Gr 5-7 Hildebrandt has created the world of Brystal, alive with mice, rats, bats, frogs, and other critters. Young Crycket and Sylan embark on a series of adventures that have them shooting back and forth across the land like a pair of pinballs, meeting assorted mysterious characters, facing various foes, and living through near constant peril and combat. The field of rodent stories has a long history and has only grown in recent years. This book pales in comparison. There are grammatical errors and poor word choices throughout, with some sentences virtually unintelligible. The characters are bad-tempered and disagreeable much of the time. Then there are the villains. The plotting and betrayal by these creatures is so convoluted that it is difficult to keep track of their allegiances. The illustrations are fairly well done but can't save this story. For a rodent-filled tale with some humor to complement the frightening bits, recommend Terry Pratchett's "The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents" (HarperCollins, 2001). Suggest Raymond Feist's "Magician Apprentice" (Marvel, 2007) for a story of two boys thrust into a fantasy adventure. Give this one a pass."Eric Norton, McMillan Memorial Library, Wisconsin Rapids, WI" Copyright 2010 Media Source Inc.
Crycket moves from his safe existence in the mouse kingdom to a life filled with danger and mystery. While many of the story's fanciful elements are imaginative (e.g., roosters being ridden like horses), the epic tale (the first in a planned series) tackles too many plot lines. Black-and-white illustrations of pointy-toothed rodents illustrate the action.
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