Young Fredle

Listened to Listening Library audio edition narrated by Wendy Carter.

Carter's narration was excellent - different voices for each of the characters and good capturing of the emotions in any given situation. The story had me captivated throughout - the secret world of mice and the ways different tribes live were well thought out and interesting. Fredle was a believable well-rounded character with faults, weaknesses and strengths that rang true and influenced the sequence of events believably.

Grabbed a copy of the book to take a look at Louise Yates' spot illustrations. They're cute and add a little to the story, but I don't feel like I missed anything by listening instead of reading. The placement of the illustrations seemed carefully chosen and I particularly liked the illustration of the snake. ( )

Fredle is a kitchen mouse - all his life he has lived behind the pantry with his family, following the mouse rules. One day, Fredle is sick and is pushed out of his nest...instead of being "went" like he expected, he is carried out of the house by Mrs. Now he must figure out how to survive outside, where the outside mice live by very different rules than he had inside. On his adventure back home, Fredle outwits a cat, befriends one of the dogs, meets numerous mice and escapes from a band of raccoons. Unfortunately when Fredle returns home, he finds it different than when he left...or maybe it is him that has changed.

Good coming of age story, but too much mouse for me...it seemed flat. ( )

Young Fredle (rhymes with “metal”) is a sweet story with ink drawings throughout about a naïve little house mouse who is sent outside (in the yard) when he falls ill from overindulging on sweets. Extensive characterization with poignant child-like themes throughout makes this a great read for boys and girls alike. I wanted to see how Fredle survives in the “wilderness,” and it was fun meeting the animals and learning along with Fredle in his adventures outside. (Recommended!) ( )

When Fredle eats too much chocolate (very bad for a mouse), he finds himself pushed out of the safety of the kitchen wall by his family, because one of the rules they live by is that when you’re sick, you must leave to “went,” never to be heard from again. Fredle finds himself outside, and very alone – at first. As he encounters different animals on the farm, he begins to determine for himself what is true and what should be questioned. He discovers the world is much larger than he ever could have imagined, falls in love with the moon and flowers, and realizes many of the rules his family of kitchen mice live by don’t make a lot of sense. When Fredle finally finds the way back inside and to his family, he must decide what’s truly important to him.
Reminds me of Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH

Listened to audiobook - slow moving

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