Nurk: The Strange, Surprising Adventures of a (Somewhat) Brave Shrew

By Ursula Vernon

Book Overview

Nurk is a quiet homebody of a shrew. But when a mysterious plea for help arrives in the mail, he invokes the spirit of his fearless warrior-shrew grandmother, Surka, and sets off to find the sender. It seems the prince of the dragonflies has been kidnapped, and Nurk is his last hope for rescue. Such a mission would be daunting for even the biggest, baddest, and bravest of shrews, and Nurk is neither big nor bad, and only a little brave. But he does his very best--and hopes his grandmother would be proud. Nurk is a warm, wonderful, and hilarious illustrated adventure about courage, family legacies, and friendships of a most unusual nature.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0152063757
• ISBN13: 9780152063757
• Release Date: June 2008
• Publisher: Houghton Mifflin
• Length: 131 Pages
• Weight: 0.69 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 6.3" x 8.3"
• Age Range: 10 to 12 years
• Grade Range: Grades 5 to 7

Customer Reviews

It's wonderful for all ages!

Nurk is a delightful adventure story that's suitable for all ages, from 5 to 105, lovingly illustrated by the author, who is one of my favorite online artists. I can hardly wait to see this made into an animated movie!

Excellent book!

This book is targeted towards a younger audience, and I still really enjoyed it! It's a very imaginative story of an uncertain hero who lets his openness to adventure take him on a wild journey. I like books whose artwork is done by the author, because you know what you are seeing is really coming from the mind of the author and not interpreted by someone else. Since the author is also a really good artist, this combo comes together seamlessly. I look forward to reading more of Ursula Vernon's stories, if her future books are anywhere near as creative and fun as this one then she'll go far.

An all-around, soon-to-be classic

If you're looking for a book the whole family can enjoy -- this is the book. If you're looking for a book for your pre-teens with a vocabulary-expanding text and winsome illustrations -- this is the book. If your child is not quite ready for the Redwall series, but you'd like to introduce them to that type of literature -- this is the book. If you're looking for something to read out loud to keep your children entertained on a wet summer afternoon or a long car ride, this is the book.

Surka's Grandson Gets an Adventure

I have been a fan of Ursula's art for years, and I was thrilled for her when I found out she had gotten a book deal! And this book is everything I could have wished for--funny, and full of outstanding images painted by word as well as by pen. Being an adult, obviously I would have liked it to go on for a few hundred more pages, but the ending certainly leaves room for a sequel. I hope you enjoy it as much as my family and I did!

A wonderful tale

I have loved Ursula's art for years, and have religiously followed her comic "Digger," so I came to this book expecting great things from Ursula as both a storyteller and an artist. I was not disappointed. Nurk is, of course, a children's book, and as such, lacks much of the overt darkness that characterizes some of her other work: instead, it is a light "There and back again" sort of adventure, beautifully told. Nurk is a delightful character, whose bravery is altogether believeable; he starts out, as many heroes do, unsure of himself and of his courage, and grows into a hero. While his quest is of a standard sort (he must rescue a dragonfly prince), Ursula's delightful imagination imparts a unique wonder to the storyline and to his ordeal. In some places, the prose is less than polished; but Ursula's occasional lapses in style are more than made up for by her sense of story -- which is glorious. Several of Ursula's black and white illustrations also grace the pages of the book -- these are incredibly beautiful in their own right and add further depths of wonder to the book.