A boy and his pet raccoon experience all the joys and adventures of the Wisconsin woods and a small village in 1918

- Authors/American; 20th century; Biography.
- Rascal (Raccoon)
- Raccoon; Wisconsin; Biography.

In 1918, eleven year old Sterling North finds a baby raccoon and takes him home. Rascal soon becomes his constant companion and the most special pet Sterling has ever had (even taking into account his unusual menagerie which includes hedgehogs and a crow named Edgar Allen Poe). As Rascal begins to mature, Sterling must make some difficult decisions about what is best for him.

In this affectionately told memoir, Sterling North recalls the year he spent raising Rascal the raccoon from a kit to a twelve pound, fully grown raccoon. Although the reality of World War I does impinge upon Brailsford Junction, Wisconsin, Sterling's experiences are largely those of a boy growing up in a small rural town with lots of freedom to roam the surrounding wooded countryside. His father is a fairly remote figure who gives him lots of freedom and a good deal of responsibility, as evidenced respectively by the canoe Sterling is building in the living room and the fact that his father feels comfortable travelling on business for long periods of time, leaving Sterling to manage the household. This book is both a fascinating snapshot of an era and a chronicle of some of the joys and sadnesses of growing up. The voice of the narrator is that of an eleven year old boy who has somehow gained a little of the perspective that usually only comes with age and experience. I have read this book several times and never fail to enjoy both the humorous recollections and the feeling of being present for a much-loved, oft-told family story.

Sterling North is the Featured Author for the week of September 23, 2007. To get to this essay (and all the other Featured Author essays), go to the Home Page and click on "more" under Featured Author.