NUTS TO YOU

The funny and moving young tween novel by Newbery Medalist Lynne Rae Perkins is about nuts, squirrels, friendship, and the power of stories to save the world. It features black-and-white art by the author on every page. Nuts to You is a great read-aloud, a kind of Incredible Journey with squirrels, and it will appeal to fans of animal fantasies by Kate DiCamillo and Kathi Appelt.

Jed, Chai, and TsTs are the very best of friends. One day, while out gathering nuts for the winter, Jed is snatched by a hawk. Chai and TsTs watch in disbelief as the hawk swoops up and away... far away. They race to the highest branch they can find—there is Jed, a speck in the distance, several realms away. But then, they see something unbelievable: Jed falling through the sky. Is it possible that their friend is still alive? Chai and TsTs resolve to go see, traveling along the power lines, traveling farther than they ever have before. Jed, for his part, is still alive, having bounced off a dog and landed in a pile of leaves. Jed resolves to find a way home—but where is home?

New communities are discovered, new friends made, huge danger encountered (both man-made and of the fox and bobcat variety), and the mysteries of squirrel culture are revealed. It turns out squirrels are steadfast and fun-loving. It turns out they adore peanut butter. It turns out they love games and a really good story. And nuts.

Nuts to You is literary, quirky, funny, and thought-provoking. It is a powerful and satisfying piece of storytelling, about the power of stories to save the world.

Lynne Rae Perkins is the creator of several acclaimed children’s books. She was awarded the Newbery Medal for her novel Criss Cross, and its companion, All Alone in the Universe, was named an ALA Notable Book and ALA Booklist Editors’ Choice, among other honors. Her recent novels include As Easy as Falling Off the Face of the Earth and her most recent title, Nuts to You. She has written and illustrated six picture books, including Snow Music and Home Lovely, both Boston Globe-Horn Book Honor Books, as well as The Cardboard Piano, Pictures from Our Vacation, The Broken Cat, and Clouds for Dinner. She is also the illustrator of Seed by Seed, a picture book biography of Johnny Appleseed, by Esmé Raji Codell. Lynne Rae Perkins lives with her family in northern Michigan.