Word of Mouse

October 3, 2016
Born and raised in a lab, Isaiah the mouse has blue fur, is well-spoken, and can read and write. When he and his 96 siblings escape from the lab, Isaiah is the only one who eludes capture. After being taken in by a mischief of mice who live in the cellar of the Brophy family home, Isaiah becomes a valuable member of the family, outwitting the family cat and rescuing a mouse caught in a trap, among other exploits. As Isaiah comes to recognize his own skills, courage, and self-worth, he emboldens others, like Mikayla, a mouse with her own unacknowledged talent. Isaiah’s friendship with a human girl named Hailey (it’s implied that she has albinism) further drives home the novel’s themes of celebrating individuality and belief in oneself. Sutphin’s detailed line drawings pair perfectly with this sweet tale from the authors behind the Treasure Hunters books and other titles. Reminiscent of Garth Williams’s work in Stuart Little, the artwork helps set up Isaiah as a modern-day counterpart to that intrepid mouse. Ages 8–12. Illustrator’s agent: Ed Maxwell, Sanford J. Greenburger Associates.

Prolific Patterson and frequent collaborator Grabenstein offer this charming tale of Isaiah, a blue (yes--bright blue!) mouse, and his effort to break his family out of a very bad place.Isaiah and his 96 siblings have been raised in a lab since birth, so they don't really know what the outside world is like. Isaiah's big brother Benji was the one to come up with a plan to break them all out...but only Isaiah is fortunate enough to make it to freedom. Alone in a huge and unfamiliar world filled with unexpected pleasures and dangers, Isaiah is lucky to find Mikayla, a beautiful but ordinary mouse with an extraordinary talent: she sings! Mikayla brings Isaiah back to her family (appropriately called a "mischief" in mouse vernacular), who formally adopts him. But Isaiah misses his original family, and with the help of his new relatives and a human friend or two, he mounts a daring rescue to save his siblings. Narrator Isaiah is a well-read mouse, and, without being pedantic about it, he shows off his vocabulary at every opportunity; his literacy comes in handy more than once, demonstrating its practicality as well. Sutphin provides black-and-white spot illustrations that recall the great mouse protagonists of the mid-20th century. With smart witticisms to launch each quick-paced chapter, Isaiah is truly a mouse that roars. (Fantasy. 8-12) COPYRIGHT(1) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

Starred review from July 1, 2016
Grades 3-6 *Starred Review* Children's literature offers a long tradition of clever mice who accomplish amazing featsas in Robert C. O'Brien's Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH (1971), Avi's Poppy (1995), and Kate DiCamillo's The Tale of Despereaux (2003)and Patterson and Grabenstein's Isaiah seems destined to join them. An educated, genetically engineered blue mouse from the Lamina Lab, Isaiah becomes separated from his family during a botched escape and ends up alone and on the run. He travels to suburbia, where he encounters predators and meets the beautiful Mikayla, a brown mouse who invites Isaiah to move in with her mischief (extended family). He quickly acquires a reputation as a fearless and capable food forager, meets 12-year-old human neighbor Hailey (with whom Isaiah communicates by using a computer), and formulates a daring plan to rescue his family from the lab. With frequent line drawings and short chapters headed by pithy proverbs that foreshadow forthcoming action, this will be accessible to most emerging readers. The authors also manage to seamlessly integrate clever wordplay (including Isaiah's snarky perspective), advanced vocabulary, and basic science information into the story without becoming didactic. Throughout, readers will note a theme of differences, which distinguish individuals who share much in common underneath. Here's hoping this unique hero returns soon with further adventures. HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: A book by best-selling Patterson or Grabenstein can generate a line simply by word of mouth. A collaboration with a publisher push? You've been warned.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2016, American Library Association.)