Whisker Wizard (Babymouse Tales from the Locker #5)
July 6, 2021 by Random House Books for Young Readers
Library Copy
July 6, 2021 by Random House Books for Young Readers
Library Copy
Babymouse is bored. She is enthralled with her phone, and would rather look at panda videos than go outside and be with her family, but even that pales after a while. She finds a recipe for a homemade whisker serum online, and since her m other will only buy Basic Whisker products, she tries making it, using lemon juice, mayonnaise, and other household products. When she curls her whiskers and posts a video tutorial, it goes viral. Everyone at school is wearing "The Twist", and Babymouse starts to pick up followers. She tries to do more videos, but has to bring in Squeak as her videographer. She comes up with some good ideas, and even her idol, Fabi, likes her content, and Babymouse gets a lot of traffic when Fabi shares her ideas. There are bad things about fame as well. Babymouse is obsessed with creating new content, and gets into a strange scuffle with another creator, Maestro, about her use of mayonnaise. Will Babymouse be able to untangle herself from the twisted whisker mess?
Strengths: Ah, Babymouse. In Miss Communication, she got her Whiz Bang! phone and got in so much trouble that I was a little surprised she didn't end up with a flip phone, which is all middle schoolers need. Now, with a social media presence, she starts to be attracted to the way people treat her because of her online fame. She has to nvaigate the ups and downs of this in typical Babymouse way, which is quite amusing. Matthew Holm's artwork is engaging as always, and Jennifer Holm does a great job at understanding what appeals to tweens about phones and social media while delivering a great message about how they can negatively affect those who don't use them properly... and even how circumspect use can go wrong. Having Babymouse gain interest because of her whisker styling is perfect. Fans of this series will love this latest installment.
Weaknesses: Yes, some tweens go viral, but it strikes me as very improbable. File under realistic fantasies, perhaps?
What I really think: This reminded me of Tashjian's My Life as a Meme, and young readers who have dreams of going viral will love to read about Babymouse
Strengths: Ah, Babymouse. In Miss Communication, she got her Whiz Bang! phone and got in so much trouble that I was a little surprised she didn't end up with a flip phone, which is all middle schoolers need. Now, with a social media presence, she starts to be attracted to the way people treat her because of her online fame. She has to nvaigate the ups and downs of this in typical Babymouse way, which is quite amusing. Matthew Holm's artwork is engaging as always, and Jennifer Holm does a great job at understanding what appeals to tweens about phones and social media while delivering a great message about how they can negatively affect those who don't use them properly... and even how circumspect use can go wrong. Having Babymouse gain interest because of her whisker styling is perfect. Fans of this series will love this latest installment.
Weaknesses: Yes, some tweens go viral, but it strikes me as very improbable. File under realistic fantasies, perhaps?
What I really think: This reminded me of Tashjian's My Life as a Meme, and young readers who have dreams of going viral will love to read about Babymouse
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