Synopses & Reviews
A wry, dry, laugh-out-loud princess tale by the hilarious Lois Lowry, with illustrations by Pulitzer Prizeand#8211;winning cartoonist Jules Feiffer. Princess Patricia Priscilla is bored with her royal life and the excitement surrounding her sixteenth birthday ball. Doomed to endure courtship by three grotesquely unappealing noblemen, she adopts a peasant disguise and escapes her fateand#8212;for a week. In this tale of mistaken identity, creamed pigeons, and young love, the two-time Newbery medalist Lois Lowry compares princesses to peasants and finds them to be exactly the same in all the important ways.
Review
"A rip-roaring tale; even rodent haters will have to like Malcolm."and#8212;Kirkus
"Escapades, humor, and romance weave together in this madcap elementary school adventure . . . A first-rate debut."and#8212;Publishers Weekly
"This creature-feature leavens spookiness with healthy doses of whimsy."and#8212;Booklist
"Malcolm is thoroughly likable . . . a good choice for younger students who are reading above grade level yet aren't quite ready for heavier emotional or thematic content."and#8212;School Library Journal
Review
"Lowry, who has often turned to new genres and made them her own, now freely adopts certain conventions of the romantic fairy tale to create a fresh story buoyed by wry wit and occasional schoolyard humor. The many idiosyncratic characters are drawn with swift, sure strokes in both the writing and in Feiffer's inimitable ink drawings, notable for their economy and assurance of line as well as their pitch-perfect expression of personality, attitude, and emotion. An original fairy tale with a decidedly comical twist."and#160; and#8212;
Booklist, starred review
"Lowry uses her knack for cleverly turning familiar stories on their heads (last seen in The Willoughbys) in this tale about a princess who's utterly bored with privileged palace life...Throughout, Feiffer's wiry ink illustrations paint the characters in offhand caricatures, adding to the merriment. Employing elements from the "Prince and the Pauper" as well as ample doses of humor and slapstick, Lowry sets the stage for a rowdy denouement."and#160; and#8212;Publishers Weekly
"This is a captivating but gentle fairy tale with memorable characters and wonderfully swirly, evocative, energetic character sketches by the fabulous Feiffer."and#160; and#8212;School Library Journal
"In her clever fairy-tale reconstruction, Lowry transforms the traditional princess into a refreshingly egalitarian heroine with a mind of her own. The hilarious, original and truly loathsome suitors are aptly memorialized in Feifferand#8217;s spritely black-and-white caricature illustrations. Guaranteed to generate giggles and guffaws."and#160; and#8212;Kirkusand#160;Reviews
"A lighthearted concoction overflowing with wordplay and alliteration. . . . [Readers] will laugh themselves silly."and#160; and#8212;New York Times Book Review
"Lowry draws on wicked humor, sly wordplay and stock characters to propel this pleasantly predictable romp . . .[she] again proves her range."and#160; and#8212;San Francisco Chronicle
"Newbery Medalist Lois Lowry and acclaimed illustrator Jules Feiffer throw one not-to-be-missed party with The Birthday Ball."and#160; and#8212;Family Fun Magazine
"Feiffer's frenetic lines and distinctive caricatures maintain the offbeat tone while adding a charming quirkiness in their own right. Youngsters who like thier fair share of mischief will get a kick out of this fractured fairy tale either on their own or as a readaloud."and#160; and#8212;The Bulletin
"Happiness radiates out from the Birthday Ball, zings down to the village and up again. A great story when read aloud."and#160; and#8212;Chicago Tribune
Review
"This gently Christian piece with Rohmannand#8217;s earnest pencil illustrations will please talking-animal fans."and#8212;Kirkus
"An impeccably constructed, good-humored adventure filled with master plans, near disasters, and brave rescues, all gently frightening for readers even younger than the target audience. Lowry creates a cozy church environment of lenient sextons, disheveled organists, and skittish Altar Guild ladies, from a mouse's point-of-view. Fun and lighthearted."and#8212;Publishers Weekly
"Lowry gilds her story with quaint details, extended in Rohmannand#8217;s charming spot and full-page illustrations, which reinforce the comedy and action and further develop the memorable characters. With touches of surprise and a satisfyingly predictable resolution, this is a strong choice for both classroom sharing and independent reading."and#8212;Booklist
Synopsis
A hilarious and timeless tale about a village of church mice that fear another Great X and must fight under their valiant leader, Mouse Mistress Hildegarde, to save themselves!
