Rascal: A Memoir of a Better Era

Rascal: A Memoir of a Better Era, also known as simply Rascal, is a semi-autobiographical children’s book by Sterling North about his childhood in Wisconsin with his pet raccoon. Published in 1963, the book received acclaim upon its release. It was a 1964 Newbery Honor book, won the 1964 Lewis Carroll Shelf Award, and won the 1966 Sequoyah Book Award. Disney released a live-action version of the book called Rascal in 1969. Araiguma Rasukaru, a successful fifty-two-episode anime, is also based on the book.

The book takes place over the span of a year, with each chapter focusing on one month. The last year of WWI, Sterling’s brother is off fighting the war. It is a time of transition for Sterling and the United States. Wisconsin is still largely wilderness and agricultural. People still get around by horse and carriage, but industrialization is on its way.

Eleven-year-old Sterling lives with his preoccupied but loving father David Willard North in Brailsford Junction, Wisconsin. His mother has recently passed away, his two sisters are grown, and out of the house, so Sterling spends much of his time in the house alone. One day, on a fishing trip with his friend Oscar, Sterling captures a baby raccoon, names him Rascal, and takes on the responsibility of raising him. Sterling and Rascal enjoy each other’s company, spending most of their time together exploring and enjoying the summer. Rascal gets along with most of Sterling’s other pets except for Poe the crow, who steals the shiny objects Rascal likes to horde. When Sterling decides to build a canoe in the living room, Rascal blends in with the rug, startling Sterling’s sister, Theo, when he stands up. Rascal also accompanies Sterling on his newspaper route and helps him sell magazines by sitting in the bike’s basket and entertaining customers. When Sterling enters a pie contest, Rascal joins in the fun and together they win. Sterling is disqualified because of the help and, instead, Oscar takes first prize.



As Rascal continues to grow, however, a raccoon in civilization begins to cause problems. In his war garden, Sterling introduces Rascal to corn, which the raccoon loves and searches for elsewhere, including neighboring gardens. Slammy Stillman snaps Rascal with a rubber band, upsetting the raccoon and causing him to bite Slammy. Because of this, Sterling confines Rascal. Sterling’s visiting sisters insist that they hire a housekeeper to manage the house and keep animals to a minimum, including Rascal.

Additional hardships make life difficult for Sterling. He continues to miss his brother Herschel. He catches the Spanish Flu during the epidemic and is looked after by his Aunt Lillie until he recovers.

Later, Rascal raids the neighbors’ war gardens, yards, and hen houses, which irritates the neighbors. They like Rascal but insist that they will shoot him if they catch him in their gardens again. Sterling buys a leash and collar for Rascal. What’s more, Rascal, now a young adult, is increasingly attracting the attention of other raccoons, including females who want to mate. Unless he keeps Rascal in a cage, Sterling understands that Rascal will not be able to stay with him. Making a difficult but mature decision, Sterling rows for hours in his newly finished canoe, releasing Rascal in the woods of Lake Koshkonong before his brother returns from the war to meet him.



Rascal: A Memoir of a Better Era is not just a coming-of-age story but a tale of loss: loss of innocence, loss of family, loss of friends. With so few people to look up to in his life, Sterling must face the big questions of life alone. Through his losses and with the help of Rascal, Sterling grows into a young man who can make difficult choices.

North draws parallels between his own growth in maturity and that of the United States. Victory in WWI, increasing industrialization and population growth end a so-called age of innocence for the United States as it enters the world stage as a great power. It is no longer a new country, but a formidable one poised to change the world. Sterling connects the feelings and importance of local events of his town, such as summer camp and festivals, to larger national and international events, such as Armistice Day and the Spanish Flu epidemic.

North’s sister, poet, and art historian Jessica Nelson North disagreed with her brother’s depiction of their family growing up but praised the book as a whole. The author’s daughter helps run the Sterling North museum in Edgerton, Wisconsin where visitors can view many recognizable things from the book including Rascal’s oak tree and his barn.