Pearl's Pirates

Pearl and Wilbur, the lively mice from Pearl's Promise, are back, but this time their adventures take them far from the security of their cage. The two mice and their owner Jay are a happy threesome until a bicycle accident puts Jay in the hospital, leaving the mice at the edge of an unfamiliar road. When Pearl and Wilbur overhear two rats talking about crashing a mouse party, they decide to warn the mice of the pending danger. The micewho turn out to be friends from Wilbur and Pearl's pet-store daysare saved, but in the ensuing chaos, everyone is trapped in a crate that is loaded onboard a ship to France. That's just the beginning of the misadventures, but Pearl and Wilbur eventually return home to Jay. Asch has written a ""mouseterful'' adventure story, which contains some very nice wordplay``mouseifesto,'' ``mouse the deck'' and ``madmouse'' are just a few examples. Ages 7-11. (May)