Revver the Speedway Squirrel (Revver the Speedway Squirrel #1)

The author of Goodnight, Goodnight, Construction Site and its offshoots makes her middle grade debut in this series launch introducing a squirrel mesmerized by the zooming vehicles populating the racetrack below his family nest. Despite Revver's need for speed, the story gets off to a poky start, given undue repetition of that fact as well as lengthy dialogue that establishes the squirrel siblings' personalities. Only insightful Sprite--the sole female sibling, saddled alongside their mother with emotional labor in the form of caretaking and peacemaking--encourages her brother to pursue his dream of joining the human-only speedway pit crew, while constantly-in-motion Bounce and incessant eater Farty spend their days living up to their monikers. With a boost from spry cartoons by Willan (the Jasper & Ollie series), which comically capture Revver's spunk, the novel's pace picks up after he ventures into the track, where he befriends the mixed-gender pit crew and learns the mechanics of car racing. There he at last feels understood, learns the importance of teamwork and the value of family, and--after his curiosity and impulsiveness recurrently trigger mayhem--uses life lessons he's absorbed to save the day. A sweet if sometimes overly descriptive tale. Ages 8-11. Author's agent: Lori Kilkelly, LK Literary. (Sept.)