Malcolm Mouse, Explorer

By Janet Graber

Malcolm, an orphaned field mouse, is considered a nuisance by his house-mouse relatives who live at 65 Rodent Row, Mouse-Town Estates, in the gloomy basement of Balmoral Castle. He is a misfit who does poorly at school and is bullied by his cousins. While house mice serve as collectors within the castle walls, Malcolm yearns to follow in his daddie's paw-steps and become an explorer of the outside world. While collecting in the royal kitchen one afternoon, Malcolm is discovered by Chief Castle Cook. In his mad dash to escape, Malcolm inadvertently exposes the MI Mouse-Way Ramp 3 to human eyes. Disaster strikes! Royal staff board up mouse holes and bait traps with poison. Mouse-Town Estates is threatened with death and starvation. Malcolm seizes the opportunity to try to save the house-mouse community and to explore the outside world at the same time. Will Malcolm survive four fat royal corgis, being trapped in the royal handbag, arrest and imprisonment to save the day? Will Malcolm realize his dream of becoming an explorer field mouse? Or will Her Majesty the Queen succeed in chopping off his head?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Fitzroy Books
• Release date: Mar 1, 2021
• ISBN: 9781646030873

Book preview

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Praise for Malcolm Mouse, Explorer

Malcolm is sure to take his place among the classic mice of literature. His adventurous spirit will capture the imagination and hearts of young readers as he faces danger, both inside and outside the castle walls. This unforgettable story, beautifully written, will have you rooting for Malcolm as he struggles to find a way to escape his dismal life and become the explorer he was meant to be. Any mouse who can best the Queen of England is indeed a clever mouse!

- Loretta Ellsworth, author of many books for young people including The Shrouding Woman, Henry Holt In Search of Mockingbird.

"Henry Holt Children’s literature has a rich history of tales of animals living in human-like worlds—classics like Peter Rabbit, Stuart Little and Brian Jacques’ Redwall series. Janet Graber’s Malcolm Mouse, Explorer is such a book and it rightfully joins the ranks of these childhood favorites. Malcolm is a tiny dreamer. He is kind. And he believes in himself when others do not. Young readers will root for him from the start because they will know what he knows; one does not need to be perfect, or even always brave, to succeed at what is most important in life. Malcolm Mouse, Explorer is a wonderful book about seeking adventure, tackling the unknown, and understanding that being different is sometimes the very best thing one can be. An added bonus; Graber literally knows the territory. A native of Northern England, familiar with ancient castles and wild moorlands, Graber weaves details, description, and a nice dollop of local language into her work, magically transporting readers to the Scottish Highlands where afternoon tea and dainty salad sandwiches are a must!"

- Aimee Bissonette, children’s author of Do Not Rake Your Garden in a Party Dress, Cameron Kids North Woods Girl, Minnesota Historical Society Press And many more books for children.

"Told with wit and humor, Malcolm Mouse, Explorer is an utterly enchanting tale of courage, resourcefulness, and perseverance. Readers of all ages will fall in love with this most unlikely mouse hero as he strives to overcome every obstacle thrown in his path in his quest to save the mice of Balmoral Castle. The language and masterful attention to detail bring the Scottish setting and Balmoral Castle to life from a mouse perspective as vividly as if one were watching events unfold before one’s eyes. This is a delightful book that simply begs for another, starring this endearing and adventurous young mouse."

- Bonnie Graves, author of Catch Me When I Fall, Taking Care of Trouble, No Copycats Allowed, and other children’s books.

Contents

Praise for Malcolm Mouse, Explorer

Malcolm Mouse, Explorer

Copyright © 2021 Janet Graber. All rights reserved.

Dedication

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Seventeen

Chapter Eighteen

Chapter Nineteen

Chapter Twenty

Chapter Twenty-One

Chapter Twenty-Two

Chapter Twenty-Three

Chapter Twenty-Four

Chapter Twenty-Five

Chapter Twenty-Six

MALCOLM’S FAVORITE RECIPES

Author’s Note

Acknowledgments

Malcolm Mouse, Explorer

Janet Graber

Illustrated by C. B. Royal

Fitzroy Books

Copyright © 2021 Janet Graber. All rights reserved.

