This energetic comic by a brother-sister team (Jennifer's Our Only May Amelia was a Newbery Honor Book) introduces Babymouse, a young rodent possessed of an admirably gender-bending array of interests and plagued by typical school traumas. The main confrontation takes place on the harrowing battlefield known as the dodgeball court, the site of an earlier trauma for Babymouse. At the end of a furious match, arrogant class idol Felicia Furrypaws (a cat, of course) gets a satisfying comeuppance and Babymouse faces her fears. Free-wheeling pink-toned illustrations admirably catch all the action.

Living in a Walter Mitty–like dream world, sassy, smart Babymouse--the heroine of these graphic novels for young readers--faces daily challenges (missing the bus, dodgeball, popularity). Each challenge brings its own accompanying daydream, rich in pink hues and dramatic overtones. New readers will appreciate the familiar situations, humorous asides, and easy-to-digest plots; the graphic format is easy to follow.

Jennifer Holm (<EMPHASIS TYPE=""ITALIC"">Our Only May Amelia) and her brother Matthew Holm, a graphic designer, make an incursion on <EMPHASIS TYPE=""ITALIC"">Captain Underpants territory with these comic books about a girl mouse. Both tales share eye-grabbing black-and-pink graphics, and a perceptible Spiegelman influence simmers in the energetic ink illustrations of the dot-eyed heroine. <EMPHASIS TYPE=""ITALIC"">Queen of the World! introduces Babymouse and her nemesis, a popular cat named Felicia Furrypaws. Babymouse desperately wants an invitation to Felicia's slumber party (which she feels could confer "queen" status), although her best friend Wilson the Weasel expects her to watch monster movies with him that night. Fantasy sequences testify to Babymouse's reading habit and active imagination: in one reverie, she's Babymouserella, transformed into a princess by "fairy godweasel" Wilson, but undone by Felicia on the way to the ball ("In 'Cinderella,' the mouse pulls the carriage. Duh!"). A sequel, <EMPHASIS TYPE=""ITALIC"">Our Hero, centers on a gym class where unathletic Babymouse faces dodgeball whiz Felicia. Before the competition, Babymouse daydreams of boot camp, stomps on her antagonist as "Babymousezilla" and indulges in a Peter Pan sequence where a combined Felicia-Hook makes her walk the plank into the jaws of a crocodile (who doubles as the gym teacher). The Holms make humorous allusions to novels and movies, and interject sympathetic remarks from an offstage narrator. This personable, self-conscious mouse, with her penchant for pink hearts, resembles Kevin Henkes's Lilly, with some extra years of grade-school experience. Ages 7-10. <EMPHASIS TYPE=""ITALIC"">(Dec.)

HOLM, Jennifer L. & Matthew Holm . Babymouse: Queen of the World! ISBN 0-375-93229-1 ; ISBN 0-375-83229-7 . LC 2004051166. ea vol: illus. by authors. 91p. CIP. Random 2005. PLB $12.99; pap. $5.95. Gr 2-5 Several things are clear about Babymouse, as evidenced from the cover artshes adorable and she loves pink. Luckily, as further pages reveal, she is also smart, spunky, and a tad sarcastic. In Our Hero , Babymouse must face her greatest feardodgeball. Felicia Furrypaws has the quickest throw in school and targets a certain mouse. Babymouse must also tackle her second fear, math. In Queen , she tries everything she can think of to get an invitation to Felicia Furrypawss slumber party. Meanwhile, she avoids her mouse-eating locker, dreams of being a queen (whose idea of luxury is a plateful of books), and solves a mystery. Finally, handing over her homework results in the coveted invitation, but the party doesnt turn out as she had hoped. In both books, the hilarious black-and-white illustrations are splashed with pink. Babymouse has a distinct voice and is a real charmer. Sadie Mattox, DeKalb County Public Library, Decatur, GA