shoot S.H.I.E.L.D. lasers at bad guys, shouting 'Leave my boy alone!' I bet you my last acorn that Cap's mom was totally awesome."
SOMEONE WRITE SOME FANFICTION. PLEASE.
As for the rest of the book, it was lots of fun.
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