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.
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Customer Reviews
Most helpful customer reviews
11 of 11 people found the following review helpful.
Adorable!
By D. Williams
Richard Peck's THE MOUSE WITH THE QUESTION MARK TAIL takes young readers (about grades three through five) on a tale (pun) of self-discovery of a mouse who lives in Victorian England. The poor mouse is a nobody; he doesn't even really have a name and is raised by mice he considers aunts.When this poor mouse starts school, he is called "Mouse Minor" and seems to find nothing but trouble. He ends up fleeing for his life. But Queen Victoria herself notices something about this little fellow, and he learns who he is and where he came from.The style is spot-on for the time, place, point of view (the mouse's) and intended age group. The time setting is perfect for showing readers what Peck intends for them to learn; the Victorian era was all about who people were and who their families were.The title for my review says it all: Adorable!Who I am: a college instructor of English who also has a library science degreeHow I came to have my copy: Advance copy from the publisher
6 of 7 people found the following review helpful.An exciting tale (tail?) of self-discovery!
By Daphne Jones
Much like his previous mouse adventure, Secrets at Sea (also recommended), Richard Peck's "The Mouse with the Question Mark Tail" is rife with whimsical language, mouse-centric descriptions, and snappy dialogue. It's at times poignant and it's always exciting. And from the first page, young readers will be drawn into the mystery.Like so many great children's books, "The Mouse with the Question Mark Tail" is at its heart a tale (tail?) of self-discovery. It's a strange and lovely journey with an A-plus payoff at the end. Richard Peck might have another Newbery Medal winner here.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful.Delightful tale with the flavor of bygone days
By Maggie Knapp
This is a lovely, fun tale of Mouse Minor, an undersized mouse who lives in the Royal Mews during the time of Queen Victoria. The mice have a rich life of their own, complete with school, clothing, careers and ambitions. Mouse Minor was raised by an Aunty, and isn't at all sorry to say an early good bye to school and experience life inside and outside Buckingham Palace. He makes some unusual friends and finds out a secret about his past! A rollicking adventure for readers (and parents) who need a break from spies, gunfire, explosions and virtual reality story lines. Perfect for 4th graders to read by themselves, or for snuggling up as a bedtime story for the slightly younger crowd. I did not see the all final artwork, but I saw several of Kelly Murphy's detailed black and white illustrations. The finished book plans charming full page illustrations every 10 pages or so, including several in full color.About me: I'm a middle school/high school librarianHow I got this book: given to me by a friend
