Tumtum & Nutmeg

Gr 2—5 Tumtum and Nutmeg, two sweet mice, have "adopted" the children of Rose Cottage. Arthur and Lucy are neglected by their absentminded inventor father, so the mice mend clothes, make home repairs, tidy up, and generally look after their well-being. The three stories in this sequel to Tumtum and Nutmeg (Little, Brown, 2009) follow the mice as they risk their lives to retrieve Christmas gifts for the children from an evil neighboring mouse, attend to them on a seaside holiday replete with treasure maps and more evil mice, and get involved with some nasty circus mice. Their friend General Marchmouse, recently retired, can't resist an adventure, and is always in the thick of both the problems and solutions. There is a redundancy in the story lines and an overreliance on mechanical toys as conveyances; both will likely be overlooked by young readers. From a narrative standpoint, this sequel stands alone, but its foundational matter—the whimsical setting and character description—are not fully expressed here. Price's pen-and-ink pictures are well-suited to the story.—Lisa Egly Lehmuller, St. Patrick's Catholic School, Charlotte, NC