The year is 1887, and mouse siblings Helena, Louise, Beatrice, and Lamont are living contentedly in the Cranston household of the Hudson River Valley. Their predictable routine is interrupted when they learn that their human housemates plan to sail to Europe to find a husband for their daughter. Solidarity between mice and their house humans is a longstanding tradition, so despite an aversion to water, the four find themselves heading to England by sea just in time for Queen Victoria’s Jubilee. Their shipboard adventures involve new friends (both human and rodent), many close calls and narrow escapes, and a brush with royalty. This lighthearted tale is both lively and humorous, with a sensibility that melds The Borrowers with Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH . Gender stereotypes and class roles of the era promote an old-fashioned feeling, which is nicely countered by Helena’s take-charge attitude and proactive approach to solving her family’s problems. (Ages 8–12)

In the beloved tradition of The Borrowers, The Tale of Desperaux, and The Cricket in Times Square, here is an irresistible adventure story of the tiny individuals who secretly live among us humans.

Helena is the oldest of four mouse siblings who live in the walls of the Cranston estate. It is 1887 when the nouveau riche Cranstons decide to take a cruise ship to England in search of a husband for their awkward older daughter. The Cranston mice stow away in the luggage . . . and so begins the time of their lives, as they meet intriguing, cosmopolitan mice onboard and take it upon themselves to help the human Cranston daughters find love. They might just find perfect futures for themselves as well!

Full of laughs, near-misses, and surprise, this is Richard Peck at his best and most playful.