Available:*
Library | Call Number | Status |
---|---|---|
Searching... Hardwood Creek Library (Forest Lake) | SCD J FICTION PEC 3 DISCS | Searching... Unknown |
Bound With These Titles
On Order
Summary
Summary
Helena is big-sister mouse to three younger siblings, living a snug and well-fed life within the ancient walls of the Cranston family home. When the Cranston humans decide to sail away to England to find a husband for one of their daughters, the Cranston mice stow away in the name of family solidarity.
And so begins the scamper of their lives as Helena, her siblings, and their humans set sail on a life-changing voyage into the great world of titled humans . . . and titled mice, and surprise endings for all. The masterful Richard Peck brings all of his talents to this tale of two branches of an American family, set on the eve of Queen Victoria's diamond jubilee. There are plenty of laughs and thrills, and of course there's a ship's cat too. Will our Cranston heroes squeak by, or will they go entirely overboard?
Author Notes
Richard Peck was born in Decatur, Illinois on April 5, 1934. He received a bachelor's degree in English literature from DePauw University in 1956. After graduation, he served two years in the U.S. Army in Germany, where he worked as a chaplain's assistant writing sermons and completing paperwork. He received a master's degree in English from Southern Illinois University in 1959. He taught high school English in Illinois and New York City.
He stopped teaching in 1971 to write a novel. His first book, Don't Look and It Won't Hurt, was published in 1972 and was adapted as the 1992 film Gas Food Lodging. He wrote more than 40 books for both adults and young adults including Amanda/Miranda, Those Summer Girls I Never Met, The River Between Us, A Long Way from Chicago, A Season of Gifts, The Teacher's Funeral, Fair Weather, Here Lies the Librarian, On the Wings of Heroes, and The Best Man. A Year down Yonder won the Newbery Medal in 2001 and Are You in the House Alone? won an Edgar Award. The Ghost Belonged to Me was adapted into the film Child of Glass. He received the MAE Award in 1990 and the National Humanities Medal in 2002. He died following a long battle with cancer on May 23, 2018 at the age of 84.
(Bowker Author Biography)
Reviews (6)
Publisher's Weekly Review
Newbery Medalist Peck's (A Year Down Yonder) dry wit and gentle jabs at social mannerisms appear in full force in this charming tale of a 19th-century mouse family traveling abroad. The story begins when house-mouse Helena and her younger siblings get wind that the human residents upstairs, the Cranstons, are planning to go to Europe to find a proper husband for elder daughter Olive. Not wanting to be left behind in an empty, crumb-free abode, the mice sneak onto the ship, despite their fear of water. "Time is always running out for us mice, and water often figures in," remarks Helena, whose delightfully genteel narration carries the novel. Once aboard, Helena and her siblings are surprised to find a "major infestation" of other mice traveling with their human housemates. While trying to avoid the ship's one-eyed "kill-crazy" cat, they scurry from one adventure to the next, rubbing elbows with aristocracy and finding unexpected romance. Readers-especially fans of Beatrix Potter-will revel in the detailed descriptions of mouse-sized joys, woes, and love connections, all beautifully depicted in Murphy's soft pencil illustrations. Ages 8-12. (Oct.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Horn Book Review
The rodent world meets Upstairs, Downstairs in this rollicking comedy of manners that begs to be read aloud. Downstairs, we have the observant, careful oldest mouse sister Helena and her quite-a-bit-less-prudent siblings, running around in the night with God knows whom. Upstairs, the social-climbing human Cranstons are in a swivet over the spinster status of oldest daughter Olive. The Cranstons decide to take an ocean voyage to Europe hoping to snag a husband for Olive, and Helena realizes that (Heaven forbid! All that water!) the mice will have to go, too. Peck's droll take on human and mouse society is exquisite. Through Helena's meticulous observations, he notes everything from Mrs. Cranston's beefy shoulders to elderly mouse Aunt Fannie's bald patches and lone tooth -- all enhanced by hilariously upended clichs ("quiet as a mouse," "herding cats," "cat out of the bag") and by Murphy's dandy and detailed pencil illustrations that add just the right air of royalty. The story moves along at a fine pace, fueled by snarky but playful comments about the lack of taste of the Upstairs Cranstons (hayseeds in overpriced taffeta), Olive's debilitating seasickness, and the soap opera that a sea voyage is, whether one is a human or a mouse. In true soap opera style, each character's destiny is revealed in the dramatic final chapters. Older sisters, mice or not, will enjoy the exciting and romantic ending in which both Olive and Helena choose their own unexpected futures. Won't those younger sisters be surprised? robin l. smith(c) Copyright 2011. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Booklist Review