Published by Fitzroy Books

An imprint of

Regal House Publishing, LLC

Raleigh, NC 27612

All rights reserved

https://fitzroybooks.com

Printed in the United States of America

ISBN -13 (paperback): 9781646030620

ISBN -13 (epub): 9781646030873

Library of Congress Control Number:

All efforts were made to determine the copyright holders and obtain their permissions in any circumstance where copyrighted material was used. The publisher apologizes if any errors were made during this process, or if any omissions occurred. If noted, please contact the publisher and all efforts will be made to incorporate permissions in future editions.

Interior and cover design by Lafayette & Greene

lafayetteandgreene.com

Cover images © by C. B. Royal

Regal House Publishing, LLC

https://regalhousepublishing.com

The following is a work of fiction created by the author. All names, individuals, characters, places, items, brands, events, etc. were either the product of the author or were used fictitiously. Any name, place, event, person, brand, or item, current or past, is entirely coincidental.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of Regal House Publishing.

Printed in the United States of America

Dedication

For Madden, aged nine,

following in his Granny’s footsteps, telling tall tales

Chapter One

Post was delivered early each morning throughout Mouse-Town Estates, situated in the basement of Balmoral Castle. Most mice were fast asleep. But Malcolm lay in his bed wide awake, fretting. Today his report card would arrive. Malcolm knew it would only confirm his continuing failure at school lessons.

When the flap on the brass letter box at 65 Rodent Row clanged, Malcolm leaped out of bed, pulled on his slippers, and scurried down the passage. On the doormat were two utility bills, a catalog advertising mouse millinery for the discerning mouse-wife, and a disability check for Uncle Fergus, who was one of three mice blinded in an extremely unfortunate incident two years earlier.

And one crisp white envelope. Addressed to his Aunt Flora!

Malcolm snuffled it carefully. Black ink. Professor Rap’s black ink. Malcolm could sniff out poor marks anywhere. He tore it open.

DICKORY-DOCK ACADEMY—Proprietor: Professor Rap Mouse

History of the Scottish House Mouse F

Social Habits of the House Mouse F

Escape and Evasion Tactics F

Weights and Measures for Collectors F

Mouse Habitats Around the World A

Comments: I regret that your nephew, Malcolm Mouse, has proved to be a poor student.

He is inattentive and uninterested in most lessons, and a daydreamer. Sadly, the only subject at which he excels will be of little use to him if he continues to live with us in our house mouse community.

Malcolm scrunched the offending document in his paws and stuffed it behind the coat stand. After his daddie got caught in a trap, and his mammie was squashed flat by a green Wellington boot, his Aunt Flora hadn’t wanted to provide a home for him. Malcolm looked different. His ears were rounder, his coat browner, his tummy whiter, and his tail shorter and stiffer. This was because his daddie had been a field mouse. An explorer. And why Malcolm yearned for the OUTSIDE. But Professor Rap had constantly reminded him: house mice are not explorers; house mice are Collectors. Once Malcolm had retorted: Collecting is boring. The very cross professor had rapped his wooden ruler sharply against the side of Malcolm’s head!

Malcolm scuttled back to bed, trying not to remember his latest humiliation. The last event of the school year. Sports Day. Malcolm had returned from the scavenger hunt with the smallest bag of crumbs, weighing a hundredth of an ounce and a hundredth of an inch in circumference.

The obstacle course had been a disaster. He fell into the trap, failed to pass under the Wellie dump in time, missed the glue-tray long jump by a rat’s-tail length, and was almost caught under the guillotine drop.

Worst of all was the run-along-the-wall race. Malcolm came in last because he was distracted by a chink in the wall which he’d felt compelled to explore. And why not? It