The Stowaways by Meghan Marentette (review)

The Stowaway family of mice has a history of adventuring, but that came to a stop after Gramps went missing back when twins Rory and Morgan were babies. When Rory learns that Grampa may be alive, he and his grandmother secretly team up to try to rescue Gramps from the laboratory where they believe him to be captive. Meanwhile, Morgan discovers Grampa’s true location—in the home of a little girl who lives nearby—and heads off alone to try and free him. The mice eventually converge in a reunion with Grampa, but the poor old mouse soon dies. Upon returning home, the Stowaways discover a hurricane threatening to destroy their house, so the newly bonded family takes off adventuring again, looking forward to a fresh start together. While the plot moves along at a nice clip, there’s minimal character development here, and the writing is sometimes flat. The details of the mice’s environment (Morgan constructs a bicycle from bits and bobs after riding a dollhouse version, for example) may nonetheless capture the imaginations of kids with a love for miniature worlds, especially readers who enjoyed Richard Peck’s Secrets at Sea (BCCB 12/11). Griffiths’ occasional, naturalistic illustrations in monochromatic tones have an endearing warmth, although the mice tend to be more skillfully depicted than the humans. While not in the same class with O’Brien’s Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH (BCCB 10/71) or Avi’s Poppy series (Poppy, BCCB 1/96, etc.), fans of those books may enjoy the Stowaways’ escapades as well.