5.0/7

Bookroo

3.6/5

Goodreads

Toaff's Way

Written by Cynthia Voigt

Hardcover

$16.99

$15.97

8 - 12

Reading age

272

Page count

51,484

Word count

790L

Lexile measure

Aug 7, 2018

Publication date

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Amazon

What's Toaff's Way About

Publisher Summary

Meet Toaff: a lovable squirrel, and new standout character, searching for a place to call home in this gem of a story by a Newbery Medal-winning author. Toaff is a small squirrel full of big questions. Why must I stay away from the human’s house? Why shouldn’t I go beyond the pine trees? Why do we fight with the red squirrels across the drive? His sister shrugs–that’s just the way things are. His brother bullies–because I said so. And the older squirrels scold–too many questions! Can Toaff really be the only one to wonder why? When a winter storm separates him from his family, Toaff must make his own way in the world. It’s a world filled with danger–from foxes and hawks and cats to cars and chainsaws. But also filled with delight–the dizzying scent of apple blossoms, the silvery sound of singing, the joy of leaping so far you’re practically flying. Over the course of a year, Toaff will move into (and out of) many different dreys and dens, make some very surprising friends (and a few enemies), and begin to answer his biggest questions–what do I believe and where do I belong? Master storyteller Cynthia Voigt offers readers a rich and rewarding story of finding one’s way in the world.

What Kind of Book is Toaff's Way

What Should I Know As a Parent

Families are unique and have different expectations for the books they choose to read. The following are concepts included in this book that some parents may wish to seek out or avoid.

Note that this list is not exhaustive and there may be concepts in this book that are not included or have been insufficiently or incorrectly detailed here.

Violence

What Questions Should I Ask My Child

After Toaff watches missus singing to the baby, mister cuts off the tree branches closest to the house. When Tzeef confronts Toaff about the reason the tree branches were cut, what does Toaff say? Would things have been better for Toaff if he had admitted he was responsible?

Reviews

Lemony Snickers

5.00

Toaff’s Way is a delightful book that follows a young squirrel forced out of his nest and away from his littermates by a storm. Young readers who love animals will be particularly enthralled by this book, which smartly and seamlessly ingrains facts about squirrels into the story. Voigt shows great finesse in adding these details, like what kind of foods a squirrel will eat when it is very hungry, in a way that enhances a reader’s understanding of the perils Toaff encounters as he works his way around a familiar farmhouse, finding safety in a new tree every few months. Readers will endure moments of peril, including as Toaff is nearly captured by a bird and as he watches a squirrel less skilled at jumping plummet to the earth. Most of the animals survive these scares, but Toaff does witness the reality of death when he discovers a dangerous highway where he can see roadkill from high up in his tree. Toaff also endures some bullying from other squirrels and animals who insist they are right about different things. For example, one of his littermates criticizes, “How stupid are you?” And another animal calls others “dumbhead.”

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The Creative Behind the Book

Author

Cynthia Voigt

Cynthia Voigt won the Newbery Medal for Dicey’s Song, the Newbery Honor Award for A Solitary Blue, and the National Book Award Honor for Homecoming, all part of the beloved Tillerman cycle. She is also the author of many other celebrated books for middle grade and teen readers, including Izzy, Willy-Nilly and Jackaroo. She was awarded the Margaret A. Edwards Award in 1995 for her work in literature, and the Katahdin Award in 2004. She lives on an island in Maine.