Camp Out

Reviewed by: Deidre Walsh - Goodall Library, Sanford, Southern Maine Library District

Review Date: February 6, 2017

Review

Mice are a popular device in children's books for many reasons. This book is a good example of why. Here the mice characters are cute, funny, adventurous, clever, loyal, & resourceful. This is a relatively new series geared toward 3rd & 4th grades readers, primarily girls. Herein lies its only weakness. Boys may be inclined to pass this title by on the shelves. Meet six mouse friends - Junebug, Hyacinth, Violet, Petunia, Tigerlily, & Cricket. Join they as they prepare for a camp out in the woods. They've packed everything they need. The troop is on their adventure. But soon they can't find their troop leader Miss Poppy. What has happened to her? The mouse scouts must band together and use their scouting skills to find Miss Poppy. Throughout the books pages from the Mouse Scouts Handbook are presented. This is a nice touch and a good way to connect the reader to the story. This is a sweet, funny, & quick read. The text is a larger font with wider margins so it is easier to read. The text & story are accessible to its target audience. The illustrations are black & white & are simple yet show the expressions on the mice faces. You get an idea of their individual personalities just from the illustrations. As previously mentioned the one weakness with this book is that it is obviously geared towards girls. So it limits its audience. But this is also an adventure/survival story, so hopefully some brave young boys(say, Cub Scouts) will read this and spread the word. Give to fans of animal stories & those not quite ready for Avi's Poppy series. A good purchase for libraries in need of 3rd & 4th grade chapter books and those where animal stories are in demand.

Overall Book Score: very good