The Great Summer Camp Catastrophe: Library Edition

New York City mice Marvin the Magnificent and his gang, Raymond and Fats, find themselves gift-wrapped and shipped off in a care package to a ten-year-old boy at camp in the wilds of Vermont, where they discover a whole new world of adventure.

Grade 3-5-- The three mice from The Great Christmas Kidnapping Caper (1975) and The Great Rescue Operation (1990, both Dial) return in this humorous fantasy/adventure. This time, they are living comfortably in the toy department of Macy's when they are abruptly transported away, in a box of cookies, to a summer camp in Vermont. There, they have a series of wacky misadventures and narrow escapes. In the end, they grow to love camp, but are happy to return to New York City. These rodent characters are engaging. Marvin is full of hilarious self-importance; Fats is especially charming in his endless quest for a bite to eat. Readers will relate to the theme of leaving familiar surroundings and rising to the challenges of new situations while maintaining an attachment to home. The animals' group loyalty and teamwork is laudable, but there is little insight provided on their perspectives on humans. What will grab readers is the action-packed plot, with its series of near disasters. De Groat's pen-and-ink drawings are notable for the charmingly human expressions on the animal's faces. A book that will appeal to fans of lighthearted animal stories and of Van Leeuwen's other fantasies.
- Jacqueline Rose, Wake County Pub . Libraries, NC
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.