Revver The Big Race Home, still ripping doughnuts for elementary school

Revver The Speedway Squirrel was one of the mid through early middle school comfort reads released in 2021. The premise about a squirrel and how he’s able to communicate with humans, in addition to not getting squished by cars going 150 miles an hour is inherently interesting to elementary school kids. It’s Frogger, but in a kidlit friendly way that makes you root for the squirrel and the humans. Revver The Speedway Squirrel: The Big Race Home sees our favorite squirrel traveling with the race crew. Reluctant elementary school readers unite because this book continues the folky, adventuresome tales of a rodent with a shade tale and a penchant for speed.

In The Big Race Home, Revver is on the road with the team. He really wants to race in the car, but is also a bit hyper and too curious. As one might figure, this combination is that of a typical squirrel and an elementary school student gets him into trouble from time to time. One of these times he’s at an airport, while the race crew might view him as one of them; the folks at the airline simple see him as a pet, or worse. Hence, when Revver has to be stored in a carrier, away from the team he kind of freaks out a bit and escapes.

With his human crewmates in the plane and him now scurrying around the grounds of the luggage area what’s a street smart squirrel to do? He’s got a great memory, but with the floor moving, things flying above, devious cats and curious mice Revver has to up his game in order to find his people.

Reverr The Big Race Home is a book that will instantly speak to middle elementary school students. The chapters are three to six pages long and help develop kids who are graduating to chapter books.  It’s an effortless read for those ages because it’s a fun book to read. That sounds overly simplistic, because, obviously kids want to read fun books.

Where Revver really succeeds for kids, as well as, those educators or parents that care about them, is that the book is wholesome. By that I mean it’s got heart and is the pure sort of book that doesn’t have any potty humor within sight of its furry tail. Don’t get me wrong, I love potty humor and fully recognize that it’s a gateway in getting reluctant reader boys to learn to love reading. However, as those kids get into the fourth or fifth grade they have to read a certain level of book that’s devoid of those characteristics.

This book bridges those two worlds in a way that pleases everyone. It’s escapist fun that will have readers rooting for Revver as he tries to find his way to his friends with the help of a variety of other critters. Older readers, those kids in middle school, will probably be too old for the book. They might read it for comfort food, but it’s tailor-made for those kids aged seven to 10. Elementary school libraries will love it and once kids get a taste for the speedway squirrel it’ll be a book that makes the water cooler rounds for the age group.

Revver The Speedway Squirrel, The Big Race Home is by Sherri Duskey Rinker with illustrations by Alex Willan and available on Bloomsbury Children’s Books.

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