As the eldest, Helena has taken charge of her orphaned siblings. It is her job to keep the younger mice safe not much of a challenge, really, except for avoiding the occasional snake and keeping the daring Louise from being seen by humans. However, when word comes that the Cranstons, the people upstairs, are sailing for Europe to give their eldest daughter, Olive. Her Chance. the mice must conquer their fear of drowning to accompany the family across the Atlantic or else stay behind and starve. This delightful romp, told by Helena, is enhanced by whimsical black-and-white illustrations. By turns poignant and playful, engaging and exciting, and with a touch of romance, the story will have great appeal for the audience. The characters (both two- and four-legged) are well drawn, and the timeless themes the importance of family, the need for courage add heft.--Moore, Meliss. Copyright 2010 Booklist
New York Review of Books Review
CHILDREN have demonstrated their endless appetite for stories about mice, from Geronimo Stilton to "The Tale of Despereaux" - the more courageous the better. Maybe it's because children are wired to be curious about the escapades of creatures even smaller than they are; or maybe the enthusiasm for rodents is yet another variation on what made "Toy Story" so appealing: We all love to imagine what's going on when we're not looking or in places we can't see, like behind the walls. Either way, mouse lit is a perennial favorite, and its enthusiasts will be tickled to discover two additions, both from veteran authors. Richard Peck's witty and wise "Secrets at Sea" follows the Cranstons, a venerable mouse family (their lineage predates the Dutch in the Hudson River Valley) as they travel by steamship from New York to London, Helena's bossiness and protectiveness of siblings Louise, Beatrice and Lamont proves from the get-go that eldest mice share traits in common with their human counterparts. But Helena, who tells the story, wasn't born into this role; we immediately feel the void left by her dearly departed sisters who succumbed, along with the mouselings' parents, to the species' greatest enemies: hungry barn cat and brimming rain barrel. So why would these water-fearing mice be willing to brave an Atlantic crossing? Because the Upstairs Cranstons, the family whose kitchen wall they call home, are bound for Europe to hunt down a husband for their hopelessly uncharismatic 20-year-old daughter, Olive, and the mouse Cranstons are nothing if not loyal. Moreover, Helena's peek into a crystal ball - a marble, actually - belonging to Aunt Fannie Fenimore, a sort of Yoda figure for mice, reveals that the voyage is the best way to avoid losing one sister to a nogoodnik boyfriend, and little mouse brother Lamont to a life of petty crime. After all, Helena realizes, "You can't go back, not in this life. You have to go forward." Human or vermin, these are words to live by. And the Cranstons really do live it up at sea. Perched on spools, they gather around tables fashioned from yardsticks and alphabet blocks to dine alongside a "major infestation," a Who's Who of the mouse world, including the entire chorus of "The Nutcracker." They're dazzled by Her Royal Highness, the Duchess of Cheddar Gorge, a descendant of the Roqueforts and Mouse-in-Waiting to Princess Louise, fourth daughter of Queen Victoria. They survive a lifeboat drill and weasel their way into a royal reception by clinging to the trains of their humans' ball gowns. People fall in love; so do mice. By the time the boat arrives at its destination, Cranstons of both persuasions have proved themselves a team, even though one half isn't aware of the existence of the other. Helena is sanguine when her humans fail to appreciate the rodents' efforts on their behalf - but isn't that always the way? "Secrets at Sea" is Peck's 33rd novel for children; he won the Newbery Medal in 2001 and