Young Fredle

November 29, 2010
"If you will only have one chance, you want to make it the best it can be," reflects the narrator of Newbery Medalist Voigt's (Dicey's Song) adventure centered around Fredle, a curious mouse whose family pushes him out of their kitchen nest after he ventures too far and becomes ill, a process of elimination called "went." "Went was the scariest thing any mouse could do, and the scariest word any mouse spoke or heard, and he had no idea what it was." Brought outside, Fredle begins a harrowing and transformative quest as he fends for himself, after he recovers, with help from a pair of field mice. Fredle's wonder at this new world proves compelling as he encounters the stars, moon, colors, flowers, and giant green stalks (grass), while confronting new predators including raccoons and snakes. Readers will identify with the universal conflict at the heart of Fredle's journey—even as he longs for home, he enjoys the newfound freedom and experiences that contrast with the restrictive regulations of his clan. Yates's expressive cartoon spot art counters the book's darker, sadder moments with cheeriness. Ages 8–12.

Starred review from December 15, 2010

Unexpectedly cast into alien territory, an inquisitive mouse discovers the world's an amazing place in this classic home-away-home tale. Raised on a shelf, Fredle knows the strict survival rules for house mice, but he is shocked when he's tossed out after breaking a rule by overindulging in a peppermint pattie. House mice never go outside or live alone, and suddenly Fredle's both alone and outside. Initially panicked and desperately lonely, Fredle gradually nests under the back porch and unearths culinary treats in the compost pile. His senses overload as he savors grass, rain, sun, flowers and stars and flees from predatory cats, owls, raccoons and snakes. Seasoned by his adventures, Fredle returns home a different mouse, open to life's possibilities. Readers will experience the world from Fredle's mouse-eye perspective as he literally takes time to smell the flowers and gaze up at the stars. Move over, Stuart Little, while young Fredle takes his place beside other mouse luminaries and proves breaking rules isn't always bad. Expressive black-and-white spot art heightens the drama. (Animal fantasy. 8-12)

(COPYRIGHT (2010) KIRKUS REVIEWS/NIELSEN BUSINESS MEDIA, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.)

February 1, 2011

Gr 3-5-It was a Peppermint Pattie that was Fredle's undoing. A kitchen mouse who was already too curious for his own good (his mother admonishes, "Curiosity killed the cat. Think about what a terrible monster curiosity must be, if it can kill a cat"), Fredle becomes ill from consuming too much chocolate and is pushed out of the family's nest. The Missus traps him and releases him outside, a terrifying place for a creature with no familiarity with grass and sky, let alone raptors, snakes, and raccoons. Fredle's adventures and attempts to return home (and what is home, anyway?) are chronicled in a way that makes readers begin to grasp what it must be like to be a mouse, and the struggle to understand where he fits in. The allure of the world versus the beauty of belonging is just one of the many complex issues addressed in this engaging story about a plucky little mouse who, after his adventures, returns to his family and sets out to change things for himself and others like him.-Kathy Kirchoefer, Prince Georges County Memorial Library System, New Carrollton, MD

Copyright 2011 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

January 1, 2011
Grades 3-5 A companion book to Angus and Sadie (2005) in the Davis Farm series, this story features Fredle, a young mouse who lives behind the wall in the farmhouse kitchen. Captured by Missus and released outdoors, Fredle is blindsided by unfamiliar sensations and scared witless. Though he cautiously befriends Sadie the dog and a couple of outdoor mice, Fredle finds that he must gather his wits to deal with the previously unknown threats, such as raptors (flying predators!) and raccoons, largely on his own. Appealing black-and-white illustrations capture the characters actions and emotions with style. Cautious but growing in courage, cunning, and understanding, Fredle makes a sympathetic hero as he slowly discovers that the rules of his own small community do not necessarily make sense in the larger world. That could be a heartening lesson for readers who pick up on it, but others will simply enjoy the hair-raising adventures of this little mouse as he tries to survive alone in the world, find his way back home, and figure out where he really belongs.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2011, American Library Association.)

Starred review from March 1, 2011
Fredle the house mouse makes a small mistake and finds himself banished to the great outdoors. He longs for home, but it takes an extended mouse odyssey before he returns there. From his very first experience of the wider world, the "not-floor" that is the earth, he is mystified, frightened, awed, and energized. As in any epic, he encounters dangers, sees wonders, is aided by strangers, learns new skills, survives a dark night of the soul, and returns home changed. The supporting cast is delicious: Sadie the kindly and dim-witted pet dog, Bardo the know-it-all field mouse, the ruffian frat-boy raccoons. We've known them all in their human forms. So too do we recognize the emotions: the pain of betrayal, the undulating nature of loneliness, the poignancy of outgrowing your family. The adventures are gripping and mouse-plausible. A mouse-eye view of our world holds the fascination of the miniature. The language is spare and wry. When a sick, injured, or aged mouse is banished from the nest, the state they go to is called "went." Raccoons refer to the stars as "moonbits" and have a legend to explain them. This is a writer at the top of her form, warm without sentimentality, wise without pretension. The territory here lies alongside Charlotte's Web, The Borrowers, and Watership Down, but it is a country all its own. sarah ellis

(Copyright 2011 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)