What’s inherent in Isaiah and his siblings are that they’re unusually intelligent, can see in color instead of just black and white, and probably have human life spans instead of a mouse’s usual one to two years. But this is just Lamina Research Laboratory’s color-coding. Isaiah is bright blue, Abe is crimson, Winnie is chartreuse, and all 97 of them are different colors. What makes Word of Mouse of interest to furry fans is that it’s quickly apparent that Isaiah and his siblings are experimental lab mice. Isaiah is the only mouse who escapes without being recaptured. We’re escaping from a place that’s foul and creepy and 100 percent HORRIBLE!” (p. I’m running as fast as I can behind my big brothers and sisters.

“My story starts on the day I lost my entire family.

Word of Mouse is their first fantasy featuring talking animals. Chris Grabenstein is a frequent co-author on his children’s novels. His adult thrillers featuring Alex Cross, police psychologist, are by himself alone, and most of his others are in collaboration. He has written adult mysteries, thrillers, and romance novels, and young adult and juvenile light school-life novels and science-fiction. Wikipedia lists 164 books by him, alone and with a co-author. He has topped Forbes’ list of the highest-paid authors for the last three years. He holds the Guinness World Records for the most #1 New York Times best sellers and the first author to sell over 1,000,000 e-books. O’Brien, rather than the Don Bluth animated movie that turned it into a fairy tale. But it’s a quick and enjoyable read for those who liked Mrs. This children’s fantasy, recommended for 8- to 12-year-old readers (middle grade/grades 3-7), will be too young for most DP readers. NYC, Little, Brown and Co./Jimmy Patterson Books, December 2016, hardcover $13.99 (284 pages), Kindle $9.99. Word of Mouse, by James Patterson and Chris Grabenstein. Submitted by Fred Patten, Furry’s favorite historian and reviewer.

Word of Mouse by James Patterson