Newbery Award-winning author Richard Peck is at his very best in this fast-paced mystery adventure. Fans of The Tale of Desperaux, A Little Princess, and Stuart Little will all be captivated by this memorable story of a lovable orphan mouse on an amazing quest.
The smallest mouse in London’s Royal Mews is such a little mystery that he hasn't even a name. And who were his parents? His Aunt Marigold, Head Needlemouse, sews him a uniform and sends him off to be educated at the Royal Mews Mouse Academy. There he's called "Mouse Minor" (though it's not quite a name), and he doesn't make a success of school. Soon he's running for his life, looking high and low through the grand precincts of Buckingham Palace to find out who he is and who he might become.
Queen Victoria ought to be able to help him, if she can communicate with mice. She is all-seeing, after all, and her powers are unexplainable. But from her, Mouse Minor learns only that you do not get all your answers from the first asking. And so his voyage of self-discovery takes him onward, to strange and wonderful places.
Rave Reviews for The Mouse with the Question Mark Tail
“This clever yarn should delight fans of animal adventure stories.” —Booklist, starred review
“Readers will gleefully suspend disbelief as they trace Mouse Minor’s exciting journey.” —Publishers Weekly, starred review
“With a plucky hero, exciting plot...Peck’s latest is a gentle homage to old-school adventure tales.” —School Library Journal, starred review
“Peck’s whimsical and tongue-in-cheek storytelling makes The Mouse with the Question Mark Tail a must for reading aloud.” —The Deseret News
“Children love the idea of tiny, hidden worlds—of pixie, fairy or animal societies that exist alongside our own. Richard Peck taps into this affection with The Mouse with the Question Mark Tail . . . a lively tale.” —The Wall Street Journal
“This change of pace from Peck’s quintessentially American stories will delight readers with its British pageantry seen through the eyes of a feisty, insightful narrator.” —Horn Book “This mouse-sized identity quest sparkles.”—Kirkus Reviews “A more-than-perfect book to share aloud with young readers.” —Christian Science Monitor
"Peck creates a pleasantly detailed, cozy Victorian mouse world. There's some of Stuart Little's appeal to Mouse Minor's exploits." —BCCB
“Perfect for reading aloud to intermediate grade students or for recommending to readers who enjoy a mystery or a good adventure story. Recommend to fans of The Tale of Despereaux.”—Library Media Connection
RICHARD PECK (1934-2018) was born in Decatur, Illinois and lived in New York City for nearly 50 years. The acclaimed author of 35 novels for children and young adults, he won the Newbery Medal for A Year Down Yonder, a Newbery Honor for A Long Way from Chicago, the Scott O’Dell Award for The River Between Us, the Edgar Allen Poe Award for Are You in the House Alone?, a Boston Globe-Horn Book Award Honor for The Best Man, and the Christopher Medal for The Teacher’s Funeral. He was the first children’s author ever to have been awarded a National Humanities Medal, and was twice a National Book Award Finalist.
View titles by Richard Peck
Newbery Award-winning author Richard Peck is at his very best in this fast-paced mystery adventure. Fans of The Tale of Desperaux, A Little Princess, and Stuart Little will all be captivated by this memorable story of a lovable orphan mouse on an amazing quest.
The smallest mouse in London’s Royal Mews is such a little mystery that he hasn't even a name. And who were his parents? His Aunt Marigold, Head Needlemouse, sews him a uniform and sends him off to be educated at the Royal Mews Mouse Academy. There he's called "Mouse Minor" (though it's not quite a name), and he doesn't make a success of school. Soon he's running for his life, looking high and low through the grand precincts of Buckingham Palace to find out who he is and who he might become.
Queen Victoria ought to be able to help him, if she can communicate with mice. She is all-seeing, after all, and her powers are unexplainable. But from her, Mouse Minor learns only that you do not get all your answers from the first asking. And so his voyage of self-discovery takes him onward, to strange and wonderful places.
Reviews
Rave Reviews for The Mouse with the Question Mark Tail
“This clever yarn should delight fans of animal adventure stories.” —Booklist, starred review
“Readers will gleefully suspend disbelief as they trace Mouse Minor’s exciting journey.” —Publishers Weekly, starred review
“With a plucky hero, exciting plot...Peck’s latest is a gentle homage to old-school adventure tales.” —School Library Journal, starred review
“Peck’s whimsical and tongue-in-cheek storytelling makes The Mouse with the Question Mark Tail a must for reading aloud.” —The Deseret News
“Children love the idea of tiny, hidden worlds—of pixie, fairy or animal societies that exist alongside our own. Richard Peck taps into this affection with The Mouse with the Question Mark Tail . . . a lively tale.” —The Wall Street Journal
“This change of pace from Peck’s quintessentially American stories will delight readers with its British pageantry seen through the eyes of a feisty, insightful narrator.” —Horn Book “This mouse-sized identity quest sparkles.”—Kirkus Reviews “A more-than-perfect book to share aloud with young readers.” —Christian Science Monitor
"Peck creates a pleasantly detailed, cozy Victorian mouse world. There's some of Stuart Little's appeal to Mouse Minor's exploits." —BCCB
“Perfect for reading aloud to intermediate grade students or for recommending to readers who enjoy a mystery or a good adventure story. Recommend to fans of The Tale of Despereaux.”—Library Media Connection
RICHARD PECK (1934-2018) was born in Decatur, Illinois and lived in New York City for nearly 50 years. The acclaimed author of 35 novels for children and young adults, he won the Newbery Medal for A Year Down Yonder, a Newbery Honor for A Long Way from Chicago, the Scott O’Dell Award for The River Between Us, the Edgar Allen Poe Award for Are You in the House Alone?, a Boston Globe-Horn Book Award Honor for The Best Man, and the Christopher Medal for The Teacher’s Funeral. He was the first children’s author ever to have been awarded a National Humanities Medal, and was twice a National Book Award Finalist.
View titles by Richard Peck
