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3.81 AVERAGE
3.81 AVERAGE
I went in with different expectations, I guess, and didn't enjoy how harrowing it turned out to be. There's also a lot of engineering detail in the second half of the book that made it drag. I think Kate DiCamillo must have been heavily influenced by this book; it gave me a lot of the same feelings that "Edward Tulane" and "The Tale of Despereaux" did.
adventurous
dark
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
N/A
Much like the animated treasure of my childhood, this book gets dark as fuck, and may need to be reviewed by parents before letting it fall into the hands of children. The brutal smashing scene from the film haunts me to this day, and, while it didn’t happen that way in the book, I found myself repeatedly surprised by the violence and brutality found in the book (very few and far between, but the small segments made BIG impacts).
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and recalling the same things from the film - almost all of it sync’d in my memory - until it didn’t. One off-handled mention of a pivotal character’s death had me lost, as the rest of the book no longer matched the film - but it just gave me a new experience with my favourite childhood film.
I was surprised to see how deeply the themes and concepts went in the book; from self-discovery, found-families of all kinds, odd couples, the path of fate and self-fulfilling prophecies, being self-sufficient, asking for help (and being denied), to mental issues like the turmoil of fighting who you are (clutching to sanity), striving to be better, admitting defeat, patience, adhd, dementia, acceptance, suicidal thoughts, even body dysmorphia. And some detailed tips and technicalities of scavenging and intense DIY.
I took a long time to read this book because I found it to be a comfort. I could have easily devoured it in a few days, but I found it more enjoyable as a book on hand to pull out whenever I had a few moments between other things. Reading it felt like a cuddle from a filthy villain I absolutely loved in my childhood ❤️
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and recalling the same things from the film - almost all of it sync’d in my memory - until it didn’t. One off-handled mention of a pivotal character’s death had me lost, as the rest of the book no longer matched the film - but it just gave me a new experience with my favourite childhood film.
I was surprised to see how deeply the themes and concepts went in the book; from self-discovery, found-families of all kinds, odd couples, the path of fate and self-fulfilling prophecies, being self-sufficient, asking for help (and being denied), to mental issues like the turmoil of fighting who you are (clutching to sanity), striving to be better, admitting defeat, patience, adhd, dementia, acceptance, suicidal thoughts, even body dysmorphia. And some detailed tips and technicalities of scavenging and intense DIY.
I took a long time to read this book because I found it to be a comfort. I could have easily devoured it in a few days, but I found it more enjoyable as a book on hand to pull out whenever I had a few moments between other things. Reading it felt like a cuddle from a filthy villain I absolutely loved in my childhood ❤️
I started reading this book when I was maybe 9 years old. I liked it, it was really sweet, but also felt quite sad, which is probably why I never ended up finishing it. Not that I haven't tried many times over the years! I still think I would like to finish reading it one day.
Hoban is a children's writer who is probably most famous for his easy-to-read 'Francis' books. That, coupled with the story-line: two broken toy mice connected at the hands, moving through life broken, in an epic tale of survival, causes this book to always be classified as a young children's novel. However, the novel is not just a coming of age story. It is a tale of how life always comes full circle. It has powerful metaphors, and themes of redemption and transformation. The father mouse moves through his journey always pulling or pushing the child mouse, his younger self, with him. The book is appropriate for middle school to high school readers. I would use it as part of a unit on identifying metaphor, or possibly on anthropomorphism. The book is good to teach kids about approaching transition. Life is cruel to the mouse and his child, and yet they persevere. The book is exquisitely written, and the illustrations are amazing.
"The Mouse and His Child" is an interesting book. It was not exactly what I expected. For one thing, even though it's presented as a book for children, it really struck me as much more a book for adults because the whole thing is a metaphor for many adult issues. The mouse and child in question are, in fact, mechanical toy mice. The story follows their adventures from a toy shop to being bought and discarded, and everything that follows. At its heart, this is a book about a journey of self-discovery. The toy mouse father and his son meet many interesting characters along the way, some who want to use them and some who want to help them. Their adventures and conversations cover a number of sociocultural issues and reminded me a bit of both "Animal Farm" and "Watership Down," although this book is much less political in theme. Overall, I found this book mildly enjoyable. I would not recommend it for kids, but adults might find the social satire and commentary interesting.
Although it's been many years since I had read this book, I still found it as poignant, funny and moving as I did when I was a child. I enjoyed the interactions between the tin mouse and his son in their quest to find a home and a family.
adventurous
challenging
dark
hopeful
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes