Nutty Study Buddies

The Dead Sea Squirrels #3

by Mike Nawrocki

Michael learns that--like the Thessalonians in the Bible--he will prosper if he works hard when Pearl the 2,000-year-old squirrel helps him study for his math test.

Genres: Childrens, Christian, Chapter Books, Christian Fiction, Humor, Animals, Fiction

128 pages, Paperback

First published September 3, 2019

About the author

As co-creator of Veggie Tales, co-founder of Big Idea Entertainment, and the voice of the beloved Larry the Cucumber, Mike Nawrocki has been dedicated to helping parents pass on wholesome values to their kids through storytelling for over two decades. Mike currently serves as the artist in residence at Lipscomb University, where he is also pursuing an MFA in writing and directing for film. The Dead Sea Squirrels is Mike's first children's book series, which he has been delighted to write from the home he shares with his wife, Lisa, and their two children in Franklin, Tennessee.

Reviews

[Cathryn]

A good lesson on procrastination and the results of hard work. Pearl Squirrel is the best! 💖🐿️

[Faith]

The third in the series, Michael and Justin are still keeping the secret of Merle and Pearl Squirrel, two squirrels previously well preserved in sea salt, who originally lived during the time Jesus walked the earth.

As church librarian, I'm always on the look-out for great new fiction for younger readers. This series, caught my eye and I read the first book in the series--I didn't love it, but decided to give the series another try.

This made for a short read, with cartoon style illustrations and with young reader friendly font. The third in the Dead Sea Squirrels Series, it wouldn't be a bad place to start as there are character bios and snippets of back story to help the reader start the series out of order if necessary.

I guess I just felt underwhelmed after reading this book, I felt the plot was too simple and short. I understand that it is written for younger readers, but I have read other books similar in target audience that had a more complex plot and stronger themes of faith and lessons. There are some fun original concepts here, and maybe if Michael and the squirrels interacted with each other more some of those concepts would come out stronger. Though humorous, sometimes I felt like it was trying too hard at times.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher. Opinions are my own.

[Wintermote]

Entertaining to me, good message, and my 3-year-old sat and listened to the entire thing in one day (potty training involves a lot of sitting....)

Read again to the little who is now 5. We loved it just as much this round.

[Jim]

this series is a lot of fun (just don't over think the set-up - neither the israeli or u.s. airport security agencies noticed a kid bringing dehydrated squirrels on the airplane? the kid's parents didn't check his backpack for soda, or stuff he couldn't take on a plane ride from the middle east to walnut creek tenn.? this is no more or less silly than an adult dressing up as a bat and fighting crime.)
the plot of this is kid needs to study for the big math test but has fun instead, fails test, rodent points out somethings they heard Jesus say at the Sermon on the Mount and Paul tell the Thessalonians, kid retakes test test and aces it.
english and aramaic speaking 2000-year-old rodents i can believe. i don't believe that a kid that struggles w/fractions and long division can do great on a test just by cramming. the author says writing about studying is almost as boring as reading about it but i would like to have had Pearl the squirrel give the kid some practical tips on solving problems and studying.

[Margaret Boling]

11/26/2019 ~ I was underwhelmed by the characterization and plot. Several of the scenes in which the talking squirrels were trying to escape from the diabolical cat were laugh-out-loud funny.

I picked this book up because I saw it on the new book display at my public library. The cover has kid-appeal, and I'm always on the lookout for new "junior fiction" for my elementary school library. This book comes from a religious press and incorporates multiple descriptions from New Testament of the Bible. The story also emphasizes that all that is needed for success is hard work (i.e. the main character can succeed at math if he just focuses and works harder - even if he actually needs some additional tutoring).

[Jessica Silhavy]

My son loves this series, he's 5 and we have read it as his bedtime read aloud. He was very sad when we had to wait for the next one from the library. We will read 2-3 chapters a night, they are sweet and short.

They are wonderful books for reading aloud to the younger children, and great for 2nd-ish grade reading level to read on their own.

