Mouseheart

Gr 4–8—Fiedler reinvigorates the "small but courageous mouse" literary trope with this captivating animal fantasy set in the subway tunnels of modern-day Brooklyn, NY. Hopper escapes from a pet shop and tumbles into the subterranean rat empire of Romanus. Aided by his new friend Zucker, rascal prince of the rat empire, he longs to find his missing siblings and understand his role in a war between Romanus and the mysterious Mus tribe. Good and evil are not as they seem, and through careful structure and rounded characterizations, Fiedler keeps readers engaged, revealing important plot details at just the right moment and using varying sentence lengths to great dramatic effect. Rich vocabulary and sly references to New York sports history (Dodger, Ebbets, Rangers) add depth. Older readers may pick up on hints about government control and the dangers of trading freedom for safety. In the end, the stage is amply set for book two as Hopper seeks to reunite with his found-yet-lost-again siblings and explore his destiny as the rodent world's "Promised One." Mouseheart will please fans of novels by Erin Hunter, Brian Jacques, and Kathryn Lasky.—Marybeth Kozikowski, Sachem Public Library, Holbrook, NY