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Susan Weisberg
Author
CHESTER MIDSHIPMOUSE
Meet Chester, an earnest young mouse who decides he has what it takes to follow in his grandfather's pawsteps and become a midshipmouse at the prestigious Naval Mouse Academy. The story follows Chester and his band of rodents- as well as their unsuspecting human counterparts in the Rooms Below the rafters- as they endure the rigors of the legendary Plebe Summer. Hilarious and suspenseful conflict ensues as the mice carry out what they believe to be a renowned boot camp of their own, marching with pretzel-stick drill rifles, using sour-ball candy as ammunition, and rigging a pulley system with a tape dispenser. While the military equipment is different, and the humans consider the mice pests rather than shipmates, the lessons learned are the same- teamwork, loyalty, leadership, honor, bravery, duty and courage are what it takes to earn your stripes, no matter how small.
Reviews
Unsolicited Review from Amazon and Goodreads

Customer Review5.0 out of 5 starsAt the Naval Academy, even the mice strive to greatnessByNR Tomasheskion June 1, 2018Format: Kindle EditionIt's somewhat cliche to describe a book such as this one as delightful, but it really is. It's more, too: exciting, clever, and even educational, as it's an accurate depiction of Plebe Summer at the U.S. Naval Academy, complete with insider lingo. Two of Weisberg's sons attended the Academy, and that was part of her inspiration. The other part was the very real presence of mice in Bancroft Hall (the world's largest university dormitory). What if, Weisberg thought, those mice were engaged in their own centuries-old traditions?R. Leigh Anderson's illustrations are magnificent; I have the full-color edition; I'm sure the black-and-white renditions are lovely, but I would recommend the color if possible!Instead of making this a straight-forward mice-as-stand-ins-for-people tale, Weisberg brings certain anthropomorphic qualities to her mice while retaining the essence of what it is to be a mouse, which creates a unique perspective, a world we've rarely seen in a mouse hero tale, and which draws us more fully into the experience.They don't have guns, for example, but weapons and other equipment of a sort that clever mice might be able to craft. The obstacle course sequence is a pure delight! The mice proudly wear their various uniforms of rank, but civilian mice don't wear clothes of any kind. The matter of how the cloth (carefully culled from the human Academy's scraps) is actually crafted into these tiny replica uniforms is glossed over, but it doesn't affect enjoyment one bit, precisely because all the other little details are so deftly handled.The characters are well-depicted, from the range of young aspiring mice (one is an exchange student from Europe) to the upperclassmice who are fairly duty-bound to build their charges' characters through tough leadership. The experience of an actual Plebe Summer is reproduced accurately: softened somewhat out of respect to the intended audience (ages 8-12; though, obviously, 54-year-olds can enjoy it just as well!), but with all the structure, adherence to following orders and the risk of consequences, and camaraderie that the human Plebes know well.This is a great book for siblings and parents of Academy attendees, anyone who loves mouse hero stories, and anyone who has an interest in the history and traditions of the United States Navy.

News
09/07/2018
Book-Signing United States Naval Academy

The author is honored to be invited to conduct a book-signing in the Midshipmen Store at the US Naval Academy from 9-12 AM and 1-3 PM on September 7, 2018    Next Event:  Author/Speaker at St. John's College, Annappolis, MD- One Hundred Year of Childhood Classics.  Previous Events:  Book signing at Old Fox Books, Annapolis, MD  May, 20, 2018              Book Signing:  United States Naval Academy, June 28, 2018  

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