March 2nd 2021 by Disney-Hyperion
E ARC provided by Netgalley
Delphine was found abandoned on the mouse doorstep of Chateau Desjardins and taken in by Meline, who raised her as her own. The baby mouse was accompanied by a scrap of fabric, as well as a silver needle, which is hung on the wall in her room in a place of honor. Delphine loves to sew, and takes tips from spying on Cinderella as she works. She is a talented seamstress, and after she makes a gown for a relative who visits the palace, she is summoned by Princess Petits-Oiseaux, who would like the young mouse to make her a spectacular gown for the upcoming ball. Thrilled to be at the palace, Delphine is a little less thrilled when Lord Alexander de Soucy Perrault, of the Poirier Perraults, insists on following her around. However, when Dephine finds out about the Threaded, fabled mice who were phenomenal sewers, and realizes that she might be connected to them, she welcomes his help. He shows her a hidden room in the castle that has tapestries that tell the story of the Threaded, and her needle seems to be very similar to the ones depicted. When rats break a treaty in order to come after her, she knows there must be a connection. Taking off with Alexander, she follows clues to a music school, a monastery, and Chateau Trois Arbres. Will Delphine be able to be brave in the face of danger, find out about her past, and keep the evil King Midnight from taking her ancestral relic?
Strengths: This was really beautifully written, in a way that made me feel like a was a little mouse scurrying around Cinderella's chateau in a vaguely 1600-ish, French world. The clothing descriptions were elaborate, and even the crumbs sounded tasty! I liked that Delphine is plucked from her cozy world in order to find out who she really is, and that her background included some magic. Alexander is a good foil for her; he's a bit self-important and foppish to start, but proves a formidable ally when Delphine really needs one. The illustrations were not finished in the E ARC, but since I am a sucker for cartoon mice, I'm looking forward to seeing the finished product. This would make an excellent gift for a Disney-obsessed reader!
Weaknesses: King Midnight and his rats were a bit over the top in their evil, but then, aren't all Disney villains?
Weaknesses: King Midnight and his rats were a bit over the top in their evil, but then, aren't all Disney villains?
What I really think: This was really very well written, but hard for me to read because of my aversion to talking animals! I'm also not a huge fan of Disney tales; nothing against them, I just am not as wild about all things Disney as some people are. This is absolutely perfect for readers who loved the adventure in Fiedler's Mouseheart series, or who are Rudnick's A Frozen Heart, and would make a fantastic bedtime read aloud for anyone who wants a wholesome quest involving adorable mice.
Redwall. *Shiver*. I haven't weeded the books because reading my way through all of them took the better part of a month. It's probably been five years since I had anyone read all the books in the series.
My younger brother was obsessed with listening to all the Redwall books on audio - it might help to know that Jacques originally wrote them for radio for a school for the blind, hence the endless descriptions... I still have a few, for kids who have finished all the Warriors books and want something more challenging.
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