Revver the Speedway Squirrel

Revver the Speedway Squirrel

by Sherri Duskey Rinker, Alex Willan (Illustrator)

The author of the bestselling Goodnight, Goodnight, Construction Site picture books makes her middle grade debut in this utterly delightful, illustrated series perfect for fans of Beverly Cleary's The Mouse and the Motorcycle.Meet a little squirrel with big dreams . . . to drive a race car! His siblings might not understand his need for speed, but Revver doesn't care. And he certainly doesn't care about looking for food, climbing trees, or any other "ordinary" squirrel activity. He spends his days staring at the racetrack just below his nest, where the cars zoom by day in and day out. When Revver finally gets the chance to sneak out to the track, he finds that becoming part of the pit crew is more difficult than he expected. He never learned anything about engines in Squirrel School! Then Revver meets tire changer Bill, who luckily has a soft spot for animals. Can Revver prove to Bill that he deserves to be part of the team? Perfect for fans of Ralph S. Mouse, Revver the Speedway Squirrel is a funny, action-packed, and heartwarming story about family, feeling different, and following your heart.

Genres: Animals, Middle Grade, Adventure, Sports, Childrens

207 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 6, 2020

About the author

Sherri has returned to her passion of writing to indulge her own children's passions. A graphic designer, she lives in Chicago with her photographer husband, a cockapoo named Quincy, several fish, a few hermit crabs, an ever-changing array of insects in jars, toys in every corner, and two energetic and inquisitive young boys: one fascinated by bugs and magic and another obsessed with trucks and trains. She's constantly inspired -- and often exhausted! She created GOODNIGHT, GOODNIGHT, CONSTRUCTION SITE in hopes of happier bedtimes and sweet dreams for all.

This is Sherri's first book, and (just in case you think it can't happen!) it was picked from the slush pile.

Reviews

[Miranda Reads (back from hiatus) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Revver has spent his entire life in a tree - with his mom and siblings.

They spend all day learning how to build nests, searching for food and other squirrely-stuff. But Revver? He wants adventure!

There's a racetrack that he can see from this treetop home and every spare moment Revver dreams of joining the drivers and speeding around the track.

Despite his mom's warnings, Revver sneaks out to get a peek at the cool cars and...he gets swept up in the action!

Overall, this was a rather cute tale.

I liked the dynamic of the squirrel family - the siblings were fun to watch and I empathize so much with the mother as she tried to wrangle her family. I \enjoyed the way the author sprinkled in squirrel facts.

It was fun to watch Revver pursue his dream and get ever-closer to driving a race var.

I also liked that Revver failed a few times before getting things right. It's nice to see a children's storybook character have to work a bit to get things going.

All in all - this book was a success in my eyes!!

With thanks to Bloomsbury Publishing for sending me a free copy in exchange for an honest review

YouTube | Blog | Instagram | Twitter | Facebook | Snapchat @miranda_reads

[Kimberly · Rating 3 out of 5]

So. Many. Fart jokes. It took us so long to read it because I was so tired of it. The beginning drags on longer than it needs to. We switched to listening to it on audio. My kids loved it and couldn’t get enough of it. Especially my 5 year old boy. I’m sure he will love to read it independently when he starts reading chapter books.

[Hoover Public Library Kids and Teens · Rating 4 out of 5]

This squirrel is mesmerized by the zooming cars looping the racetrack below his family nest. Once he turns 50 days old, he has big plans to make that racetrack his new home. Vr-vr-vr-VRRROOOOM!

[Stephanie P (Because My Mother Read) · Rating 5 out of 5]

(Rating chosen by my 7 year old, I have personally only flipped through it).

We received an advance copy of this book from the publisher to review.

This is the very first full chapter book my 7 year old has read entirely on his own! It’s more advanced than the early chapter books he has reed before, but is below a full middle grade novel in difficulty. There are some illustrations throughout, but not many.

This book also brought the first experience of him staying up late at night to keep reading a chapter book—which both made me really proud and wonder if I need to be the responsible adult and tell him to go to sleep.

He said he would rate it 5/5 because he loved it and because Revver loves race cars just like him.

[Pam · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received an electronic ARC from Bloomsbury USA Children's Books through NetGalley.
This will appeal to mid-elementary students. It's style is too low for middle school and could be a bit too challenging for lower elementary level readers.
Revver is different from his brothers, sister and mom. They are content to live in the forest and stay safe. He wants to go as fast as possible and to be part of the speedway action. His sister encourages him to be who he is meant to be so he sets off to get inside the track wall. Plenty of humorous incidents occur as he figures out his role on the team. He even saves the day a couple of times so is invited to travel with the pit team.
Some of the description could have been shortened, but a fun book to read. The squirrels' personalities come through clearly and the family love shines through.

