Those Darn Squirrels and the Cat Next Door (Those Darn Squirrels #2)

by Adam Rubin (Author) Daniel Salmieri (Illustrator)

Reading Level: 2nd − 3rd Grade

All is calm in old man Fookwire's yard until Little Old Lady Hu and her nefarious cat, Muffins move in next door.

Muffins terrorizes the yard and Fookwire is upset, but not nearly as upset as the squirrels, who devise an ingenious plan to stop Muffins cold. Full color.

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Publishers Weekly

Starred Review

Having already proved they're ideally matched in their debut, Those Darn Squirrels! (2008), Rubin and Salmieri go for two--and succeed. This time, Mr. Fookwire, his beloved backyard birds, and his relentlessly clever squirrel frenemies are united against a new neighbor and common enemy: a corpulent, take-no-prisoners cat named Muffins, whose idea of fun is giving the squirrels noogies, wet willies, and wedgies--and the last, readers are reminded, is "not an easy thing to do, because generally squirrels do not wear underpants." But before Muffins can show what he has in mind for the birds (who seem utterly clueless despite their curvilinear grace), the squirrels summon their ingenuity (their idea of brain food is cheese puffs and ginger ale) and concoct a revenge scheme that has Muffins retreating indoors permanently, thus insinuating themselves into Mr. Fookwire's grumpy affections once more. Rubin's sly ironies and Salmieri's spare but deeply goofy aesthetic is child-friendly urbanity at its best. And those squirrels! Impish, beady-eyed, and never individuated, they steal the spotlight in every scene. Ages 5-8. (May)

Copyright 2011 Publishers Weekly, LLC Used with permission.

School Library Journal

K-Gr 4--In this funny follow-up to Those Darn Squirrels (Clarion, 2008), Grumpy Old Man Fookwire is not only beleaguered by crafty squirrels, but he also has to contend with new neighbors. Little Old Lady Hu's cat, Muffins, is "a real jerk" who terrifies Fookwire's beloved birds and gives the squirrels "wedgies." While Fookwire writes a letter of complaint to the mayor, the squirrels hatch a plan. Muffins gets his comeuppance when he walks into a booby trap and is doused with a gallon of water. Underneath all his fluffy bluster, the cat is revealed to be "nothing but a skinnymalink." Salmieri's droll watercolor, gouache, and colored pencil illustrations capture the eccentric cast of characters, from the bald, beakish Fookwire painting pictures of birds "till he got blisters on his fingers" to the merry band of squirrels dropping in through Fookwire's mail slot to finish his crossword puzzles. A quirky read-aloud choice.--Linda Ludke, London Public Library, Ontario, Canada

Copyright 2011 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Review quotes

THOSE DARN SQUIRRELS
A Junior Library Guild Premier Selection
A 2008 Borders Original Voices Award Winner
A 2009 Children's Choice Award nominee
A 2009 finalist in the Read Boston Best Read Aloud Book Award
Nominated for the 2009 New Hampshire Ladybug Picture Book Award

"Bald Fookwire is a riot. . . and the squirrels, with their bloated bellies and contented smiles, are a flying hoot in this droll debut."—Kirkus Reviews, starred
"A symphony of regret, respect, and sweetness. Readers will want to linger over this book and treasure every page."—School Library Journal

Adam Rubin

Adam Rubin is the author of Those Darn Squirrels and Those Darn Squirrels and the Cat Next Door. A major celebrity in the squirrel community, he lives in New York City.

Daniel Salmieri painted the squirrels in his backyard to prepare for this book, and they were annoyed. He lives in Brooklyn, New York. Visit his website at www.danielsalmieri.com.

Classification
Fiction
ISBN-13
9780544809024
Lexile Measure
810
Guided Reading Level
-
Publisher
Clarion Books
Publication date
October 04, 2016
Series
Those Darn Squirrels
BISAC categories
JUV019000 - Juvenile Fiction | Humorous Stories
JUV002050 - Juvenile Fiction | Animals | Cats
JUV002230 - Juvenile Fiction | Animals | Squirrels
Library of Congress categories
Humorous stories
Cats
Neighbors
Squirrels

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