**Before you begin reading let me say it took me a long time to gather my thoughts. When I started thinking about how I would describe the series BABYMOUSE, her thoughts, friends, purpose of the book, and ending all came to mind. I don’t think there is a perfect way to describe what the series is. In a sentence I would say it’s an honest book about the daily life of a sweet mouse who is seen as sassy and while thinking she needs acceptance from others to be happy realizes her life and the people in it are actually pretty amazing and the people in her life.
“Late again, I see. What was it this time? Locker try to eat you?” The quote you just read is from the one and only BABYMOUSE series, specifically BABYMOUSE QUEEN OF THE WORLD, by Jennifer L. Holm and Matthew Holm. Let me start off by saying these books are so hard to put down, they are too relatable, and so funny. Through the series you follow main character Babymouse, her best friend Wilson, tall friend Georgie, “pesky” brother Squeak, and get to encounter a homework eating locker as well as mean girl FELICIA. For tonight’s blog I am going to focus on Babymouse being QUEEN OF THE WORLD.
The first of the series I would say focuses on staying true to you and shows the strengths of friendship. With this particular book there is conversation going back and forth between Babymouse and the narrator; which I think is pretty cool because the reader gets to read into the main character’s thoughts BUT also gets a change in perspective. Each page is sincerely just a day-to-day description of her life at school. Oh, I forgot to mention, the setting takes place at her school and at FELICIA’s sleepover.
Babymouse just wants to be accepted and dreams of getting invited to FELICIA’S sleepover, that’s it. This simple yet relatable basis for the book is why I love it so much and read it in a matter of 30 minutes. DISCLAIMER: You can read the book in 10 minutes but I enjoyed looking at the small details in every picture, so it took me a little longer. I love this book so much because it instantly took me back to elementary school when the “popular” kids had sleepovers and swim parties! I feel like if an elementary school student or someone in middle school read it they could definitely feel good after. I am currently a third year in college and have to admit it this book made me smile with its ending. The fact Babymouse acknowledges how great her life truly is brought an instant smile to my face. To top it off, after sort of ditching her best friend for a couple of hours her best friend Wilson fully welcomes her into his home and they non-awkwardly watch a movie together; if acceptance and recognizing everyone makes mistakes isn’t what solidifies a friendship then I don’t know what will. It’s all about perspective. Also, her sassy attitude makes it so much better. Babymouse does not keep quiet and voices her thoughts, which makes her character so real. Although she is sweet and girly she is still strong.
This series is relatable to those in elementary, middle, high school, and college! I have two sisters, one if seven and the other is seventeen and I’m excited to take these books home so they can read them and see how they feel about it. While the book is pink and cute (one of the many reasons why I also like it) I feel that younger boys would enjoy reading it but it would be most popular with girls.
Overall, this book gives children, specifically girls, a voice and portrays them as independent and empowered. I plan on buying the rest of the series and placing them in class library. I could either see myself dedicating time to read it out loud since it is so short or recommending it to students who I notice having trouble accepting whom they are or feeling excluded.