Stink Files, Dossier 001: The Postman Always Brings Mice, The (Stink Files, 1) - Hardcover

Holm & Hamel

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0060529792 ISBN 13: 9780060529796

Publisher: HarperColl, 2004

Synopsis

James Edward Bristlefur is having a very bad time.Raised in London by a British secret agent, this international cat of mystery has traveled the world, foiled conspiracies thicker than cream, and rooted out evildoers wherever he and his human found them. But when he tries to follow the trail of a mysterious assassin to Norway, things go horribly, horribly wrong.

To James's shock, a baggage mix-up delivers him to an animal shelter . . . in New Jersey! Even worse, an ordinary suburban boy takes him home and names him Mr. Stink. Oh, the humiliation!At first his only goal is to escape and return to the world of top-secret intrigue. But soon he finds that the long paw of evil reaches all the way to America. As every spy knows, things are rarely what they seem. . . .

About this title

About the Author

Holm & Hamel can neither confirm nor deny any knowledge regarding the whereabouts of Agent Bristlefur, alias Mr. Stink. They may or may not live in the vicinity of Washington, D.C., and they are rumored to have more than zero but fewer than two cats.

Reviews

Grade 3-5–James Edward Bristlefur, feline companion of British master spy Sir Archibald, vows revenge when his human is murdered. However, before he can trace the killer, he is shanghaied to New Jersey. After a dismal incarceration in a bleak animal shelter, the cat is adopted by a family he considers way below his standards. It's not just the grape-colored minivan or the middle-class furniture, or even the insulting name that fifth-grader Aaron calls him. James considers the whole New World experience far beneath him. Even American mice fail to understand proper etiquette. The urbane cat plots to escape and return to England to continue his investigation, but reluctantly becomes involved with his new humans. When he discovers that Aaron is the victim of a neighborhood bully, the Feline Code of Honor obliges the furry agent to intervene. In addition, James gradually begins to suspect his presence in America is no coincidence and that the answer to Sir Archibald's death might be on this side of the water. The cat's upper-class, James Bond-style narration provides a humorous contrast to the Jersey accent of the local dogs and mice and the everyday American English of the humans. The black-and-white illustrations emphasize this class contrast as well. The question of Sir Archibald's murderer is left for another volume, but mystery fans will find plenty to enjoy in this first adventure.–Elaine E. Knight, Lincoln Elementary Schools, IL
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Gr. 3-5. The subtitle won't resonate with kids, but the jacket, a shadowy picture of a cat and two mice in "don't-mess-with-me" mode, will entice them into the first in a series of cat-sleuth adventures. More caring than his supercilious narrative sounds, James Edward Bristlefur is a privileged London feline whose life changes when his beloved owner, director of a secret counterspy agency, is poisoned. Before the intrepid cat can unearth the villain, he's packed off to the U.S., where he winds up in a middle-class household as a substitute for the dog that the children, a sad boy and a whiney girl, really seem to want. Bristlefur plans his escape, but before leaving, he helps the beleaguered little boy deal with a bully, thereby making a friend. This is more background and bullies than actual mystery, but the resolute feline hero, occasional clever word play ("the long paw of the law"), and a situation kids can relate to have a certain winning charm. Perhaps succeeding volumes will be more suspenseful. Stephanie Zvirin
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Edition details

• Publisher: HarperColl
• Publication date: 2004
• ISBN 10: 0060529792
• ISBN 13: 9780060529796
• Binding: Hardcover
• Language: English
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 129
• Illustrator: Weinman Brad