NetGalley Review: Bless This Mouse by Lois Lowry

I received an advanced reader's copy of Bless This Mouse by Lois Lowry back in early January.  I am appalled at how long it has taken me to get to this wonderful book, but shortly after receiving the galley, I had two surgeries.  The galley got pushed aside in all the recovery and follow up.

Summary:  Bless This Mouse tells the story of a group of church mice, led by Mouse Mistress Hildegarde and their efforts to avoid The Big X.  Hildegarde is responsible for keeping all 200 plus mice who live at St. Bartholemew's safe and hidden. Not an easy job when new litters are being born and her nemesis Lucretia is constantly looking for ways to undermine Hildegarde so she can become Mouse Mistress.  To make matters even more challenging, the mice are discovered and must seek refuge outside the church while Father Murphy calls in The Big X to get rid of them. After a few days the mice are able to return to the church, but they are not out of danger yet.  The Blessing of the Animals is any day and you know what that means - Cats! Lots and lots of cats!  Will Hildegarde be able to keep everyone safe?


Lois Lowery is perhaps best known for her serious novels: The Giver and Number the Stars - for which she won Newbery Awards.  However, she makes the transition to animal stories with ease.  This is a delightful story about overcoming dangers and appreciating all animals great and small..  While there is a significant religious connection, it is not overpowering and will not put off those of a more secular nature.  Lowry has created likable characters that will delight readers.  These mice are more like Laura Numeroff's popular school attending picture book mouse than the rodents that generally make humans squeal with disgust.  Hildegarde is a clever and hardworking character and will have readers rooting for her success against the Great X. Illustrator Eric Rohmann's wonderful pencil drawings help make the mice even more charming..

Amazon lists the reading level as 9 - 12, which sounds just right. It was also make a great read aloud for 2nd grade classrooms.


This a must read for fans of Lois Lowry and animals stories in general.

Mrs. Archer's Rating:  5 of 5.

Teaser Tuesday - March 28th/And Book Signing

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

~Grab your current read
~Open to a random page
~Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
~~~BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
~Share the title and author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers! 

Bless This Mouse by Lois Lowry


"No human knew this, of course. But each week Hildegarde led all the church mice in confession."




Last night (March 28th) I had the pleasure of attending a book talk given by Lois Lowry at The Tattered Cover bookstore in Highlands Ranch, CO.  She was promoting Bless This Mouse which is her latest book.  She shared how she came up with the idea for the book. She was in Maine at the farm house she uses for writing, working on a fourth book about some of the characters found in The Giver, when she noticed a little mouse on the floor.  Her dog also noticed the mouse, but the mouse didn't show any fear of Mrs. Lowry or her dog - not even when Mrs. Lowry walked over and scooped up the mouse. She released the mouse outside and went back to the book she was writing.  However, that little mouse kept intruding on her thoughts - so much so that she put aside the book she was working on and started writing Bless This Mouse.


I love Lois Lowry's books. The Giver and Number the Stars are two of my all time favorite books. I'm very pleased to hear there will be another book related to The Giver (possible release date is Spring of 2012).  Mrs. Lowry is also a wonderfully entertaining speaker.  I hope that you will all have a chance to hear her speak.


A few books by Lois Lowry:
The Giver
Gathering Blue
The Messenger
Number the Stars
The Willowbys
The Anastassia Krupnik series
The Gooney Bird Greene series

Saturday Snapshot - March 26th

Saturday Snapshot is a weekly meme hosted by Alyce, from At Home With Books.  All we have to do is post a favorite photo we've snapped, or one captured by family or friends. (No internet poaching.)

I've been working on a series of photos related to the letters of the alphabet. As a librarian who loves books and bears, this is one I'm rather pleased with.

LaRue Across America: Postcards From the Vacation by Mark Teague - Giveaway at Brimful Curiosities.

Check out this wonderful giveaway over at Brimful Curiosities.  The Detective LaRue series is not only on of my favorites, but is also a favorite with students at Chinook.  This new book is a great way to learn about the U.S.

The Trouble With Chickens by Doreen Cronin

I received an Advance Reader's Copy of The Trouble With Chickens by Doreen Cronin through Librarything's Early Review program.  I was not compensated for my review.

Summary:


J.J. Tully is a former search-and rescue dog who is trying to enjoy his retirement after years of performing daring missions saving lives. So he’s not terribly impressed when two chicks named Dirt and Sugar (who look like popcorn on legs) and their chicken mom show up demanding his help to track down their missing siblings. Driven by the promise of a cheeseburger, J.J. begins to track down clues. Is Vince the Funnel hiding something? Are there dark forces at work—or is J.J. not smelling the evidence that’s right in front of him?


I was both excited and wary about reading this book. I love Doreen Cronin's picture books:  Click Clack Moo: Cows That Type and Diary of a Worm are two of my favorites.  Yet, I wasn't sure how her creative picture book style would translate to chapter book format.


She handles the transition beautifully.  This is a book that will have appeal to a number of audiences.  Children will find the story silly (especially if read aloud with great expression) and while some of the humor will slip past the kids, the adults will chuckle at the innuendo - making this a great family read.


At times, while reading this book I was reminded of Hank the Cow Dog by John Erickson, though I must admit I like J. J. far more than I do Hank.


Students getting reading to make the move from reading picture books to chapter books will recognize Cronin's name and will be eager to give this story a try.  While School Library Journal levels this a 2nd Grade - 4th Grade read, I would recommend it as a read alone for 4th grade and up (they are more likely to get more of the humor) and a read aloud for students in 1st Grade and up.


The Trouble With Chickens is a great addition to any school, classroom or home library.


Mrs. Archer's rating:  4.5 of 5!

Book Beginnings on Friday - March 25th

How to participate: Share the first line (or two) of the book you are currently reading on your blog or in the comments. Include the title and the author so we know what you're reading. Then, if you feel so moved, let us know what your first impressions were based on that first line, and let us know if you liked or did not like the sentence. This weekly meme is hosted by  A Few More Pages every Friday.  Check out their blog for a list of other book beginnings.


The Trouble With Chickens A J. J. Tulley Mystery by Doreen Cronin


"It was a hot, sunny day when I met that crazy chicken.  So hot that sometimes I think the whole thing may have been a mirage.  But mirages don't have chicken breath, mister."


What a great beginning. I love Doreen Cronin's picture books. I can't wait to see what she does with this chapter book.

New Paolini Book To Be Released in November

Fans of Eragon by Christopher Paolini will be excited to hear that Random House Children's Books has announced the release date for Inheritance, book four of the popular series.  According to Random House, Inc. the book will be available for purchase on November 8, 2011.