Today’s Pick:
The Spies
of Gerander by Frances Watts
[Book 2 in
The Song of the Winns trilogy]
Published in the USA by Running Press, 2013
From the publisher:
′It had been four years since the triplets had seen their parents -- and for
most of that time, they′d thought their parents were dead...′
Alistair, Alice and Alex have returned home safe from their adventures, but
now that they know their homeland, Gerander, is in danger they can′t sit by and
do nothing. Together with their friend Tibby Rose, they join FIG -- an
organisation working to free Gerander from the rule of greedy Queen Eugenia of
Souris.
Posing as orphans, Alex and Alice are sent on a risky undercover mission to
the capital of Gerander in a desperate attempt to learn the Sourians′ plans --
only to encounter some old enemies . . . and some new ones.
Meanwhile, Alistair and Tibby Rose set out to find Gerander′s secret paths
and rescue Alistair′s parents from an enemy prison. But someone is determined
to stop them -- someone who seems to know their every move. Is it possible FIG
has a traitor?
"A breathless plot alternates between Alistair and Tibby Rose′s quest
and Alex and Alice′s spy activities, carrying the resilient, endearing mice to
a surprise ending... An animated sequel that does not disappoint." Kirkus
Reviews
My Take:
This was an exciting adventure, with lots of plot twists and turns. I
loved the distinctive personalities of the mice, and especially Alice’s ingenious
ways to get them out of sticky situations. It felt a bit like the
mice characters could just as easily have been humans, since they used chairs,
desks, whiteboards, etc., and I'd have liked a bit more of the mouse perspective. But I think many
readers will get wrapped up in the story and want to find out if the young mice ever do get through all the obstacles and find their parents.
From a writer’s perspective, I enjoyed the descriptive detail and how the
author created a strong sense of the setting. This book is a good one to study
if you want to learn how to write cliffhangers, since most chapters end with
one.
Favourite
Quotes:
“Huddling in the dark, a dark as complete and black as any he had ever
known, Alistair tried to stay calm even as his mind threw up frightening
scenarios.”
“That’s the hardest part about the kind of struggle we’re engaged in—learning
when to think with your heart and when with your head.”
“If there’s one thing I know, it’s that a spy can never afford to get too
comfortable. You need to have your wits about you at all times.”
Other Info:
Frances Watts was born in Switzerland, but she moved to
Australia when she was a child.
In her notes for teachers, she says, “When I first started
writing
The Song of the Winns, I set
out to write the kind of book that I loved as a child:
something fast paced and full of adventure,
with characters that I would get to know and love.”
Come back on Wednesday for an interview with the author, Frances Watts!
Other middle grade books by this author:
The Secret of the
Ginger Mice [The Song of the Winns: Book 1]
The Secret of Zanzibar
[The Song of the Winns: Book 3]
Frances Watts is also the author of several early chapter
books and picture books, including Kisses for Daddy and Parsley Rabbit's Book About Books.
Marvelous Middle Grade Monday was dreamed up by the
very energetic
Shannon
Messenger, author of
Keeper of the Lost Cities. Visit
her blog for an up-to-date list of all the bloggers
who are participating and posting about middle grade books today!