Synopsis
"Fun and lighthearted." --Publishers Weekly
A resilient and quirky colony of church mice fears another Great X more than they fear cats. Under the Mouse Mistress Hildegarde's leadership, a resilient group of church mice save themselves from one danger after another--sometimes by the skin of their tails Can one ultimate act of bravery during the feast day of St. Francis get Father Murphy to bless these mice and keep them safe forever?
Rife with humor and personality, this young middle-grade novel has an old-fashioned feel with the makings of a modern classic.
Synopsis
andquot;Fun and lighthearted.andquot; andmdash;Publishers Weekly
andquot;With touches of surprise and a satisfyingly predictable resolution, this is a strong choice for both classroom sharing and independent reading.andquot; andmdash;Booklist
Under the Mouse Mistress Hildegardeandrsquo;s leadership, a resilient group of church mice save themselves from one danger after anotherandmdash;sometimes by the skin of their tails! Can one ultimate act of bravery during the feast day of St. Francis get Father Murphy to bless these mice and keep them safe forever?
Synopsis
A rat must solve the case of a missing iguana with the help of a secret society of classroom pets.and#160;Illustrated by New York Times best-seller Brian Lies!
Synopsis
When Malcolm the rat arrives as the pet at McKenna School, he revels in the attention. He also meets the Midnight Academy, a secret society of classroom pets that keeps the nutters (kids) safe. Thereand#8217;s just one problem: Rats have a terrible reputation! So when the Academyand#8217;s iguana leader is kidnapped, Malcolm must prove his innocenceand#8212;and showand#160;that even rats can be good guys. Illustrated by Brian Lies of Bats at the Beach, this engaging middle grade novel will have readers rooting for Malcolm as they try to solve the mystery alongside him.
Synopsis
Princess Patricia Priscilla is bored with her royal life and the excitement surrounding her sixteenth birthday ball. Doomed to endure courtship by three grotesquely unappealing noblemen, she escapes her fateand#8212;for a week. Disguised as a peasant, she attends the village school as the smart new girl, and#8220;Pat,and#8221; and attracts friends and the attention of the handsome schoolmaster. Disgusting suitors, lovable peasants, and the clueless king and queen collide at the ball, where Princess Patricia Priscilla calls the shots. What began as a cure for boredom becomes a chance for Princess Patricia Priscilla to break the rules and marry the man she loves.
Synopsis
A resilient and quirky colony of church mice fears another Great X more than they fear cats. Under Mouse Mistress Hildegardeand#8217;s leadership, they save themselves from one danger after anotherand#8212;sometimes just by the skin of their tails! Can one ultimate act of bravery during the feast day of St. Francis get Father Murphy to bless these mice and keep them safe forever? Rife with humor and personality, this young middle-grade novel has an old-fashioned feel with the makings of a modern classic.
About the Author
Jules Feiffer's artistic sensibility permeates a wide range of creative work, from his Pulitzer-winning comic strip in the Village Voice, to his Obie Award-winning play Little Murders, to his Oscar-winning anti-military short subject animation, Munro, to his beloved illustrations for The Phantom Tollbooth. Feiffer's cartoons have appeared in The New Yorker, Esquire, Playboy, and The Nation, and he was commissioned by The New York Times to create its first op-ed page comic strip which ran monthly until 2000, when Feiffer decided to start off the new millennium by giving up cartooning. Taking inspiration from his three daughters spanning three generations, he has reinvented himself as a children's book author. His first book, The Man in the Ceiling, was selected by Publisher's Weekly and the New York Public Library as one of the year's best children's books.A former instructor at the Yale School of Drama and Northwestern University, Feiffer is now an adjunct professor at Southampton College, a member of the Dramatists Guild Council and has been elected to the American Academy of Arts and Letters. This is his first book with Houghton Mifflin.
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
A Bad Time for Babies! 1
Praying for Protection 10
Hildegarde Holds a Meeting 21
Hiding from Father Murphy 32
A Nighttime Raid 45
The Great X 60
Yikes! Outdoors! 71
Ignatious Explains the Horrors 83
Brave Volunteers Needed! 94
One Mouse is Missing! 106
Poor Lucretia! 120
The Blessing of the Animals 137