Raffie on the Run

by Jacqueline Resnick, Joe Sutphin (Illustrations)

Roaring Brook Press has bought the middle grade novel Raffie on the Run, an animal adventure written by Jacqueline Resnick, illustrated by Joe Sutphin. Pitched as Finding Nemo meets The Cricket in Times Square, it stars Raffie Lipton, a New York City subway rat who ventures outside his comfy subway stop in Brooklyn in a quest to save his younger brother. Publication is scheduled for winter 2018.

Genres: Childrens, Animals, Birds

256 pages, Hardcover

Published February 13, 2018

About the author

Jacqueline Resnick is the author of Raffie on the Run, a middle grade novel. She spent twelve years living in Manhattan and Brooklyn, where she often wrote on the subway -- and every once in a while spotted a subway rat like Raffie. She now lives in New Jersey with her family. Learn more at www.jacquelinewrites.com.

Reviews

[Patrick · Rating 5 out of 5]

Every once and awhile an “animal” story is just what I need. I love Jacqueline’s first two books and she sent me an ARC of this one. Excellent story. Lots of heart. Great adventure. Can’t wait to share with my students!

[Avery Washington]

I remember LOVING this book as a child. Like, I LOVED it.

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well-written animal stories like this one are hard to resist, and I'm sure many intermediate readers will enjoy it. Although I was certain that things would turn out all right in the end, there were plenty of moments that made me wonder. The plot concerns a family of rats who live in the subway system in Brooklyn. Raffie Lipton has grown up with firm reminders from his parents about the dangers around them, and he tries to be careful when he forages for food. The descriptions of what he and the other rats eat are described in vivid detail, providing something of an ugh factor for readers. Raffie loves his little brother, Oggie, and often weaves tales of adventure for the young rat in which he has a staring role. But when Oggie ventures outside the family's safety net and is captured by a schoolboy interested in bringing a subway rat to school, Raffie must save his brother--or die trying. The adventures he has as he moves across the city are interesting enough, but what made this book special was all the animals he meets along the way--a compassionate pigeon, a pampered show dog, a lovelorn canine willing to go to any lengths to be reunited with his love, and several animals, including a cat, a skunk, and a raccoon, destined for extermination in the animal control center. There were sly observations about New Yorkers and several short news articles that mention some of the animals' antics. There are even funny sections in which Raffie corrects the grammar of Kaz, his new pigeon buddy. The pen and ink illustrations complement the story quite effectively and show the personalities of these various critters. If nothing else, the book attests to the strong bond between family members and the determination of one rat. I certainly would not mind reading another book featuring any of these characters. As each of Raffie's new friends receded in importance as he tried to reach his goal of finding and rescuing Oggie, I missed them. This would be a good read aloud title as students could predict what might happen next on his journey.

[Fred Greenberg · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved Jacqueline Resnick’s newest book – Raffie on the Run. It is a well-crafted tale of a pizza loving NYC rat that lives with his family behind the walls of the Bergen Street subway station in Brooklyn. Raffie loves to tell his little brother Oggie tall tales about his adventures in New York. One day Oggie is taken from their beloved Brooklyn subway station by several children. Raffie now has to live up to the nickname his brother gave him – Raffie the Unstoppable – as he goes on a remarkable adventure through the subways, streets, buildings and sewers of New York City to save his little brother. In his adventure he partners with a pigeon (who has his own interesting tale weaved into the story line), a pampered show dog, an extraordinary cockroach and other animal residents of the City. Raffie also confronts hungry cats, a greedy squirrel with his own social media following, sewer rat kings, a flock of mean pigeons, a Central Park falcon and a horde of unhappy animals captured by NYC animal control.

The story is about whether Raffie can live up to his nickname? Can he successfully embark on a real adventure and find the inner hero his brother thinks he is and which he must be to save his brother?

I wholeheartedly recommend the book for children of all ages, as well as grown-ups who love a great animal story. Five stars!

