A Boy Called M.O.U.S.E by Penny Dolan

A Boy Called M.O.U.S.E by Penny Dolan
Buy A Boy Called M.O.U.S.E by Penny Dolan at Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com
Category: Confident Readers
Reviewer: Linda Lawlor
Summary: A thrilling, near-Dickensian tale of lost parents, wicked uncles, evil schoolmasters and theatrical extravaganza.
Buy? Yes	Borrow? Yes
Pages: 464	Date: October 2010
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing plc
ISBN: 978-1408801383
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There seem to be a lot of Victorian adventures around at the moment: the combination of neglect, poverty and fiercely-protected social divisions typical of the age allows evil and greed to flourish, and creates wonderful situations for adventure. And this book is an excellent example of the genre, with its wide range of characters both good and bad, and its child hero who must suffer and struggle as he travels through a multitude of colourful settings before reaching his goal.

Mouse is born into wealth and comfort, but when his parents are lost at sea he becomes the only barrier preventing his uncle Scrope (wonderful name - like a nasty itch!) from inheriting the family riches and paying off his gambling debts. Hanny, Mouse's nursery maid, realises just how murderous Scrope is feeling, and flees with Mouse who has no memory of his parents and believes her to be his Ma. Mr Button, a scheming and heartless man who has complete financial control over his uncle, allows Mouse an idyllic childhood in the countryside, and then sends him away to Murkstone Hall, a school so horrible, so cruel and dreary that Dickens himself would be envious. Using his skill for climbing, Mouse runs away and determines to find his way back to his beloved Ma.

On the way he meets disappointment, sorrow and hunger. But he also meets some really splendid characters, including Wayland the tramp, who refuses to let Mouse give up, and Charlie Punchman, a puppet-master who travels across the land with his dog Toby. Mouse's talent for climbing entertains the crowds while Charlie is setting up his Punch and Judy show, which adds to their coffers but allows the devious Button to follow Mouse's trail when it suits him to find the boy. Destitution, loss and despair dog our young hero until he finds himself, once again, welcomed by kindly and generous folk, this time in the city. Aunt Indigo and Aunt Violet, seamstresses and washerwomen to the Albion Theatre, take him in, and Nick Tick the watchmaker gives him a home. Mouse is drawn into theatre life, which he grows to love, and he finds a good friend in Kitty, a young dancer who has suffered her own share of unhappiness at the hands of a bullying diva.

The settings in this book are detailed and convincing. Ma and Isaac's farm is warm and homely, and Mouse fully believes it will be his home forever until he is dragged away by Button and Scrope. Murkstone Hall is bleak and cold, and the boys learn very little except how to avoid the bullying Grindle, son of the headmaster. The kitchens in particular are vividly described, and will certainly put the sensitive reader off his lunch, and the ominous words Returnable or Not Returnable beside each boy's name in the register are truly chilling. And the theatre, with its gaudy attractions and larger-than-life characters, is a kaleidoscope of wonder and interest.

But what is really impressive about this book is the plotting. Mouse meets a whole gamut of characters, but they are not merely background to his adventure. Each person has their own story, their own motivation, and we learn much about their lives before they meet Mouse. Kitty and her young sisters, who live with the kindly seamstresses, have an adventure of their own, as fully Dickensian as Mouse's, and even nasty Scrope is allowed to evolve as a person – just a little. And the ending to this story is not a simple happy-ever-after: the challenges and questions Mouse faces as the book draws to a close, are far more subtle and complex than in many a book for this age group, and will leave the young reader with much to think about.

I'd like to thank the publishers for sending a copy to The Bookbag.

Further reading suggestion: More adventures and derring-do can be found in Natasha Narayan's Kit Salter series, The Mummy Snatcher of Memphis, The Maharajah's Monkey; and The Book of Bones.

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You can read more book reviews or buy A Boy Called M.O.U.S.E by Penny Dolan at Amazon.com.

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