Philip Reeve and Sarah McIntyre’s new series – Adventure Mice – gets off to an exciting (and extremely CUTE) start with Otter Chaos!

Little Pedro lives with his family in the comfortable safety of Hilltop House, with a deaf old lady and a cat far too lazy to chase mice, but he longs for adventure and sets off to find the legendary Mouse Islands. Swept into the sea and clinging desperately to his tiny suitcase, he’s rescued by the dashing Fledermaus in his seaplane, who takes him back to a mini Thunderbirds-esque Mousebase on the Mouse Islands. There Pedro meets a whole set of inspiring characters led by the gruff but inspiring Skipper – from Ivy the inventor and brave Bosun to Juniper the submarine mouse and Millie, first aider and rescue helicopter pilot – together they are the Adventuremice, and Pedro would love to join them!

Now Pedro’s goal is to prove himself brave and skilful enough to earn his place in their team, and we really feel for this relatable anti-hero as he makes mistake after mistake, trying to impress Skipper, the stern leader. Plenty of exciting action ensues when reports come in of a dangerous, mouse-eating otter in the vicinity.

With fantastic world-building, delicious turns of phrase (‘I’ll chomp you up like croutons’, ‘Pedro slept like a little furry log’) and stunning illustrations that feel both new and fresh yet unmistakeably Sarah McIntyre’s, this is a joyful page-turner of an adventure full of twists and turns.

A whole mouse-sized world of adventure awaits readers of this brilliant new series – with hopefully many more tiny adventures to come!

(Review by Dee)