Thursday, June 21, 2012

The Cheshire Cheese Cat: A Dickens of a Tale by Carmen Agra Deedy & Randall Wright

Skilley is the perfect cat to be mouser at Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese. He's a cat with a secret. When Pip (a Cheshire Cheese mouse) discovers his secret, the unlikely allies become friends. They work together to save first the British Empire and then the mice from Skilley's nemesis Pinch.

What I thought: This was a delightful book. I wasn't sure about reading it, but once I got started I was hooked. The setting and characters are unique. I liked the cameo appearances by famous authors. Incidentally, A Tale of Two Cities is my least favorite book by Dickens. I was forced to read it as a high school sophomore. My favorite scene was Too welcoming Skilley to the inn. The Cheshire Cheese Cat could be one of my favorite animal fantasies. It's right up there with Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH.

(Illus. Barry Moser. Peachtree, 2011)

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