I was between audiobooks recently, and browsed through my library to stumble upon The Cheshire Cheese Cat: A Dickens of a Tale by Carmen Agra Deedy and Randall Wright. How could I resist a story about a cat set in Victorian London? And even better–read by the amazing Katherine Kellgren!
“He was the best of toms. He was the worst of toms.” So says the opening line, describing alleycat Skilley. He sets out to improve his lot in life by slipping into Ye Old Cheshire Cheese, pub and inn famous for making the best cheese in the realm. With a grand display of mousing, Skilley earns a place at the inn. Except he has a secret–he hates eating mice! Skilley forms an alliance with Pip, the leader of the inn’s mice, but this happy arrangement becomes complicated by the arrival of another (much more vicious!) cat at the inn, as well as the presence of a royal raven who insists he must be returned to the Tower, or England will fall.
This is a delightful little tale with a lovely cast of characters (including Charles Dickens in a supporting role). The friendship that develops between Skilley and Pip is sweet and genuine, and not without challenges. I like that the book doesn’t oversimplify the challenges of two traditional enemies forming a friendship. They have to deal with outside prejudice, and both make mistakes along the way. It’s a light story, but I like that more complex thread.
That complexity and depth aside, this book has wonderful fun moments. I particularly enjoy the image of Skilley showing off his mousing skill, by trotting through the inn’s common room all day long, always with a mouse in his mouth–except that it’s Pip, every time, because it’s part of their plan. So he just keeps catching the same mouse, again and again…
There are some more violent moments in the interactions between cats and mice, but nothing too graphic. Just be warned the book doesn’t ignore the reality of normal relations between cats and mice.
Besides Mr. Dickens, there’s a good crop of supporting characters, from the hard-faced and terrifying cook, to the hysterical servant Adele (who always seems to be the one who sees mice), to the tiny mouse Too and the wise but condescending raven Maldwyn. There are a lot of threads of story in here, including Dickens’ writers block, all well-balanced and keeping the adventure moving quickly.
I would not recommend thinking too hard about the sanitation issues of 10,000 mice living in an inn (kind of like Ratatouille that way), but I would recommend having some cheese on hand while reading! Or listening–because Katherine Kellgren’s reading, of course, was wonderful. And obviously I recommend picking up this book in one form or another!
Book’s Site: http://cheshirecheesecat.com/
Other reviews:
Ms. Tami Reads
Reads 4 Tweens
Cat Chat
Anyone else?
Buy it here: The Cheshire Cheese Cat
I’ve been seeing Enchanted by Alethea Kontis float around book review blogs for a couple of years, and it’s been on my To Be Read list all that time. So have a lot of books, but I should have got to this one sooner, seeing as I have this thing about fairy tales…
Any Which Wall by Laurel Snyder features one of the odder magical items I’ve seen–a magical wall. Henry, Emma, Roy and Susan (two sets of siblings) find the Wall out in a cornfield, and discover that they can use it to wish themselves to any other wall. They find their way into adventures with Merlin, pirates and cowboys, though nothing is ever quite what they expect.
Magical Mischief by Anna Dale takes some twists on the usual Type. It’s set in a city in England (though not actually London) and centers around a magical bookshop. Magic takes up residence in Hardbattle Books, and despite the inconvenience (and the smell), Mr. Hardbattle doesn’t have the heart to force it out. But it’s bad for business and rent is due, so he has to find a new home for it. He joins forces with Arthur Goodenough, a boy just looking for somewhere quiet to do his homework, and Miss Quint, who’s mostly in search of company.
and 
I’ve continued my chronological reread of Diana Wynne Jones’ Chrestomanci series with Witch Week, where the enchanter Chrestomanci plays a supporting (and somewhat deus ex machina) role. But on the other hand, can his convenient arrival really be considered out of place if he’s the main character of the series?
The Explosionist is set in Scotland in 1938–but this is an alternate history, where Napoleon won at Waterloo. The Northern countries of Scotland, Scandinavia and Russia have united in the New Hanseatic League, in uneasy peace with a united but oppressive Europe. Sophie Hunter is 15, an orphan raised by her Great-Aunt Tabitha after her parents died in an explosion at a dynamite factory. Her world begins to unravel with terrorist bombs near her school, an unsettling encounter with a ghost through a medium who is later murdered, and hints of something sinister about IRLYNs (pronounced “Irons”), a patriotic training program for young women.
and 
Tales of the Marvelous 