Title:
The Mouse and the Motorcycle
Author:
Beverly Cleary
Read
by: William Roberts
Publisher:
Random House
Length:
Approximately 2 hours and 25 minutes
Source:
Kewaunee Public Library
We
are participating in the Family Reading Challenge at our local library,
Kewaunee Public Library. With kids ages
12, 9, and 7, the best way for our entire family to read together this summer
is to listen to audiobooks on our road trips.
The Mouse and the Motorcycle was a selection on our library list and I
thought it was a book the kids would enjoy.
I remember enjoying a teacher reading it to my class back in elementary
school. My husband Ben had not read the
book before.
Ralph
is a mouse living with his family on the second floor of an old hotel in
California. One day a middle size boy,
Keith, and his family come to visit.
Keith can understand Ralph and is the best thing that has ever happened
for Ralph as number one, he has a motorcycle that Ralph can drive around the
hotel and two, he provides “room service” to the mice when he brings up food
from his meals for the mice. After Keith
gets sick and his parents can’t get him any medicine, will Ralph be able to
save the day?
The
entire family enjoyed The Mouse and the Motorcycle. Ben and I laughed at the very accurate
descriptions of the messes different size children leave that would be tempting
for mice. Times have not changed in that
regards since the book was written in 1965.
It was interesting though how when Keith got sick that in 1965 at night,
there is no solution with no stores being open to obtain medicine. While in my little town there are no 24-hour
stores, I could drive 20 minutes and find one.
Also, they wanted to give Keith aspirin, which is now known to be
something you don’t give kids as they could get the fatal Reye’s syndrome. Two
children died in my small Michigan home town of Reye’s syndrome in the 1980s.
For
the kids, they just really loved the adventure and mishaps of Ralph on his
motorcycle. I know there are two more
books in the series and we may have to check them out! I am hoping the kids don’t get any ideas
about keeping a pet mouse now . . .
William
Roberts was a great narrator and we all enjoyed his sounds effects for the
motorcycle and the ambulance. It was a
fun book to listen to on our journey.
Overall,
The Mouse and the Motorcycle was a good family audiobook to listen to on our
long drive. It was entertaining for both
parents and our kids ages 7 to 12 with one girl and two boys.
It's been forever since I've read this book, or any other Beverley Cleary for that matter. But I sure loved her books as a kid. :)
ReplyDeleteThis sounds like a good family choice. We have enjoyed other books by this author. Lovely review, Laura!
ReplyDeleteThank-you both! I loved her books as a kid as well. I sadly haven't been able to get my kids to read too many of her novels yet, but I think they would love to listen to more of Ralph's adventures!
ReplyDelete