Gabriel: King of Hearts

"A warmhearted parable featuring a plucky squirrel who tackles life s big issues." Kirkus Reviews
Gabriel, a pre-adolescent gray squirrel, is being tormented at school by the socially dominant letes, led by Chopper and Bammer, who are always finding new ways to humiliate Gabriel in front of their peers. Gabriel is estranged from a biological father who has lost all contact with his only son; alienated from a stepfather who seems to resent Gabriel s very presence; and barely tolerated by a popular older sister, Cherice, who beats Gabriel time and again at video games. To the chagrin of his mother and stepfather, Gabriel is no longer welcome at the Church of the Sacred Elm, where Gabriel recently asked the Reverend Willow, in front of the entire congregation, if the Great Rodent could create an acorn so big he couldn t eat it all. Curious and reflective by nature, Gabriel had meant no harm; he had simply been unable to resist the demands of an insatiable curiosity.

Increasingly despondent and desperate, Gabriel sends a letter to Scurry McMurray, a celebrity pawnut player, requesting Scurry s autograph. Gabriel hopes that possessing even a tiny piece of a celebrity pawnut player s greatness will elevate his own stature in the eyes of his tormenters. When Gabriel does not receive a reply, he sets out, woefully unprepared, on a quest to get the great Scurry McMurray s autograph in person. Venturing deeper into the forest than he had ever been before, Gabriel becomes hopelessly lost. What now?

Adults and teens who have been bullied or marginalized in their lives, or who have contemplated taking desperate measures to end their pain, will find deep comfort in this poignant tale.