The Crystal Prison (Deptford Mice Trilogy (Audio))

Jarvis, Robin

ISBN 10: 1433202611 ISBN 13: 9781433202612

Publisher: Blackstone Audiobooks, 2007

Synopsis

The saga of the Deptford Mice continues in this sequel to The Dark Portal. The evil rat Jupiter has been defeated, and the young Deptford mice emerge from the sewers to start a new life in the country. But the albino mouse Oswald is seized by an illness and lies near death. His friend Audrey enlists the help of the ancient squirrel mystic Starwife, who agrees to heal him on one condition. She reintroduces Audrey to the once villainous rat Madam Akkikuyu, whose mind is now broken, and decrees that Madam Akkikuyu must stay with Audrey until she dies.

In the country, the mice find a bucolic existence, until they find themselves embroiled in a series of murders. The country mice suspect that headstrong city mouse, Audrey, is the culprit. But the truth is far more sinister, as Audrey witnesses the return of the supernatural evil she thought had been destroyed.

About this title

About the Author:

Robin Jarvis was born in Liverpool, England, and studied graphic design in college. He worked in television and advertising before becoming a full-time author and illustrator. It was while working at a company that made characters for TV programs and advertising that he began making sketches of mice. From these drawings, the idea for the Deptford Mice was born. The Dark Portal, short-listed for the 1989 Smarties Book Prize in England, was followed by two more titles in the series, The Crystal Prison and The Final Reckoning. He lives in London.

From School Library Journal:

Gr 5-8-In this sequel to The Dark Portal (SeaStar, 2000), a young mouse named Oswald falls ill, and the powerful squirrel Starwife decrees that he can only be healed if his friend Audrey accompanies a formerly evil but now pitiful rat named Madame Akkikuyu to the countryside. In the country, a bucolic existence is threatened by an evil spirit who uses Akkikuyu to gain power and wreak havoc on the mice who live there. Although this book stands on its own, readers who aren't familiar with the first volume might become impatient with the first section, which introduces a multitude of characters and moves slowly, impeded by old-fashioned, florid prose. The pace picks up in the countryside, where an ever-hungry owl and the mysterious spirit bring menace and tragedy to the close-knit community of field mice who live there, and the final chapters are breathtakingly thrilling. Some literal-minded readers may wonder how a mouse could stride or possess a waist and long flowing hair, but fans of Brian Jacques's "Redwall" series (Philomel) and Avi's "Tales from Dimwood Forest" series (HarperCollins) will likely relish this tale.

Eva Mitnick, Los Angeles Public Library

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: Blackstone Audiobooks
• Publication date: 2007
• ISBN 10: 1433202611
• ISBN 13: 9781433202612
• Binding: Audio CD