The Mouse with the Question Mark Tail by Richard Peck (review)

Nameless and parentless young Mouse Minor ekes out a living in the Royal Mews at Buckingham Palace until he is accidentally spied in his clothing by one of Queen Victoria's granddaughters. He's barely recovered from that ignominious incident when he's caught by the Queen's Yeomice of the Guard, but they allow him to join their ranks; eventually he encounters Queen Victoria, who reveals to him that the Queen of Mice may be able to answer Mouse Minor's questions about his origins. In the end, it is Mouse Minor's curiously shaped tail (it naturally curls into a question mark) that gives the Queen of Mice the proof she needs of his royal parentage. As in his companion novel, Secrets at Sea (BCCB 12/11), Peck creates a pleasantly detailed, cozy Victorian mouse world. There's some of Stuart Little's appeal to Mouse Minor's exploits, and the kids who revel in historical fiction and/or squeal over animals wearing clothing will find this the most enjoyable. Unfortunately, an overly mannered approach to Mouse Minor's narration both slows the novel's pace and renders him somewhat tedious as a character. Still, fans of the previous book (and older fans of Rosemary Wells' mousy Following Grandfather, BCCB 12/12) may well be entertained by Mouse Minor's escapades, and Murphy's occasional soft-edged monochromatic illustrations add considerable charm.