Of Mice and Magic

Some of the other reviews mention the sophisticated jokes, I must not have gotten them. I might have smiled a couple of times but there wasn't a line or scenario that made me actually laugh. The book is entertaining and the plotline is simple. It is definitely a younger readers book. My one true criticism is that some of the book is just weird, like the author was trying too hard to be creative especially early in the book when creating the relationship between Ben and his parents. This book is enjoyable but won't make a recommended list and will probably be forgotten by me in six months. But young readers might get into it more than an adult.

A literary masterpiece from one of the leading authors in the field. It's the story of a boy who becomes a mouse and helps magical animals in their battle against evil. I can't praise this book enough. Could not put it down and have now read the sequel too!

Ben Ravenspell says he wants a pet, but what he really wants is a friend. He finds one in the form of Amber, a magical mouse who quickly and literally changes Ben's life by turning him into a mouse. Together, they learn and grow in courage, resourcefulness, friendship...and of course, magic. Visual images are conjured up in the reader's mind through vivid and often humorous descriptions like this gem: "The pet shop mice had fallen asleep on a pizza, huddling together for warmth. They lay there, fast asleep, as if they were pizza toppings ordered by a cat." (pp. 213-214) This is a fun and imaginative adventure into a world of mice and magic from which the young reader will return with a sense of awe and a new respect for those small creatures we often refer to as "vermin."

This book is hysterically funny, but the humor is way above any 8yr old's head. My little sister got this book for christmas, and I picked it up to look at it. After only reading the first couple of paragraphs, I was laughing so hard I could barely breathe. I found myself reading the whole book through, and never really stopped laughing the entire time. I found it funny mostly because of how crazy and extreme most of the characters were, but the humor is more easily seen by an adult than a young child.