[Boys · Rating 2 out of 5]

The story line of this book is cute, but the execution was TERRIBLE. The author took three pages to write what could have been written in one paragraph. The repetition of certain phrases was so irritating, my 9 and 8 year old boys asked me to leave those parts out when reading aloud. (The female squirrel must say “oh brother” 100x throughout this book. The countless times a ‘squirrel nodded as best as a squirrel can nod’ or ‘smiled as best as a squirrel can smile’ or did anything ‘as best as a squirrel can’ drove us all crazy!) There are so many other children’s books that are better than this, read any one of them instead!

[Jessie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very slow build for the first 2/3 of the book… then I had to skim through the last 1/3 and summarize for my son because the content suddenly got very fast-paced and scary (Revver had to suddenly help rescue his sister, who had fallen into a pit and was being stalked by coyotes 😳). Overall, my son was excited to read it every time we picked up the book, but I thought the book could have been half as long and still gotten its point across. 🤷🏻‍♀️

[Kristen Gwen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Revver has grown up in a tree by a speedway, and all he wants to do is go fast. When he reaches his 50th day birthday, he’s told he must go out into the world, but his mother worries that all those racing thoughts have pushed out essential knowledge that all squirrels must know to survive. Time will tell. When Revver finds his new home in the garage of the speedway, he meets a few new friends, and has a few adventures that could either put him in grave danger, or give him a place to belong.

For the most part, I enjoyed this book. The first half was a bit slow and repetitive, but once Revver got to the track, it was super cute and a lot of fun. This book would be perfect for kids who love cars and racing. There is a lot of car lingo and fun vocab words for them to learn the meaning of right along with Revver. All around, a fun book for the race enthusiast in your life.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

[Tracie · Rating 3 out of 5]

A young squirrel and car-racing enthusiast (aptly named Revver) sets out on his own, earns a spot on a pit crew, and puts his skills to the test when his sister's life and the big race are on the line.

Short chapters and spot illustrations make this an excellent read-aloud. While the focus is more on family dynamics than car racing action, Revver's desire to prove himself will draw in young readers, and plenty of potty humor (Revver has a brother named "Farty") keeps the pages turning. A light adventure with a lot of heart, and a good choice for vehicle-obsessed kids ready to move beyond picture books.

[Brittany Dean · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you are a nascar fan or have the need for speed then this book is for you. The story is about a squirrel and his need for speed. Revver grows up by the race track and wants nothing g more than to get close to the cars. On the 50th day of the nest his mom sends him and his siblings off to real world. Reeves goes to the track where he takes a ride of life and learns all about cars! Will he join the team ? Will he save the day?

My favorite quote
“He could LEARN THINGS. He was HELPFUL. He was USEFUL. He had SKILLs, important skills. “

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Story about a racing squirrel would be good for older, middle grade, readers. There is a lot of back and forth between characters along with repetitive sayings that assist Revver in taking the right path but only after making wrong choices and mistakes. Good lessons on love of family, forgiveness, and letting go.
I received an advanced reader copy from NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving my review.

[LK Literary · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hilarious and warm-hearted. Kids are going to fall in love with Revver, his love of car racing, and his adorable family, both the one he was born into, and the family he finds by pursuing his passion.

[Megan Kurus · Rating 4 out of 5]

Revver’s character is extremely cute and there’s lots of adventure in this book.
I do wish this book had more pictures throughout. I would definitely classify it more as a 3rd grade+ book with the length.

[Jessica F · Rating 3 out of 5]

Revver isn't like his brother and sister squirrels. He doesn't want to run just for fun, he wants to be the fastest! Revver has a hard time focusing on Squirrel School lessons - especially the ones about staying away from cars...

[Jessica Bogacki · Rating 5 out of 5]

A delightful story about following your dreams. Racing fans of all ages will fall in love with Revver.

My seven year old always wanted one more chapter!

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

Appropriate for younger kids as a read-aloud. I read it to my 7 year old and we both enjoyed it.

[Paige]

Bookmarks Festival panel 2021

[Steph · Rating 4 out of 5]

How adorable is this book?! Love this squirrel and his big dreams!

[Lisa D · Rating 5 out of 5]

Too cute! Funny book!

[Courtney · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute story about Revver’s family and how he grew to love racing

[Marcia Van Camp]

Eldest read

[Danielle Barger · Rating 4 out of 5]

V and I enjoyed. Super cute with some very funny lines!

[Shay · Rating 4 out of 5]

cute story with unique pet second half not so much

[Rachel · Rating 2 out of 5]

Cute story but the beginning dragged on, and I almost didn't read the book. The squirrel Farty was supposed to be humorous, but I didn't care for that. The story would have been better if some of the content was omitted.

[Tiffany Cashatt]

Too much forced bathroom humor that didn’t go with the story at all. Could have/should have been much shorter. My son enjoyed it though