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"Out, Mouse!" isn't a very long little Audiobook, but it's perfect as a chapter book for your beginning readers.
Let me go into my critiques first. I honestly have only one, and there isn't a perfect ending to it. I don't mind a cliffhanger if it has a proper ending to the story with the story notes, which ends the story. Unfortunately, the ending we have left us, the listeners/readers, on a cliffhanger. If you have been following my reviews for some time, you know I dislike cliffhangers like this one.
I want to know what happened with Finn and Mr. and Mrs. Mouse when they meet again. I realize it's probably left like that to let the imagination flow of the intended audience member, but I'm not too fond of cliffhangers like this in Adult fiction, nor do I like these cliffhangers in YA either.
On a side note, and I know this may not be the same precisely because of the genre, the trope of the cliffhanger is. I think George RR Martin did the world a disservice letting Jon Snow hang in the ice all this time. Okay, I'm an adult, I can get over my foibles with Jon Snow, but cliffhangers aren't fun for readers regardless of age.
If the idea is "Hey Kids, get used to this. It's a common storytelling trope and a lot of people do it," then fine, it's a cautionary tale. I consider the kids warned. I'm glad my children aren't as obsessed as I was with random questions such as: "Are they ever going to see eachother again? Will Finn tell them what he really thinks?!" They don't have that kind of connection as I did with the multitude of panic-filled questions for myself about Jon Snow and the last actual image I have from the books. Anyway, here is my only critique.
Now onto what I liked about "Out Mouse!" and the first part is the narrator. I enjoy how Paul Collins worked and performed this story. He gave so much atmosphere and joy to the already fun setting of the story. His voice was clear and crisp, and Paul knew who he was reading this to. I think he is one of the best Children's narrators ever; I'm sure he does a fantastic job with other stories too. I may look for more because his performance was top-notch.
Next, the structure (aside from the cliffhanger) was great for this novel. Every chapter was clear and concise. Every problem had its explanation, challenge, and resolution. The story was well done from a structured point of voice.
Another vast positive I have about this story is how much character development three characters can have in such a short story. This was well done, and I've seen adult fiction that doesn't have the amount of character personality nearly as well thought out as this book did. I think Children's authors get a bad rap sometimes that their stories may lack substance and structure, but Valerie L. Egar did such a fantastic job with hers. Every sort of perfect story note that there could be (aside from the cliffhanger) in this book. I felt empathy and sympathy. I felt the plight of all three characters and what they were doing for their individual character goals.
The tension and story pacing were also well done. There was action and adventure in this story that was believable and logical too. I enjoyed the chapter about the Inn. That made me laugh a lot, and I could picture the amount of work and worry the couple went through with their part in that section.
Overall, "Out, Mouse!" is a beautiful children's novel. I give this an 87/100, a 4-star review on Netgalley, My Blog, Goodreads, and The Reading Desk. "Out, Mouse!" is something you should get your 1st - 4th grader if they like imaginative cute stories, or you happen to be on a car trip and want something the kids can listen to on their way to their activities. It's so fun! Thanks again to NetGalley for letting me review this, and I'll see you all next time.
