Bibliography
Holm, Jennifer L., & Holm, Matthew. 2008. BABYMOUSE: MONSTER MASH. Random House.
ISBN 9780375937897
Plot Summary
Babymouse wants to dress up in a scary costume this Halloween, but Felicia Furrypaws tells her that "only boys can be scary." Giving in to peer pressure, she chooses a fairy costume and gets drawn into some nasty pranks. Deciding that this isn't the kind of Halloween she wanted at all, Babymouse goes back to her original plan. When she does, the night turns out to be more fun than she ever expected.
Critical Analysis
Readers expecting a cutesy mouse story will be surprised to find that Babymouse isn’t a baby at all. In human years, she’s a pre-teen (10- 12) looking forward to celebrating Halloween in a more grown-up fashion. She knows exactly what she wants to be – something scary like a werewolf or a zombie and she’s looking forward to trick-or-treating without parents, and hosting her own Halloween party. All of her plans get swept aside when Felicia slinks onto the scene and invites herself and her posse of friends to the party. Telling Babymouse that “Everyone knows that girls have to be pretty for Halloween,” Felicia insists that Babymouse dress up as a fairy so that their costumes will "coordinate."
The night gets worse as Babymouse goes trick-or-treating without her best friend, Wilson, and goes along with Felicia’s nasty neighborhood pranks of toileting papering houses and stealing candy from little kids. When Babymouse realizes that one of the kids is Squeak, her little brother, she knows that things have gone too far. Even the narrator scolds her with, “Babymouse, I can’t believe…” to which she sadly replies, “Me either.” Babymouse sets out to make things right. She digs out a creepy costume (complete with dangling eyeball), gives Squeak all of her candy, and finally stands up to Felicia by barring anyone from the party who isn't dressed in a scary costume.
The night gets worse as Babymouse goes trick-or-treating without her best friend, Wilson, and goes along with Felicia’s nasty neighborhood pranks of toileting papering houses and stealing candy from little kids. When Babymouse realizes that one of the kids is Squeak, her little brother, she knows that things have gone too far. Even the narrator scolds her with, “Babymouse, I can’t believe…” to which she sadly replies, “Me either.” Babymouse sets out to make things right. She digs out a creepy costume (complete with dangling eyeball), gives Squeak all of her candy, and finally stands up to Felicia by barring anyone from the party who isn't dressed in a scary costume.
Throughout the book, the writers include scenes from Babymouse’s imagination to show her true feelings about Felicia. In the opening pages, Babymouse sees herself as a huge werewolf chasing Felicia through the forest, whereas later in the story, she pictures Felicia as a wicked witch. These illustrations, set against dark black backgrounds contrast to the “real” settings of home and school which have stark white backgrounds. This technique works well to prevent reader confusion.
By subtly addressing the topic of bullying (with just a touch of humor), this brother-sister writing team masterfully lays a foundation for teaching children how to stay true to their own choices and convictions. And at the very least, that if one veers off the right path, there is always a way to get back on.
By subtly addressing the topic of bullying (with just a touch of humor), this brother-sister writing team masterfully lays a foundation for teaching children how to stay true to their own choices and convictions. And at the very least, that if one veers off the right path, there is always a way to get back on.
Review Excerpts/Awards
The series has received multiple Children's Choices Awards and the 2006 Gryphon Award. One title in the series, Babymouse #1: Queen of the World, was the first graphic novel ever to be named an ALA/ALSC Notable Children's Book - 2006.
From Booklist: "The brother-sister creative team hits the mark with humor, sweetness, and characters so genuine they can pass for real kids."
From Horn Book: "Sassy, smart...Babymouse is here to stay."
From School Library Journal: "Another great read in this charming series, full of wit and humor and colored in orange and black instead of pink for the spooky occasion."
Connections:
The following ideas are adapted from activities found on this Random House webpage:
1) Lead a group discussion of the following questions:
- Although the characters in this book are animals, what human characteristics do they demonstrate?
- What human emotions do they exhibit?
- If it were you, how would you handle the different situations with Felicia Furrypaws?
- What do you think is the narrator's role?
2) Divide students into four groups. Assign each group a different Babymouse book to read. Then mix up the groups to create new groups that have at least one member from each original book group. In these new groups, students will prepare a list of similarities and differences among the four books. After everyone is finished, the teacher will lead a group discussion of the findings.
3) To find out more about the author including her two Newbery honor books (Turtle in Paradise, Our Only May Amelia), check out Jennifer Holm's webpage at:
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