The Adventures of Rockford T. Honeypot

"No matter the struggles, some things will never change. The sun will rise every morning, the rivers will continue to flow with life, and the vines will resume their never-ending quest to climb toward the sun."
I think the above is a good way to sum up the entire heart of The Adventures of Rockford T. Honeypot, a middle-grade epic that follows the recounting of chipmunk Rocky's rollercoaster life, from his invention of roasted nuts to his fight for true love.

I thought that this was a delightful read and felt it really was a whole anthropomorphic mirror of life. The story touches on everything personal from family expectations and tricky friendships to everything external that affects life, like economic prospects and climate change. At times, I had to wonder whether the story really was a middle-grade novel for its range of themes and topics. I think it'll be a cushioned, safe way to introduce younger readers to the real problems of today's world.

The star of the novel is the titular Rockford T. Honeypot (which really is a mouthful) -- or Rocky, for short. It may just be my many nitpicks when it comes to title, but the visual of the novel's title makes it seem just a tad bit laborious and perplexing but Gottsegen really plays it off in the novel, making it a source of many jokes and banters.

A few notes:
- our anthropomorphic characters seem to use technology? and hashtags and live streams? A bit jarring at first but seemed to make sense if I thought of the whole novel as a sort of mirror to real life.
- Friendly writing style, not the best humour when it comes to the jokes but I appreciated its situational humour more
- Liked its message and core heart but didn't really connect with the characters

I think middle graders will definitely enjoy this Wind in the Willow-esque adventure story while the older kids may enjoy its heart and exploration of real world problems.

Read an arc of this novel for an honest review and the book was a bit heavy on the world building at the beginning but I haven’t read much middle grade books in a while

Once the story got going and the adventures flowing the story really picked up and I looked forward to finding times to read.

My guess an adventure loving child in younger middle grades would enjoy this fun tale.

Review: The Adventures of Rockford T. Honepot

This book is filled with so much charm and wonder I know I would have LOVED it as a kid. Reading Rocky’s adventures through his life was such a magical feel with the anthropomorphic animals I adored this book. The use of technology in the book definitely brings these types of books into the new age.

I would highly recommend this book for young readers who are just a tad young for LOTR and wanna ease into the fantasy would with fun characters.

3/5 stars for me because I found it a tad slow in parts, but I feel like kids would love it.

Thank you to netgalley for providing me a free arc in exchange for an honest review.


I will be posting this review on amazon, goodreads, and my Instagram @aaron_austin_author

I was instantly attracted to reading this book because I love a story about animals and this sounded right up my street. This was a lovely adventure story that was extremely easy to read. I never felt like Rockford was in any serious danger which was nice and I feel that this story would appeal more to younger middle grade readers. It was quick paced and a little silly at times. I suppose my only issue really was that I didn't fully like Rockford as he seemed a little pretentious, but it didn't stop my enjoyment of the story.

This book was a great adventure that was well written. I was not prepared for the ending that was sad but not. I liked the dual time lines but the small excerpts of present day somewhat took me out of the story. I do need to say that the world building and character development was strong for the main characters.

I think the only issue I had that I feel younger kids would struggle with is the large number of characters and the fact that they would be out of the storyline for a period of time then added back in. For me I would have to stop reading to remember who the character was and how they fit into the story.

Over all a very good book. I look forward to more books from this author.

The Adventures of Rockford T. Honeypot was just lovely. A real family centred book that i just couldn't put down. I loved the two timelines; the present day Rockford telling the story of his past as if you were right there with him. The story was perfect and the ending was done in the best way. It truly was fantastic.

Admittedly, Middle Grade Fantasy is not something I often read. Actually, I'm not even sure I could name a title in the genre I've read. Though as I understand, the Percy Jackson series can be considered as Middle Grade and I've read that. Anyway. A few weeks back I was in need of a fun, lighthearted read and thought Middle Grade might be the answer. Still, I stumbled upon The Adventures of Rockford T. Honeypot by accident. The first thing that caught my attention was the cover and since the blurb sounded interesting as well, I said bring it on!

Rockford is a chipmunk living in a forest called Tropland. He is nothing like most of his family. He is a dreamer, a bookworm and a firm believer of sanitizers. When he is forced to part with his family, he decides it's finally time to be what he always dreamed to be: an adventurer! He is pretty easy to identify with him, the loner and weirdo among the Clarences in his family.

