Mouseheart by Lisa Fiedler

Pages: 313

Intended Audience: Mature Tweens & Teens
Genre: Fantasy
Notes for Parents: Despite being intended for a younger audience, there is violence and graphic scenes that may not be suitable for some tweens.

The Back Cover

Hopper is an ordinary pet-shop mouse—until he escapes. Soon he finds himself deep within the untamed Brooklyn transit tunnels and in Atlantia, a glorious utopian rat civilization.
But all is not as it seems. Hopper misses the siblings he lost in the escape. Atlantia is constantly threatened by rebels who wish to bring the city to its knees. And there are cats everywhere, cats who leave the citizens unharmed…and no one can seem to answer why.
Soon Hopper is caught in the crosshairs of an epic battle, and as the clashes rage, Hopper learns terrible, extraordinary secrets. Deadly secrets about Atlantia. Painful secrets about his friends.
And one powerful secret about himself.

What the cover doesn’t tell you:
This is the first book in a series. The story includes several drawings by children’s illustrator Vivienne To.

What’s good?

This swashbuckling, fantasy adventure is fast-paced and filled with action. It has a solid plot with some nice twists and turns, plenty of tension, and genuine emotion. While excellent writing and good characterization make this a quick and easy read, the story has surprisingly sophisticated themes that include complex ideas about courage, deception, and doing what’s right.
Best Part: Pup! (and great cover.)

What isn’t good?

The graphic violence was unexpected in a story that is clearly geared to pre-teens. (However, it’s not that graphic compared to today’s video games, so perhaps I’m a little out of touch.) I was also frustrated with how gullible Hopper was throughout the story. He constantly missed cues and misinterpreted signs that he should have picked up on considering he’s the one that so quickly figured out the subway system. It definitely affected the pacing in some places.
Worst part: Why is Pinkie so mean?

Recommendation þþþþo

I liked it! I’ve never been a fan of stories about animals with human qualities, but this one sucked me in. I liked Hopper from the start, despite his obvious meekness. Although several subplots proved predictable, the fast pace and loads of action kept me reading. Definitely recommended.

Fiedler, Lisa. Mouseheart. New York: Margaret K. McElderry Books, 2014.