The illuminating journey of a very special mouse, and the unexpected friendships he makes along the way.

Through I know everything there is about mice and then reading this book there are interesting facts about mice and other animals.
Word of Mouse is a cute kids book about a mouse that scare of everything learns to become brave in the end. Mice are seem as vermin to most people, there are so many stories were a mouse is the hero, I found that odd. We just love the little moues hero. ( )

I rarely read middle grade books, especially now that there are no middle grade readers in my house. But every now and again one crosses my path that looks too cute to pass up. Patterson and Grabenstein's pun-tacularly titled Word of Mouse is one of those.

Isaiah is a mouse. But he's not just any mouse, he's a very special mouse. Together with his ninety-six siblings, he lives in a lab and has clearly been modified to be a rather spectacular specimen of mousehood, even if he is the smallest and youngest of his mischief (the name for a group or family of mice). He can read and communicate via computer. He can say a few words, very quietly, and he can mimic other animals. Oh, and he's blue. His fur is blue, one of the only colors mice can actually see. One day with his siblings, he breaks out of the lab but it turns out he's the only one who isn't immediately recaptured and returned. This is hard because he's not a very brave mouse and he's all alone as he navigates the suburbs, birds, cats, and humans out to get him. But when he meets a pretty girl mouse who sings, even though only boy mice are supposed to be able to sing, he learns that being brave isn't about never feeling fear, that family has always got your back, and that being different isn't a bad thing. With his newfound bravery and the help of his friends and family, he determines to rescue his siblings from the evil lab.

This was in fact a cute book about embracing difference and taking chances. Its unusual mouse main character, who narrates his own tale, is sweet if occasionally a little overt in imparting the lessons he's learning. There are inconsistencies in what Isaiah, who has never been outside the lab before, knows and doesn't know thanks to his laboratory upbringing but these can mostly be ignored to go with the story flow. Complimenting the text, Isaiah's exploits are rendered beautifully in drawings by Joe Sutphin and his narrow escapes, in paragraph and picture will surely delight middle grade readers who will also happily absorb the moral of the story: "We're all different. It's the only thing we have in common." ( )

This book was provided to me as an advance reader copy by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

What makes Isaiah so unique? First, his fur is as blue as the sky--which until recently was something he'd never seen, but had read all about. That's right--Isaiah can read, and write. He can also talk to humans...if any of them are willing to listen! After a dramatic escape from a mysterious laboratory, Isaiah is separated from his "mischief" (which is the word for a mouse family), and has to use his special skills to survive in the dangerous outdoors, and hopefully find his missing family. But in a world of cruel cats, hungry owls, and terrified people, it's hard for a young, lone mouse to make it alone. When he meets an equally unusual and lonely human girl named Hailey, the two soon learn that true friendship can transcend all barriers.

I did not like this book when I started it. I couldn’t understand why Isaiah didn’t know what a trash can was, but knew what bread and grapes were. All he had ever eaten was kibble, and what kind of lab doesn’t have some kind of trash receptacle? Okay, he’s a mouse who can read, so maybe he has read about bread and grapes, but WHAT ABOUT THE TRASH CAN. Then somehow,while obsessing over Isaiah’s wonky vocabulary, I fell in love with this book. It started with the illustrations, which, to me, are reminiscent to the work of Garth Williams, but with more expressive eyes. In my advance copy, the artwork was black and white, and I hope it stays that way in the final version, because I feel the impact would not be as dramatic in a color rendering. The author did an excellent job of bringing Isaiah and the other characters to life, and giving them a depth not frequently seen in middle grade novels. The book isn’t perfect; there is a lot of redundancy in the action, but I can see kiddos appreciating the growth in Isaiah, and enjoying all the heroic deeds he gets up to. Word of Mouse also carries excellent messages to its readers: you don’t have to be big to help people, and being different doesn’t have to be a bad thing. I would recommend this book to kiddos 8 and older. P.S. If your child does read this book, they may very well finish it with impressive additions to their vocabulary. ( )

I have read a few of Patterson's previous books for kids and adolescents. This one seems to be constructed from the start to teach the value of cultural and personality diversity, and the value of education, especially reading. That framework seems to keep the plot slightly restrained but still very strong and well constructed. The book seems excellent for young readers around middle school age for its exciting plot and the values taught through the details of the story, trust in those of different backgrounds and abilities, teamwork, fairness... ( )