School Library Journal Review
Gr 4-6-Peck, a Newbery Award-winning author, spins a fanciful tale (Dial, 2013) about Mouse Minor, or Nameless, a lonely critter who doesn't know his own parentage and embarks on a quest to discover the answers. He attends the Royal Mews Mouse Academy during the height of Victorian England. The mouse society in which he lives mirrors the life of British royals. Unfortunately, because he has no real name, no known past, and is the smallest mouse in London, Mouse Minor is bullied and teased daily. As Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee approaches, Mouse believes the greatest queen in history could be all-knowing. Determined to seek out her wisdom, he sets off on a grand adventure to Buckingham Palace, only to find himself in a number of dangerous predicaments along the way. Russ Bain performs this tale in his silky British accent, adding a lovely touch of authenticity. He provides a nice variety of voices, including a gruff, Scottish Yeomouse to Transylvanian bats who roll their r's and mix their v's and w's. This delightful audiobook will appeal to fans of Mary Norton's "The Borrowers" series and The Tale of Despereaux (Candlewick, 2003) by Kate DiCamillo.-Jennifer Mann, Cromaine District Library, MI (c) Copyright 2013. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
As endearing as Peck's Secrets at Sea, this companion novel, also set during the Victorian era and accompanied by Murphy's carefully detailed pencil illustrations, introduces a new cast of memorable mice born and bred in London. At center stage is narrator Mouse Minor, an undersize orphan with a question mark-shaped tail, who is uncertain of his heritage. Raised in the Royal Mews next to Buckingham Palace by skilled needlemice, Mouse Minor attends a prestigious school but is tormented by his classmates. When Mouse Minor learns that two bullies "meant to pound me into a jelly," he flees beyond familiar territory and ends up in the palace, where the staff is frantically preparing for the Queen's Diamond Jubilee. All the while, Mouse Minor is unaware that spies are tracking his every move. The small hero's brushes with danger and run-ins with royalty (both human and rodent) unfold with Peck's characteristic wit and flair for adventure. Readers will gleefully suspend disbelief as they trace Mouse Minor's exciting journey, which draws him to a life-altering revelation and surprise reunions with friends and foes. Ages 8-12. (July) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.