  | Full Text Reviews: School Library Journal - 09/01/2011 Gr 5–8—The vagaries of tavern life in 19th-century London come alive in this delightful tale. Skilley, a street cat with a secret (he eats cheese!), finds a home at Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese, where he pretends to be a mouser and gets the attention of Charles Dickens, a frequent customer. Befriended by Pip, a precocious mouse who can read and write, Skilley tries to protect his rodent pals and Maldwyn, an injured royal raven hiding in the garret, from Pinch, a ginger alley cat who's out for every tasty morsel he can get. There are cat-and-mouse battles aplenty. Several subplots are happily resolved: the cook reveals that the mice are her official cheese-tasters; Queen Victoria herself comes to rescue Maldwyn; Mr. Dickens finally finds an opening sentence for his new novel, and more. The fast-moving plot is a masterwork of intricate detail that will keep readers enthralled, and the characters are well-rounded and believable. Language is a highlight of the novel; words both elegant and colorful fill the pages: "alacrity," "scrivener," "thieving moggy." And then there are the Dickensian references: "artful dodging of Hansom cabs," Dickens saying he has "great expectations." His amusing diary entries, revealing both his writing difficulties and his thoughts about Skilley, and the occasionally fanciful page layouts add to the humor. Combined with Moser's precise pencil sketches of personality-filled characters, the book is a success in every way. It should be a first purchase for libraries interested in bringing young readers to the marvels of Dickens via the back-or, should I say tavern-door.—Nancy Menaldi-Scanlan, The Naples Players, FL - Copyright 2011 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission. Bulletin for the Center... - 01/01/2012 A friendship between an alley cat and a mouse seems unlikely, and yet that is precisely what happens thanks to Skilley’s aversion to eating rodents and his preference for cheese. When Skilley the cat finds a home in the venerable pub Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese, in Victorian London, he strikes a deal with Pip, a resident mouse: Skilley vows to only make a show of catching and eating the pub’s many mice, while Pip and the other mice promise to keep Skilley well stocked with plenty of the pub’s amazing cheese. Complicating this plan are the arrival of Skilley’s violent feline nemesis, Pinch, and Skilley’s discovery of Maldwyn, one of the Tower of London’s revered ravens, now a hidden resident of the pub after being rescued by the pub owner’s daughter. A humorous side story involves Charles Dickens searching desperately for an opening sentence for A Tale of Two Cities, which Pip eventually provides. Indeed, there are numerous nods to Dickens here, and the intended audience will unfortunately miss most of those references. The book also becomes preachy at times, and the human characters are considerably less interesting than the animal ones. Solid messages about friendship, loyalty, and being true to oneself are nevertheless effectively conveyed, and readers will likely enjoy the primary animal story, while historical fiction fans will appreciate the Victorian atmosphere. Moser’s softly shaded graphite illustrations, appearing in vignette spot art throughout, offer personable portraits, especially strong in their depictions of the animal characters. JH - Copyright 2012 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois. Loading...
 |