Rascal

1
Rascal

• Sterling North

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If you have a pet raccoon you will have a
adventurous summer.

• Rascal made friends with tons of different types
  of people like the crazy janitor who thought the
  German Lutherans were going to poison the water
  supply of Brailsford Junction. All you have to
  do is feed him a little food, and hell be your
  best friend.
• Rascal eats the neighbors sweet corn, and all
  the neighbors get mad at Sterling.

3
If you have a pet raccoon you will have a
adventurous summer.

• Rascal helps Sterling win the pie-eating contest,
  but they are disqualified.
• Sterling takes Rascal to school, and he bites
  Slammy.
• Sterling goes to his aunt's and uncles to
  recover from the flu. Rascal tags along and finds
  out he loves honey.
• Rascal loves shinny objects and one time he takes
  Theos engagement ring.

4
A raccoon is a wild animal, and will behave like
one.

• A raccoon will always be a wild animal, and you
  cannot change that. You have to realize that
  because without accepting that, you will be
  really sad when the time comes to let them go.

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Plot

• Sterling and Oscar scare away a mother raccoon.
  One baby raccoon is left behind, and Sterling
  decides to keep him.
• Rascal takes Theos ring. Sterling climbs up the
  belfry to recover the ring.
• Rascal runs into a cave on top of a cliff.
  Sterling carefully maneuvers his way across the
  perilous cliff to recover Rascal.
• Sterling gives Rascal sweet corn which is a big
  mistake. Rascal raid s the neighbors gardens
  upsetting them all. Sterling must now keep Rascal
  on a leash, and he must lock him in a cage.
• Sterlings father takes them to Lake Koshkonong
  to camp for two weeks. Sterling and Rascal have
  the best of times while Sterlings father is away
  on business. Sterling never wants it to end.

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Setting

• The story takes place in Brailsford Junction, a
  small town in Wisconsin. Sterling lives in a
  farmhouse with his father in the suburbs of the
  town. Their house is not a mansion, but it is not
  a hut. It is a typical house you would in America
  during World War I. Sterling visits his Aunt and
  Uncles house and Lake Koshkonong in the story.

Location of Lake Koshkonong
Map of Lake Koshkonong
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Character Descriptions

• Sterling
• Sterling is a boy of 12 with a medium height and
  sandy colored hair with blue eyes. Sterling is
  very resourceful and can get himself out of
  almost any trouble. He is very polite to adults,
  and is a very outdoorsy, fun-loving guy. Sterling
  is the main character of the story. He keeps a
  pet raccoon as a pet and has a awesome summer
  full of adventures.

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Character Descriptions

• Rascal
• Rascal is a raccoon. He is gray and black with
  whiskers and a tail. Rascal is very curious he
  likes to know everything, and he can get
  Sterling into trouble when he is nosy. Rascal is
  all together a fun animal to have around. Rascal
  is Sterlings pet, and the cause for the
  wonderful summer, Sterling has in the story.

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Character Description

• Sterlings Father
• Sterlings Father is of a tall height, around 47
  years old, with brown hair ,a mustache, and brown
  eyes. He is very kind, but he doesnt realize how
  much Sterling needs him. Sterlings father is
  Sterlings father, and he helps him get out of
  some trouble that Rascal causes.

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Vocabulary

• Epaulets
• And upon a bank overlooking a bend in the big
  stream we found wild strawberries almost as
  bright as the red epaulets on the wings of
  blackbirds. Pg 37
• It means some type of pattern, blackbirds
  feathers make on their back.
• Definition something that ornaments or protects
  the shoulder
• Raucous
• This raucous old bird who cawed and cussed in
  crow language, was arching his wings and
  strutting like a poolroom bully as Rascal pushed
  open the screen and trundled into the sunlight,
  his penny shining like newly minted gold. Pg 42
• It means youre rude, loud, harsh, and
  unpleasant.
• Definition boisterously disorderly
• Contrite
• Oh, sonny boy, she said, suddenly full of
  contrite and fighting back the tears. Pg47
• It means sorrow.
• Definition feeling or showing sorrow and remorse
  for a sin or shortcoming

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Vocabulary

• Complacent
• We rushed down stairs in our pajamas to find Theo
  standing on a chair, treed by a complacent little
  raccoon who sat on the floor below blinking up at
  this crazy human being who was screeching like a
  fire siren. pg 49
• It means unaware of danger.
• Definition self-satisfaction especially when
  accompanied by unawareness of actual dangers or
  deficiencies
• Phosphorescent
• Ahead lay some of the most productive walnut and
  hickory trees I had ever looted, a good swimming
  hole in the creek, and, I one bit of forest, a
  real curiosity-a phosphorescent stump which
  gleamed at night with fox fire, as luminescent as
  all the lightning bugs in the world-ghostly and
  terrifying to boys who saw it for the first time.
  pg 16
• It means lighted.
• Definition an enduring luminescence without
  sensible heat.

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World War I
The War to End all Wars

• World War I lasted from 1914-1915.
• One in five of the Australians and New
  Zealanders who left their country to fight in the
  war never returned 80,000 in total.
• America became involved after the Lusitania, a
  ship carrying supplies was sunk.
• George M. Cohan wrote many famous pieces about
  WWI including Over there and Im a Yankee
  Doodle Dandy
• American soldiers were nicknamed Doughboys

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• Sterlings Similes
• Sterling is like a butterfly.
• Sterling is like a rock.
• Rascals Metaphors
• Rascal is a fly.
• Rascal is a bird.
• Jessicas Alliterations
• Jessica jumps joyfully in June.
• Jessica jousts in the Jovial Jousting
  Tournament.

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15
THE AUTHOR

• The author of this book is Sterling North. I
  feel Mr. North thinks its an excellent idea if
  you keep a raccoon for a pet as long as when the
  time comes for them to go back into the wild you
  let them. It almost feels as if this was the
  authors true experience. This book is a joy to
  read because you feel like youre there. Many
  animal stories are sad, because in the end, the
  dog dies, the animal runs away, or the child has
  to give them up. I usually do not like animal
  stories for that reason, but I love Rascal
  because it is a truly lighthearted story. My
  favorite part in the book is when Rascal is when
  Rascal is washing a sugar lump in milk, and it
  suddenly disappears. I love that part because I
  can just imagine this little raccoon bewildered
  by this disappearing food. The feeling you get
  from this book is joy, and thats why I think Mr.
  North thinks its a great idea to have a pet
  raccoon.