"Being aloe never bothered me; a reader is never alone. When I wasn't whiskers deep in a new book, I was writing in my journal, or playing rock, paper, scissors with my imaginary sidekick, Norby."

As he later recollects the events of his life, we meet several side characters who pop in and out from time to time and shape his future. He makes friends and enemies, experiences many things good and bad, all the while broadcasting the universal message: if you have courage and a will to work hard, you can reach your dreams.

There is a lot happening in a relatively short book. Sometimes maybe too much as I felt I would have liked to linger at some places longer, to get the characters know better, to get a better grasp of the world. Less might have been more in this case. Most of the chapters work like short individual stories which make a whole when being read at once. Which I think it's great, it made me think of the times when my mom used to read to me each night. I would have liked this book back then and I think these chapters all make a good night's story. Many of them contain some kind of lesson that might stick around for the readers.

"After hearing that story, I questioned my identity - something I think we should all do from time to time. If only Sora knew what I have accomplished over the years. I'm no tiger, but I am a chipmunk who listened to his roar and built and built an empire of weatlth for a thousand generations."

The Adventures of Rockford T. Honeypot mixes the classical elements of advenure books and modern ones, such as live streaming and computers. It might sound weird, but it actually works out really well. All the modern elements are fitted into the forest world and honestly the world building was one of my favourite parts of this book. Josh Gottsegen definitely had a great vision for this book. All of the animals are humanised - they talk, work, act like people while still staying animals, if that makes sense. I just really found it fascinating how the different parts of the forest had their own ecosystem.

"At this height, I could even see the power vines, built by beavers using the river force that provided Tropland with safe electricity."

As the book follows Rockford's whole life, inevitably it deals with serious topics (loss, lonelyness, poverty, social differencies, etc.) besides the fun moments. And there are plenty of the latter. A chipmunk who is afraid of bacteria and dirt goes on an adventure where he finds plenty of both, as well as several scary obstacles he has to go through, finding his own courage along the way.

"Each day a journey," Ka said upon entering the new temple for the first time. "A battle of blood or heart. To live is to love."

If you are in need of a bit of lighthearted fun, plenty of adventure and important life lessons, The Adventures of Rockford T. Honeypot might be just exactly what you are looking for. It's just as enjoyable for adults as it's rewarding for kids.

I would say my students would be all over his novel. Rockford is the classic farm boy to hero tale like that of Star Wars before it. Great overall and fun.

This middle grade chapter book was a little long and involved for my taste, with two voices and two tenses, so it's not your common or garden simple story, but for the avid young reader, it should provide a wealth of adventurous pursuit and engrossing reading.

Rockford T Honeypot is your usual reserved and retiring chipmunk, albeit with a healthy respect for germs and hygiene, but circumstances are about to throw him into an unwilling and unwitting adventure that will change him all-around and make a ground squirrel out of him! Until he ruins the family business and is abandoned by his strict father and ne'er-do-well brothers, the only adventure he has is reading of his favorite fictional hero. Little does he know he's about to personify that spirit he so admires and make a story all of his own.

Framed by an older Rockford looking back on his life, and told over the course of many chapters, with occasional interruptions, Rockford learns to fly (sort of), learns to fight, learns to be fearless, and to face problems head on. He learns to spot business opportunities and to supply a need when he sees one, as well as mastering exercising his brain in solving problems. He travels and has adventures, makes friends and meets the girl of his dreams. And he creates the perfect roasted hazelnut recipe.

The adventure has thrills and chills, danger and amusement, and tells a whopping great story about the little guy winning through. I commend it as a worthy read.

I just loved this book. It was a bit slow at the beginning but as I read I could not put it down. It's about a chipmunk who feels he is useless and cannot accomplish anything. The story he tells is about his life before his success and his current day successes. His family is surprised by what he went through and what he has done. Parts of his story are sad and parts are funny, This is such a fun read and although it's for middle schoolers I'm sure others would enjoy it. It would be a great travel read. A great addition for your child's bookshelf. It would make a great gift for birthdays or Christmas. I hope there may be more adventures of Rockford T. Honeypot to come.