Synopsis: Hiding on the restaurant table, Paul Mouse's world turns upside down when he hears a man order mouse noses on toast. Surely this is a joke? A myth? Gathering his friends, Sandra the Christmas tree decoration, Rowley Barker Hobbs the sheepdog, and the Tinby, a kind of monster, and with help from mouse activists, Paul becomes determined to find the truth.

Review: The idea of a mouse which is allergic to cheese is certainly different, but then so is what happens to Paul Mouse's bottom when he comes into contact with even the smallest amount... This is Darren King's first book specifically for children, although two of his novels for adults reflect the darker aspects of adult life from the perspectives first of a pair of teenage drug addicts, and then one of those protagonists as a nine year old. King is noted for his uncompromizing and often bizarre dialogue, but in this novel for Key Stage 2 readers it is his use of comedy, puns and witty innuendo (which possibly appeals more to adult readers as to the younger audience) which enliven the text. Throughout he writes of 'mouses', and describes a Prime Minister who murmurs when rehearsing his speeches, 'intonation, intonation, intonation'. Paul Mouse's companions, the Christmas tree decoration, the dog, and the weird, insane, tin toy have vague intertextual overtones of Hoban's The Mouse and his Child, while there are also elements of metafiction, as readers are never allowed to forget that this is a book, not real-life: 'Paul was an unusual mouse, not just because he was in a story...'. The author himself also comments sporadically on the progress of the story. There are many imaginative touches of characterization, such as Inch, the tiny mouse who, when frightened, dissolves into spoonerisms, and Larry the nervous freedom fighter. Young readers will particularly relish the references to bottoms, bodily functions and snot - a sure sign that King has the measure of his audience.

As well as entertaining readers with its plot, style and characterization, this short novel could be used to illustrate (and, while on the subject, the illustrations themselves add a quirky extra dimension to each suitably mouse-tiny chapter) many aspects of sophisticated language use and writing technique.

Smarties Gold Prize 2006

2006-12-13