"He was the best of toms. He was the worst of toms," begins this gentle and clever story of unlikely friendship between a cat, a mouse, a raven, and an esteemed Victorian novelist.
With his "ragged ear, numerous scrapes, and a tracery of scars," Skilley certainly looks the part of a street cat. But he has a kind heart--and a secret. After Pinch ("cold-blooded and volatile... not a cat to be trifled with") tells Skilley that the innkeeper at Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese seeks a mouser, Skilley begins angling for the position. But not for the reasons one might think. It's not mice he seeks, but cheese. He earns the job of mouser by capturing a mouse--but then scurries out of sight of the innkeeper and releases the little fellow. Pip, the mouse, and Skilley strike a deal--the cat will keep the mice safe if they will supply him with Cheshire cheese. Skilley is not the only one with something to hide. The feline hero discovers, "This inn has more secrets than mice." Pip can read and write, for one thing (Nell, the innkeeper's daughter taught him--a là The Old Curiosity Shop). For another, there's a raven they keep hidden in the attic who claims to be the property of Queen Victoria. Croomes the cook keeps a secret of her own, as does the mouse-hating barmaid Adele. Charles Dickens, a frequent diner at the inn, is on to them all. If only he could come up with an opening line for his new novel. Adele brings Pinch to the inn because she thinks the job is more than Skilley can handle, and chaos ensues.
One of the most poignant events in the novel occurs when Skilley, attempting to hide his friendship with Pip, accidentally hurts him. Skilley confides in Maldwyn the raven, and their illuminating discussion about how to repair the friendship could serve as a model for children experiencing similar circumstances. But mostly this is a great rollicking adventure, as natural-born enemies play against type, and everyone's secrets come to light when Pip and Skilley's plot to return Maldwyn to the Queen goes comically awry.
This lovely book suggests that Pip, having helped the great Victorian writer come up with his famous opening lines to A Tale of Two Cities, provided the name for the hero in Great Expectations. Children will lap up this tale of friendship and adventure, and adults will be entertained by the plentiful allusions to Dickens and his characters. Barry Moser's charming illustrations of the main characters combined with the commanding storytelling voice make this a charming read-aloud for the entire family. --Jennifer M. Brown