The squirrels are charming and entertaining while teaching children great values from the Bible to live by. I highly recommend you read this series if you have not already done so, or read it again if you have.

The books do follow a plot as a whole, so you do need to read them in order.

[Alexis]

I overall liked this book. It is entertaining and engaging and teaches a good lesson about working hard and reaping the rewards of that. The parts I don't like are that Michael is still lying to his parents and that he has such a negative attitude toward math. It does resolve and he does decide that working hard on his math is worth it but it seems like it is mostly for the money his dad offered for a good grade. I do like some of the things this story teaches but not some of the others. I'm still deciding if I am willing to let my kids read this book.

[Lisa Lewis Lewis]

The Dead Sea Squirrels are a series of children's books that are just a fun read. In each volume, the squirrels and Michael (the boy who discovered them and brought them home from the Dead Sea) get themselves in some sort of predicament, and along the way, they learn some valuable lessons. I don't feel they're preachy; there's one verse at the beginning of the book, which gives you an idea of the lesson that will be learned. My 9- and 10-year-old grandsons think they're hilarious!

[Jamie]

My kids continue to enjoy this series, and I enjoy the moral messages planted in them. In this story main character Michael learns about working hard vs slacking off and the implications that can have. The squirrels keep the story fun and entertaining. As I’ve mentioned with the other books we have read in the series, it ends abruptly and you definitely can skip around, instead you need to read them in order.

[Kathryn Mcilwraith]

Michael doesn’t like math, so he would much rather doodle than pay attention in class, and he would rather go skating than study. Pearl the Squirrel helps him learn the importance of working hard. A few notes, depending on your family’s preferences: (1) there is a reference to a squirrel drinking out of toilet, (2) Sadie has a crush on Michael, and (3) Michael’s dad pays him $10 to make a good grade on his math test.

[Isaiah]

Love this series! I can’t wait to buy this series someday for my niece and nephew! In this one, Michael learns a lesson about what happens when he is lazy. I also love how each book Merle and Pearl (the squirrels) have a story about Jesus!

[Mo]

I wish the Biblical story was a little longer. I love when Merle and Pearl tell about life long ago!

[Terri]

My 7 year old LOVES this series!

[Melmo2610]

Enjoyed this story and my kids really did! Fun story and a good message.

[Emily]

Read this as a read aloud for school. It is such a fun Witty book wrapped in a Bible lessons. I loved that it lined up with what we are learning about.

[Barry McCarty-Daniels]

I liked that he was nice to his friends.

I didn't like that the squirrels were being mean.

[Laura McCarty-Daniels]

I liked that they learned to do to others as they done to them.

I didn't like that the cat chased after them.

[Ashton]

this series just gets more cute with every book. My picky reader can't get enough

[Janelle]

These books are so funny. They keep the whole family laughing.

[Cris]

Nutty Study Buddies

This is the third book in the Dead Sea Squirrels series. Pearl is my favorite and I can’t wait to see how the family reacts to them!!

[Sydney Murray]

Learned about hard work for the Lord. Inspiring as usual

[Josephine - ✨ Child of God ✨]

This is a great book and a Christian book I love this series!!

[Celinda Daniel]

The stars are my girls' review of if (11 and 8y).
They said they loved it, but might not read it again, that's why it deserves 4 stars. 😊

[Kelsey]

Another good lesson and we actually did this on audio. We loved all the sound effects!!

[Nick]

This was cute. I didn't have any problems with it, and it had a couple of cute moments. I like Merle, but I find the human characters to be largely interchangeable. This isn't Shakespeare, and my kids seem to enjoy them.

[Bookworm]

Like: goofy silly dumb middle grade fun!
Gently Christian
Dislike: This was published in 2019 but they claim to be in 2020, which - we all know what happened in 2020 - so I really hope these don’t turn into Pandemic Books but it’s jarring even if they don’t.

[Samuel]

I really liked it! I also really like this series!