75. Mouse and His Dog (Dogtown #2)

Mouse and His Dog (Dogtown #2) Katherine Applegate and Gennifer Choldenko. Illustrated by Wallace West. 2024. 336 pages. [Source: Library] [5 stars] [animal fantasy, j fiction, illustrated chapter book]

First sentence:  I want to be one of those brave mice you read about in books. A mouse in a friar's robe brandishing a sword, a mouse in short sleeves paddling a canoe, a mouse in a pullover sweater who saves a princess. But I'm an ordinary field mouse, the size and weight of an average tomato. The only thing I ever wear is slippers.

My thoughts (preview): I have WANTED--no NEEDED--this book since the summer of 2023. I finished Dogtown (the first book) and NEEDED more, more, more. I wanted all the books, forever keep them coming. I loved Dogtown so much I read it TWICE within a couple of months. It is my emotional support library book. So obviously I was excited and counting down the months, weeks, and days until it was released.

It did not disappoint.

Premise/plot: Mouse, whom readers first met in the book Dogtown, returns for another adventure set at the Dogtown animal shelter. Buster, a golden retriever with a high return rate or bounce back, is the star of this one. Mouse's goal throughout the book is to help Buster (and Stewie) find their forever home(s). This one does also feature a robot dog, Smoke Alarm (aka Smokey).

"Smokey's problem was that he'd been put together in a factory that also made smoke alarms, and wires got crossed. Buttons got switched. Gears got shifted. In some home somewhere, there was a smoke alarm that barked. And in Dogtown, we had a metal dog with a smoke alarm that went off when you least expected."

Plenty of adventure and HEART packed into this dog adventure.

My thoughts: How does Mouse compare to Chance as a narrator?!?!?! I loved them both. But Mouse loves, loves, loves, LOVES to read. So Mouse's narration is PACKED with book references.

I loved the narration. It is just a WONDERFUL read. I do think it would be an excellent read aloud. 

 

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