Sterling North and the Story of Rascal

Young Sterling North had many adventures in his hometown of Edgerton, Wisconsin—camping, fishing, swimming in the local pond, racing the streets on his trusty blue bicycle, and more—the kinds of adventures that kids from small towns everywhere can relate to. North’s biography also provides a glimpse into the customs and lifestyles of the rural Midwest in the early 20th century. It explores global issues of the time, including World War I and the Spanish flu pandemic, which greatly affected Sterling’s boyhood. His older brother Hershel served overseas in WWI as Sterling was growing up, bringing world events to the North family’s doorstep. His mother Gladys died when Sterling was just seven years old because of the limits of medical care in the early 1900s. And, as a young man, Sterling was hit by polio, a common epidemic scourge that left many children with paralysis.

In Sterling North and the Story of Rascal, readers will learn of North’s successes, not only as a beloved author of children’s books, but as a columnist for the Chicago Daily News, an editor of North Star children’s history books, and a well-respected critic of other children’s literature.