Squirrel Meets World
The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl: Squirrel Meets World by Shannon & Dean Hale
320 pages
Published February 7th 2017 by Marvel Press
My rating: 4.5 stars
Book source: I received an ARC for free from a book vendor and I purchased a finished copy.
This was one of those times when the ARC and finished copy had very different designs. I honestly can't decide which one I like better! But. Let's be real: this is the Squirrel Girl middle-grade origin story that we've been waiting for!
Our story begins with the Green family's recent move from California to New Jersey. Everything is different. The weather. The neighborhood. You know. The types of things kids and young teens notice and think are the most important things in the world. What isn't different is that Doreen Green is living a lie.
That's right! Doreen has lived her entire 14 years with a tail she has to hide from the world. Her parents say it's because other people would be totes jealous that they don't have a tail of their own. And Doreen has always believed that, because why wouldn't she? She understands how amazing it is to have the powers of both a girl and a squirrel, something her parents and kids at her old school definitely lacked.
So now she's in Jersey. Time to make friends! Except no one at this school really seems interested in the new girl. She knows her BFF is out there just waiting to meet her, but so far she has struck out. And it's really tough for her trying to make it without even squirrel friends in this new burg. Doreen had spent her life getting to know Californian squirrels and had to leave them and her best squirrel friend, Monkey Joe, behind when she moved.
Alone but trying to make the best of it, our heroine pushes on with school. Then one day she sees trouble in her neighborhood and can't help herself. Doreen's instincts kick in and saves the day--in front of witnesses. Suddenly, the whole school is talking about Squirrel Girl, and Doreen realizes she just might be a superhero after all: she has to keep her true identity a secret, she saves the day time and time again, and she feels good about it.
Then, about the time Doreen realizes that the little problems in her neighborhood start adding up to a bigger effort, an actual supervillain publicly calls out Squirrel Girl and taunts her mercilessly. It's all Doreen can do to stay one step ahead of these destructive plans. Can she defeat this sneaky, evil genius or will she forever be cursed to hide her true self away from the world?
I loved getting a peek into the homelife of Doreen Green and the world's most supportive parents, Dor and Maureen. We witness the spark of first friendship between SG & Tippy-Toe and learn why babies are so important to squirrels everywhere. And: there are footnotes! Faithful to Ryan North's direction with some fantastic additions, including getting some chapters from Tippy's POV.
Although it's aimed at middle-grade readers, this book is sure to be a hit with Squirrel Girl fans of any age.