has twice been a finalist for the National Book Award for young people's literature. He has proved himself many times over as a storyteller - and now, definitively, as a humorist. Helena's tale is rife with snappy asides and clever but never heavy-handed mentions of mousecentric nursery rhymes like "Hickory Dickory Dock." These comic touches blend seamlessly with Peck's moving story, avoiding the buffoonery trap while still remaining accessible to young readers. The same does not always hold true for "The Cheshire Cheese Cat." Children will undoubtedly be entertained by the book's premise: Skilley, a London alley cat who has no taste for mice, takes up residence at Ye Old Cheshire Cheese and strikes a cheese-for-amnesty deal with the mouse population, led by a literate charmer named Pip. But unless readers are well schooled in Victorian literature, they may be challenged by the authors' Dickensian references. Dickens himself even lurks around the famous public house, rubbing shoulders, with literary cronies like William Makepeace Thackeray and Wilkie Collins, and desperately casting about for a first line for his novel-in-progress. Whether you come to this book as an English major or as a cat lover, you will agree the first line of "The Cheshire Cheese Cat" is pure genius: "He was the best of toms. He was the worst of toms." This joint effort from Carmen Agra Deedy and Randall Wright, illustrated charmingly by Barry Moser, might be best appreciated as a read-aloud. It is sure to spark dialogue about loyalty and bullying (Skilley's nemesis, Pinch, is a textbook tormentor); and Angloplules young and old will appreciate the tale of Maldwyn, an injured raven hiding out at the Cheese and plotting a return to his rightful role guarding the Tower of London. "Secrets at Sea" may be likelier to inspire reading by flashlight after lightsout, but each tour of the miniature world is bewitching in its way. Readers will never again look at a thimble without wondering if it might have been used as a milk cup or ink pot by an industrious British mouse. Elisabeth Egan is books editor at Self magazine.
School Library Journal Review
Gr 2-6-The Cranston home is shared by a human and a mouse family in Richard Peck's witty novel (Dial, 2011) set in 1887. Mr. and Mrs. Cranston decide that it is time to travel abroad to find a husband for their oldest daughter, Olive. This sets in motion an unforgettable journey for both families as Helena, the oldest mouse, decides to take her family along on the trip across the Atlantic, hidden inside a steamer trunk amongst the gloves and handkerchiefs. While onboard, the family of mice shares various adventures by making new friends, trying to avoid the ship's cat, and working together to intervene in the destiny of their human family. In turn, their own fates are made clear as well. This charming tale is enlivened by the engaging, expressive voice of Jayne Entwistle. A good choice for fans of Kate Di Camillo's The Tale of Despereaux, The Cricket in Times Square by George Selden, or The Borrowers by Mary Norton.-Lyn Gebhard, Sparta Public Library, NJ (c) Copyright 2012. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
Problem novels, ghost stories, historical fictionis there anything Newbery Medalist Peck cannot do? Apparently not.Helena Cranston, oldest surviving member of her family after the deaths of both her parents and her sisters Vicky and Alice, has her hands full: dreamy sister Beatrice and skittery sister Louise keep sneaking out at nightHelena fears inappropriate liaisonswhile brother Lamontskips school for more dangerous pursuits.Worse yet, the Upper Cranstons, dissatisfied with Hudson Valleybeaux, are embarking for England to catch daughter Olive a husband.Europe, as Helena knows, is across a very large body of water, and Helena, being a mouse, fears water with all her heart.Yet soon she and her family, secreted in one of the Cranstons' steamer trunks, are carried onboard ship, where they discover an aristocraticmouse society heretofore unknown, including the Mouse-in-Waiting to Princess Louise, Queen Victoria's daughter, who shows Helenathat mice can in fact change historyat least on a mouse-sized scale.Peck must havehad a blast writing this.Whimsical language, sure characterization, unflagging adventure,even romanceall seen through Helena's relentlessly practical beady little eyes.ThinkThe Tale of Despereauxwithout the twee.Sheer delight. (final art not seen) (Animal fantasy. 8-12)]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.