Starred Review Desperaux, the plucky little mouse who won the 2004 Newbery Medal, lived a life of high adventure. Christopher, the small traveler, lives in neither a castle nor a dungeon, and there are no princesses around. But even without the fairy-tale trappings, his quest is no less full of daring, lessons, and hope. Christopher starts his story in a manner reminiscent of Dickens: My life began in the most commonplace way. I was born in an ordinary wire cage, on a soft bed of paper shavings. While still in their cage, Christopher's mother teaches her son and his siblings how to find a good owner in the pet shop for which they are destined, how to read, and even how to escape a home if need be. As it turns out, all these skills are necessary. Author Wise moves Christopher from one home to the next with ease and humor, punctuating the many everyday incidents with the actions of a dangerous a cat, a nefarious boy, and a young taxidermist. The writing is nicely mannered but very accessible, making the book not only a winner for reading aloud but also a delightful offering for children moving past beginning readers. The ink illustrations and the enticing cover will help them along.

In literary prose ("my thirst had become so strong that I could think of little else except the need to satisfy it") a poetry-composing mouse relates the episodes of his life: his birth and sale to a pet shop, his first owner, falling into the wrong hands, escaping, and finding a new owner for a happy ending. Black-and-white sketches illustrate this gently refined tale.

Christopher is a white mouse, born either for the pet shop or the laboratory, so when he's sold to a pet shop, and then to the ideal boy, he feels fortunate. Had he but known, however, he would not have been so smug, as his boy is soon gulled by a kid hustler, and Christopher is propelled into a series of adventures that include a harrowing escape into the Metropolitan Museum of Art (shades of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler). These travails never seem particularly urgent, however, as Christopher narrates his tale in a sort of sighing, dispassionate voice that never truly engages the reader. That his ending is a happy one comes as no great relief, as the mouse's formal, stilted voice keeps the reader at arm's length, despite the little verses the mouse composes to comfort himself. The tepidness of the tale begs comparison to more vigorous mice of yore, and rather than purchasing this offering, libraries will find themselves better served by replacement copies of A Cricket in Times Square . (Fiction. 8-12)

Gr 2-4-Christopher Mouse may be small, but he has big adventures, all of which he has carefully documented in his first-person narrative. His conversational account of his life will delight young readers. After learning about poetry from a chatty parrot in a pet store, he creates verses and odes of varying lengths whenever the mood strikes him. The story begins with his early days with his mother and siblings to the time he is sold to a pet store in Greenwich Village. He is then sold to Freddy, but his time with his caring young owner is short-lived. Treachery abounds in the devious realm of Freddy's classmate Aubrey, a greedy child determined to make money to please his overbearing father, and the Youthful Taxidermist, who is looking for a new specimen for his collection. Christopher's escape results in an encounter with the giant shadow of an Egyptian cat at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. But never fear-this charming protagonist makes it through everything safely and leaves children wondering where life will lead him next. The occasional pen-and-ink illustrations offer a perfect little glimpse into his world.-Genevieve Gallagher, Orange County Public Library, VA Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.