[Cara · Rating 5 out of 5]

This new animal story with a classic feel presents an average character (Raffie the rat) who proves himself to be incredible by completing a near-impossible quest. The setting of New York City comes through in every aspect, from subway tunnels to high-rise apartment buildings and New York-style pizza. The narrative is well-written and fast-paced, with great action scenes and character development. Interspersed with the chapters are fake media pieces, including newspaper articles, photos, and more, highlighting stages of Raffie’s journey from different points of view. Stories-within-the-story are shared by Raffie, starring his alter-ego Raffie the Unstoppable, who inspires the real rat and his friends to be brave, proving the power of stories. Black-and-white cartoon pen illustrations bring out the characters’ personalities, successfully created by Resnick and reflected in the drawings, making animals that are normally seen as pests endearing with large eyes and a range of expressions. Fans of Charlotte’s Web and the Warriors series will adore this action-packed, animal-centric world.

[Carin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story is so cute! An adventure-quest novel where a little rat, Raffie, travels from Brooklyn to Manhattan to rescue his little brother, Oggie, who was rat-napped. I loved the themes (which thankfully aren't hit over the head) of making friends, overcoming fears, trying something you haven't tried before, the importance of family and home, and how if you're helpful to someone that someone might be helpful to you down the road. A famous squirrel wearing jewelry really cracked me up. Raffie's family felt real to me. I liked the ratization of sayings (replacing foot with paw) and the normalization of the rats' life, such as sleeping twice a day during rush hour, when it's loud in their subway station home and there's no point in being awake as they can't forage.

It was sweet and poignant and kept me on the edge of my seat, although not so much so as to make a reader anxious, and make me think fondly of rats, which is a big feat. A great book for younger middle school kids who will love the adventure, soak up the lessons, and probably lobby for a rat as a class pet.

[Kristin]

Really cute, wholesome story with themes of bullying and justice, staying safe and the risks of daredevilry, and positive sibling relations. Truly intended for young children, I can't read it in full as an adult (opposed to something like Calpurnia Tate that you can fully read and appreciate as an adult novel), but I'm aware that I would have really loved it when I was in about 3rd grade. Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of Nimh-adjacent, where it's a sweet anthropomorphizing story about the inner world of animals that demands real empathy for animals and will get kid readers interested for life in treating even the more "wretched" animal species with compassion. Also I know when I was that age, I also sought and appreciated illustrations within the bigger chapter books like this one has-- takes me back to the beloved reading experience from my childhood of that series of classics with the glossy hardcovers and larger text that were interspersed with contemplative ink illustrations (Julie of the Wolves, Black Beauty, Huckleberry Finn, Heidi-- you know the ones!).

[Jen · Rating 5 out of 5]

** I received an advance reader copy of this book through a Goodreads giveaway. **

This was just so cute! I loved the story, loved the characters, just loved it! Obviously it's for younger kids but if you loved animal stories when you were younger, you will still enjoy this book. There's plenty of action and adventure and close calls and all sorts of animals to enjoy. This is a great book for animal lovers that can also teach lessons about overcoming adversity (pigeon with a deformed wing) and never giving up (the main rat character travels from brooklyn to central park to save his little brother fighting off nasty humans, diamond obsessed squirrels and very hungry falcons). The illustrations are adorable too. I just really, really enjoyed this book!

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Raffie lives in a subway with his family and tells his brother stories of his heroic acts. When his brother is captured by a human, Raffie knows he must be the hero his brother thinks he is and rescue him. On his adventure, Raffie meets a pigeon who befriends him and helps him learn that he can be unstoppable. This is a fun and sweet story that shows the bonds of family and the power of friendship.

[Denice Hein · Rating 5 out of 5]

Raffie the Unstoppable is on a mission to find his kid brother. In each chapter he has some amazing hurdle to jump and with friends, Kaz, along with him. They are UNSTOPPABLE.
Perseverance, overcoming stereotypes, friendship, family, courage all in one kid friendly chapter book. 3-6 is recommended grade levels.

[Mandy · Rating 4 out of 5]

(4.5)

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Middle grade chapter book. A young subway rat gets into and out of many dangerous scrapes and is finally reunited with his family. Themes of loyalty, perseverance, friendship.

[Liz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute story about pizza rat!