Lois Lowry spins an enchanting tale of a colony of
church mice that go about their lives content in what they
can forage from the kitchens and drawers of St.
Bartholomew's Church, until they are found out by Father
Murphy, who sensibly arranges for pest control to come in
and deal with the rodent problem.
The mice, led my Mouse Mistress and matriarch Hildegarde,
come up with a plan to outwit the exterminator with his
sticky traps and poison and save their children and way of
life for future generations of peaceful mice. They are
God's creatures too after all! All their trials and
tribulations (the outside, owls and rain) take place right
before October 4th, the day The Blessing of the Animals is
administered in the church in honor of St. Francis. When
October 4th dawns, Hildegarde, fed up with the pomp and
circumstance heaped on the parade of cats, dogs, ponies and
even turtles who invade the church, makes a stand for mice
and all God's creatures...no matter how small.
Lowry's mouse tale is well-told and well-decorated by
illustrator Eric Rohmann. A sweet story with a satisfying
conclusion that never talks down to its audience.
A resilient and quirky colony of church mice fears another
Great X more than they fear cats. Under Mouse Mistress
Hildegarde’s leadership, they save themselves from one
danger after another—sometimes just by the skin of their
tails! Can one ultimate act of bravery during the feast day
of St. Francis get Father Murphy to bless these mice and
keep them safe forever?
Rife with humor and personality, this young middle-grade
novel has an old-fashioned feel with the makings of a
modern classic.