An Appealing Old-School Animal Adventure Tale

When our kids were little we read them Thornton Burgess animal adventure bedtime stories. There are more than 150 Burgess books, but the all-around favorite was "The Adventures of Danny Meadow Mouse", which was published about 1915. I thought of those books, and I mention them here, because this "Adventures of Henry Whiskers" is very much in the honorable, and entertaining, tradition of those Burgess and Burgess-style books.

Henry is an independent, bright, fun loving, resourceful character. His buddy, Jeremy, is a fine companion. The setting, the Queen Mary's Dolls' House at Windsor Castle, (which is real and truly amazing - look it up on the internet), is inspired, and lends itself to all sorts of clever and colorful adventures. The narrative is nicely balanced between action and exposition and the reader develops a good feel for the characters and the setting. Quite a wide range of characters are introduced, so there's a strong sense of family and community supporting and keeping an eye on Henry and Jeremy, and Henry's sister Isabel. All of this, it seems to me, is in the old-fashioned school, but the writing is light and lively and zippy enough that the story never falters or drifts into the bland or overwritten style of some the older children's tales.

The tone and interest level is consistent. Scary encounters and perils are manageable and mild, so the stories are thrilling in a bedtime story sort of way, not in an unnerving manner. Henry and Jeremy are curious risk takers, so some scenes can be gripping, but again, not in a scary way. There are funny bits and gently humorous descriptions of some characters, and the overall impression is one of cheerful good humor with a bit of zip. I'm sometimes surprised, or disappointed, by kid books that unexpectedly go wandering off into topics or issues that feel muddled or at least out of place, (a divorce?, money problems?, intense sibling rivalry, abandonment?), but this book is not in that style and stays on the light adventure path.

The writing is clear, direct, gentle and inviting, another hallmark, to me, of old school animal adventures. The story has one or two overarching plot arcs, but the action is episodic enough to allow for reading, with appropriate breaks, over the course of a few nights. And the episodes are ripping; we have rats, cats, the Castle nightwatchmen, and other dangers.

And Henry is a fine hero. He is the twentyfifth Henry, counting from the original Dolls' House Henry. His Dad died saving a mouse family from a fire. Henry's growing up, and growing into his family's tradition. You don't usually think of mouse coming-of-age books, but that's what you get here as part of the overall adventure. Henry's young enough to be identifiable and old enough to be an inspiration, which makes him such an excellent hero, and not just a silly adventurer. This is good stuff, and the fact that it comes with a few mellow and upbeat aspirational messages, (about cooperation, bravery, tolerance, and the like), is a fine bonus.

So, it's ripping, touching, funny and fun, which is a heady and entertaining mix. A very nice find.

(Please note that I received a free advance will-self-destruct-in-x-days Adobe Digital copy of this book without a review requirement, or any influence regarding review content should I choose to post a review. Apart from that I have no connection at all to either the author or the publisher of this book.)

Henry Whiskers the twenty-fifth is no ordinary mouse as he is the current heir to take residence in Queen Mary`s "most famous Doll House", exhibited in the Windsor Castle. It is said that 24 generations of Whiskers have resided in this grand Doll House, which is akin to any other stately home in the land. And what`s more, with forty rooms,miniature flushable-toilets and a garage filled with tiny luxury cars. It`s a doll house made for the queen of England!!

Since the sudden yet heroic demise of his father, Henry though still a kid, is also the head of the Whiskers family. And he is a young lad who takes his responsibilities seriously. The queen`s birthday is getting closer and the Whiskers are busy organizing their annual Mouse Masquerade which falls along with the birthday celebrations. Especially because that`s just the best time of the year to entertain without being disturbed or spotted.

Henry`s fearsome adventure begins when he learns that his little sister Isebel is missing. He dashes through the whereabouts of the Windsor Castle in a magnificent model car with his cousin Jeramy seated next to him, giving our young readers goosebumps as they almost get caught by Titus the cat, and then by the castle guards. Finally, having succeeded in their perilous rescue mission, they begin their daring survival race back home with Titus chasing behind. They speed through the castle corridors,crisscrossing old tunnels and pipelines but end-up in the most frightening Rat Ally; the stinking rat territory, where dangerous mice-eating rats roam about... Will they ever get to go home, and be on time for the masquerade?..............

A fast moving and action packed tale, beautifully written with luscious and rich details, while keeping up a marvelous rhythm. The well described cute mice characters makes the book a fascinating read even for us grown-ups. And it`s exciting line-up of events assures to keep the readers engaged from the beginning. Here`s to the beginning of a best selling series!!