Mean Margaret

by Tor Seidler, Jon Agee (Illustrator)

Overview

Unconditional kindness is the key in this National Book Award Finalist from the author of The Wainscott Weasel about nontraditional families, adoption, love—and a little peace and quiet.

Margaret is a mean, cranky human toddler from a family of nine. She is such a pain that her beleaguered parents chuck her out, and she’s on her own, grousing and grumping until two caring woodchucks, Phoebe and Fred, take Margaret in as their own. But despite their love, Margaret continues to wreak havoc with her loud, destructive ways, ruining the burrow and shrieking nonstop. Soon the woodchucks are as beleaguered as Margaret’s human parents were, but because love is more powerful than temper tantrums, they are determined to make it work. So they enlist a little unconventional help, and with the guidance of a snake, bats, and a skunk, their feral little human just might realize there’s more to life than being mean.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781481410144
Publisher:	Atheneum Books for Young Readers
Publication date:	10/07/2014
Pages:	176
Sales rank:	778,384
Product dimensions:	6.70(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.80(d)
Lexile:	780L (what's this?)
Age Range:	7 - 12 Years

About the Author

Tor Seidler is the critically acclaimed and bestselling author of more than a dozen children’s books, including Firstborn, The Wainscott Weasel, A Rat’s Tale, The Steadfast Tin Soldier, Gully’s Travels, and most notably Mean Margaret, which was a National Book Award Finalist. He lives in New York, New York.

Jon Agee is the illustrator of a large collection of children’s picture books, such as Little Santa, The Other Side of Town, Nothing, and most notably the National Book Award–nominated Mean Margaret. He lives in San Francisco with his wife.

Read an Excerpt

Mean Margaret

Editorial Reviews

"Tor Seidler writes in the great tradition of Kenneth Grahme, Walter R. Brooks, and E.B. White, creating worlds where friendship matters, animals talk, and little girls who listen - even ones as mean as Margaret - can learn a life-changing lot about loving kindness."

STARRED REVIEW ALA Booklist

"Seidler gives his sly sense of silliness full rein. John Agee infuses his black-and-white drawings with great comic energy."

The New York Times Book Review

"Chock-full of hilarious episodes taht will have middle graders rolling in the stacks, this is an ideal choice for booktalking."

STARRED REVIEW School Library Journal

Gr 3-6--A wildly funny story of a newly wed woodchuck couple who find a willful, wailing human toddler and take her into their home and into their hearts. (Nov.)

School Library Journal

A fastidious woodchuck discovers parenthood to be worse than his wildest imaginings in this benign, if sardonic, animal tale from Seidler (The Wainscott Weasel, 1993, etc.).

When Sally Hubble, a poster child for the "terrible twos," is left in a ditch by three of her older siblings, the maternal instincts of Phoebe—the new wife of a woodchuck named Fred—are aroused despite the difference in species; soon the child, dubbed Margaret after Phoebe's mother, is ensconced in the once-spotless burrow, pulling apart glowworm lamps, smashing heirloom furniture, and greedily consuming all the honey, berries, and goat's milk the harried woodchucks can gather. Margaret grows at a great rate, and soon the family finds itself sharing a nearby cave with a squirrel, a skunk, two bats, and a snake, plus Phoebe's coquettish sister Babette and her three offspring. When at last Margaret makes the mistake of stomping on the skunk's tail, her reeking flight into the forest reunites her with her natural parents. Fred, whose relief at her flight is not entirely unmixed, realizes that his attitudes toward parenting have undergone a profound change when Phoebe shortly thereafter gives birth to little Patience. Chubby and disheveled, Margaret towers over her exhausted, dapper minions in Agee's numerous thick- lined, simply drawn cartoons. Advanced readers may perceive an edge beneath the drollery, but it's all in good fun.

Kirkus Reviews

Fred is a woodchuck who likes life clean, orderly, and quiet. When he finally finds his mate, Phoebe, he envisions the continuation of his peaceful lifestyle. But when Phoebe adopts an abandoned human child, everything, and everybody, changes. Jeff Woodman narrates this lively tale with a steadily building pace, as the animals get more and more frustrated with Margaret. His characterizations distinguish each individual: rigid, orderly Fred; kind-hearted, loving Phoebe; easy-going and fun-loving Babette; the squirrel who is content at finally having his ready-made family; and, of course, loud, selfish, impatient, mean Margaret. Woodman expertly portrays the characters and depicts this family's life, as well as the values of love and kindness that lead to changes in everyone--human and animal. W.L.S. © AudioFile 2001, Portland, Maine

JUN/JUL 01 - AudioFile