The Adventures of Henry Whiskers by Gigi Priebe (review)

The Whiskers family of mice has a pretty sweet deal: for the last twenty-five generations, they’ve lived in the famous dollhouse of England’s Queen Mary (originally constructed in the 1920s) in all its grandeur. Of course, they can’t actually be there during the day as tourists to Windsor Castle view the miniature exhibit, so they spend much of their time with the mice that live in the castle proper. Henry Whiskers and his pal Jeremy are party prepping for the Whiskers’ Annual Mouse Masquerade (which coincides with Her Majesty’s birthday celebrations) when Henry’s little sister, Isabel, is accidentally taken away to the basement along with dollhouse furniture needing repair. Now Henry must leave the safety of home and confront a ravenous cat and some pretty mean rats to rescue Isabel and get her back in time for the party. A snappy pace, a sweet rodent protagonist, and a thrilling but not so scary adventure make this reminiscent of The Mouse and the Motorcycle. The details of the house’s miniature pieces will be a hit with the dollhouse crowd, and the transformation of bookish, shy Henry to lauded hero will be pure wish fulfillment for other kids, regardless of their opinions on rodents, queens, or dolls. Final art not seen.