Oh my heavens, what a cute little book. I could hear myself reading this aloud to my fourth grade students. A Mouse called Miika is a delightful little book about what it means to be a friend, what it means to be true to yourself, and the consequences of friendship based on conditions. Miika the mouse wants to be friends with Bridget so much so that he will betray his own inner voice and conscience to be the person she demands he be. Told with humor and lighthearted language, Matt Haig gives us a lot to think about as we piece together what makes friendship such a worthwhile endeavor, and what happens when we ignore our own moral compass to keep friends.

I will be reading this to my class! Thank you to Netgalley and Random House Children's and the author for a copy of this ebook.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NG for a copy of this book in exchange for honest feedback. I also listened to the audiobook provided by Penguin on Volumes app via the reviewer program.

This book is by a famous author, Matt Haig, who I best knew from The Midnight Library and his work on mental health presented on social media. This is a children's / young reader's book that is aimed for middle grade.

I'm glad that I had the chance to look at the physical book as well as the audio because the illustrations are really nice. I love the cute drawings of Miika. The story itself has a strong lesson to be learned at any age. I think this book is a cute read for sure.

I have not read any other titles in the A Boy Named Christmas series, but I was still able to enjoy this book. It was equal parts silly and heartwarming. The artwork is really fun as well! This would make a great read aloud for parents and children to enjoy together. I look forward to reading the other books in this series, now that I have met these lovely characters.

illustrated, urban-fantasy, magic, mouse, bravery, humor, fantasy, fanciful, friendship*****

At the veriest northern tip of Finland a tiny mouse was born and neglected and lonely. Even though he makes many friends and had adventures, there is only one other mouse, and she is rather unpleasant. There is a whole lot more to the story which is populated with some really fantastic interpretive drawings, but all in all, I think this quote rather sums it up: "An impossibility is just a possibility you don't understand yet."
A wonderful book with a universal message!
I requested and received a free temporary ebook from Random House Children's/ Knopf Books for Young Readers via NetGalley. Thank you!

I received an electronic ARC from Random House Children's Books through NetGalley.
It helps to have read The Boy Named Christmas series first but this one can stand alone. Haig focuses on Miika's adventures, and readers learn about his past from the time he was an unnamed baby through running away from the nest. We briefly see the memory of when he met Nikolas and they became friends. Then, the story comes to the present and Miika is struggling to figure out who he is. The only other mouse in the area, Bridget, is not a pleasant mouse but Miika does what he can to be friends. He allows Bridget to persuade him to do something he knows is wrong and others come close to paying the consequences.
Haig offers the message to stand out and be true to yourself. Miika's final choices will encourage upper elementary readers to take the same stand. The artwork is detailed and terrific. Readers see exactly what is happening and can picture the characters clearly. Some of the chapter transitions are a bit abrupt but this doesn't change the overall message.

★★★★★ for the artwork
★★★★★ for the message
★★☆☆☆ for the pacing/cuts. These were awkward and/or jarring at times

The artwork is honestly the best part because it's so dang adorable with the message being equally as lovely. This book has some brilliant, wonderful lines that push the reader for authenticity, ordinary courage (to use Dr Brené Brown's word), and acceptance. Acceptance of your truths, acceptance that not everyone will like you. It highlights that bad and good don't make something so, it's how you react, how you deal.

With regards to this being set in the same world, it would have probably been better to read "A Boy Called Christmas" and the others in terms of feeling more of a bond with characters, so heads up on that front. They are short reads, though, a nice length for those just starting to tackle chapter books.