I felt like this book was never going to end. It wants and tries to be a version of Geronimo Stilton, but fails. Billy Stuart is a Racoon with a summer job of walking the neighbors dag. He hates it, and reminds everyone it’s not his dog. His grandfather is a great adventurer and thinks he has found the secret to time travel. The Intrepids are a scouting group. They are to go on a nature hike/fishing trip. Billy believes that he still has time to meet up with gramps and see what his new adventure is all about. Instead he gets lost in a cave and takes his friends with him.

Billy is a racoon, and all his friends are anthropomorphic as well, but the neighbors are human, dog is a poodle, and a bear is a bear. That in itself is a bit confusing and plays into the rest of the story, like the kids automatically believing the bear is a menace or a threat. Maybe he just wants to see cookies. Plus Billy has an attitude problem. It really gets grating. The best character is the weasel who for some reason makes me think of De Niro in Taxi Driver.