Because of the Rabbit (Scholastic Gold)

by Cynthia Lord

Overview

Newbery Honor-winning author Cynthia Lord has written a sensitive and accessible book about the challenges of fitting in when you know you're a little different.

On the last night of summer, Emma tags along with her game warden father on a routine call. They're supposed to rescue a wild rabbit from a picket fence, but instead they find a little bunny. Emma convinces her father to bring him home for the night.The next day, Emma starts public school for the very first time after years of being homeschooled. More than anything, Emma wants to make a best friend in school. But things don't go as planned. On the first day of school, she's paired with a boy named Jack for a project. He can't stay on topic, he speaks out of turn, and he's obsessed with animals. Jack doesn't fit in, and Emma's worried he'll make her stand out.Emma and Jack bond over her rescue rabbit. But will their new friendship keep Emma from finding the new best friend she's meant to have? Newbery Honor-winning author Cynthia Lord has written a beautiful and sensitive book about being different and staying true to yourself.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780545914246
Publisher:	Scholastic, Inc.
Publication date:	03/26/2019
Pages:	192
Sales rank:	381,437
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.40(h) x 0.90(d)
Age Range:	8 - 12 Years

About the Author

Cynthia Lord is the award-winning author of Rules, a Newbery Honor Book and a Schneider Family Book Award winner, as well as the critically acclaimed Half a Chance, A Handful of Stars, and Because of the Rabbit. She made her picture-book debut with Hot Rod Hamster, which won several awards, including the Parents' Choice Award, and is the author of the Shelter Pet Squad chapter book series. She lives in Maine with her family. Visit her at cynthialord.com.

Editorial Reviews

★ 12/24/2018

“Anything is possible with rabbits,” Emma muses presciently as she and her game warden father rescue a distressed rabbit that she’s allowed to keep. But it’s the bunny that rescues Emma, who’s beginning fifth grade at a Maine public school after being homeschooled. She’s worried that no one there will need a new friend, and Owen, her older brother and soulmate, exacerbates things by becoming preoccupied with his new friends. In a characteristically articulate observation, Emma notes, “I’d been carrying a hole inside me since Owen went off to school last year and this little rabbit had jumped right into that hole and made himself at home.” Her new pet (Lapi, short for Monsieur Lapin, a character from tales her beloved late grandfather shared) also fills an emotional void when her friend-making gets off to a slow start—and then helps her connect with classmates, primarily a boy who seems to be on the autism spectrum, as she learns the rewards of patience and understanding the perspectives of others. Newbery Honor author Lord (Rules) offers a note detailing her personal inspirations for this insightful story—lucidly written from the heart. Ages 8–12. (Mar.)

Publishers Weekly

Praise for Because of the Rabbit:2020 ALSC Notable Children's Book* "A young girl learns about honesty, integrity, and friendship when she finds a lost rabbit and starts school for the first time... The beauty in Lord's tale of finding home in a new community is the way Emma's grandfather reaches her with his stories of magic even after he is gone, teaching her important lessons about following through on one's promises... Delightful." — Kirkus Reviews, starred review* "Emma learns the rewards of patience and understanding the perspectives of others. [An] insightful story — lucidly written from the heart." — Publishers Weekly, starred review* "Lord uses clear, straightforward sentences to relate experiences in ways that speak directly to children. From Emma's relationship with her brother to her insecurities about attending school to her procrastination in calling a family that's lost a rabbit, her emotions are mixed but layered and evident to readers. A heartfelt chapter book with broad appeal." — Booklist, starred reviewPraise for A Handful of Stars:* "Salma's artistic creativity and gumption awaken Lily to the power of imagination, the importance of embracing change and knowing when to let go of the past, and the rewards of venturing beyond one's comfort zone." — Publishers Weekly, starred review* "The treatment of Salma's migrant life is matter-of-fact but direct, and Lily plausibly deals with possibilities of local racism and swells with indignation on behalf of her new friend. It's the straightforward and unaffected prose (highly suitable for a readaloud as well as reading alone) that really allows Lily's story to shine... it's hard to resist joining her on her journey toward greater maturity." — Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, starred reviewPraise for Half a Chance:* "[Lord] has combined vivid, cinematic description with deft characterization and handles several important issues with sensitivity, nuance, and great skill. A deeply enjoyable read." — School Library Journal, starred review* "With winning results, Lord brings the same sensitivity to the subject of dementia that she brought to autism in her Newbery Honor book, Rules." — Kirkus Reviews, starred reviewPraise for Rules:Newbery Honor BookSchneider Family Book AwardALA Notable Children's Book

From the Publisher

03/01/2019

Gr 3–7—Emma has been homeschooled and is now ready to follow in her big brother Owen's footsteps and try public school. She is torn between being excited and scared. After all, fifth grade will be hard enough without having to worry if she will fit in or make friends. When Ms. Hutton assigns a group project, "Two Truths and a Lie," as a way for the students to get to know each other, Emma decides this will be her chance to become friends with Jack, Iris, and Leah. Jack ends up being her partner and though he is loud and somewhat different, he bonds with Emma over Monsieur Lapin, the honey-colored rescue rabbit she and her game warden father are fostering. Lord's characters are true to life and readers will surely see themselves in one of them. VERDICT A timely story which hits on current social issues in an honest and believable manner.—Martha Rico, El Paso ISD, TX

School Library Journal

★ 2018-12-05

A young girl learns about honesty, integrity, and friendship when she finds a lost rabbit and starts school for the first time.

Home-schooled by her mother, young Emma is very close to her parents and brother. She has beautiful memories of visiting her grandparents (now deceased) across the border in Quebec, where she learned about French-Canadian farming culture. Mémère taught her to bake, while Pépère told her stories about Monsieur Lapin, the rabbit, and all his woodland friends. But now Emma's life is changing. Her older brother, Owen, was her constant companion until he started high school and built a social life all his own. Lonely and hoping to make a friend, Emma decides to quit home schooling and enter the fifth grade at Lakeview Elementary. The night before she embarks on her first class, she accompanies her game-warden father on a call, and they find a pet bunny stuck in a fence. Mischievous Lapi—named for Pépère's stories—will offer both challenges and lessons to Emma as she navigates her new school and the politics of making friends with an unpopular boy. The beauty in Lord's tale of finding home in a new community is the way Emma's grandfather reaches her with his stories of magic even after he is gone, teaching her important lessons about following through on one's promises. Emma and her family are white, their Franco-American heritage a rarity in children's literature.

Delightful. (Fiction. 8-12)

Kirkus Reviews