After Flora rescues a squirrel sucked up by a high-powered vacuum cleaner, she soon discovers the squirrel is now in possession of amazing superpowers, understands English and writes poetry. Sound good so far? Oh yes, and not only does the squirrel have an arch-nemesis who wants him dead, he must also battle ignorance, cynics, an aggressive cat and big hair during his adventures.

Written by Newberry Award winner, Kate DiCamillo, who always depicts her animal characters with great empathy, and with illustrations by K. G. Chesterton that capture some of the more hilarious incidents, this is a wonderfully warm and funny story of an unusual friendship between a girl and a squirrel. It also depicts the complications of modern family life with a light touch.

Highly recommended for readers aged 9 and up.

Angela Crocombe