In Kacy Cook's Nuts, Squirrels Are Best Appreciated From Afar

Last year, I discovered that January 21 is Squirrel Appreciation Day. This year, I started loading up on squirrel-related books as soon as January arrived in anticipation of this charming holiday, which led me to Nuts, the debut intermediate novel by Kacy Cook.

In this 2010 book, Nell is a homeschooled 11-year-old who lives an intellectually stimulating life with her two younger brothers. One day, they discover an orphaned infant squirrel squealing in the yard. After some debate, they take the squirrel inside to rescue it from a neighboring cat. Some research online gives Nell an idea of how to proceed – though she carefully ignores the warnings that injured or orphaned wildlife should be taken to a rehabilitator. Nell wants to take care of this squirrel herself, and she’s convinced that if she does a good enough job, she’ll be able to keep it as a pet.

Nell, who serves as the book’s narrator, is an engaging character. It’s easy to understand her reluctance to part with the squirrel, to which she soon adds another, as she discovers the brother of the first just a little later. The squirrels become her special project; though her brothers remain involved in their care, the bulk of the responsibility falls to her, and that’s the way she wants it. These are her babies, and they quickly become her obsession.

The book seems in slight conflict with itself, since Cook very clearly intends to impress upon her young readers that they should not try this at home, yet at the same time, she sort of gives them a primer on how to do exactly that. Maybe she’s hoping that when they truly understand how much work is involved, children like Nell will lose interest in such a task and decide to leave it up to the professionals. In any case, the book does get pretty preachy, which may be a turn-off to some.

In addition to the central message that caring for a wild animal is difficult, dangerous and sometimes even illegal, Cook sneaks in some other heavy-handed messages too. Through the character of Russ, a boy Nell initially dislikes but ultimately develops a crush on, Cook advocates hunting as a means of population control. She also seems eager to demonstrate the virtues of homeschooling and both the value and danger of the Internet. Finally, she encourages children to be honest; Nell’s little lie at the beginning of the book spins out of her control, leading to unforeseen consequences.

The overtly didactic nature of this book sometimes got in the way of my enjoyment, but it is an interesting story with likable characters and a neat glimpse at how squirrels grow and change from infancy to adulthood. For squirrel lovers around the 10-to-12-year-old range, Nuts balances fascinating facts with the old adage that if you love something, you must be willing to let it go.