Michael Hoeye

A middle grades book that is rated "Not Too Scary," I bought this book in hopes that it would intrigue any one of my children. Somehow it managed to stay on the shelf so I thought I'd take it down, read it, and see if I could recommend it to them. I am pleased to say that this was indeed a cute book that is liable to appeal to all of the residents under five feet here.

Hermux Tantamoq is a mouse who works in a watch and clock shop. He takes great pride in his work and so is a little put off show more when daredevil aviatrix Linka Perflinger leaves her watch to be repaired, admonishing Hermux that it must keep perfect time, and them fails to return to pick it up. He knows something is wrong when a less than savory rat asks for Linka's watch and so this mild-mannered mouse decides to follow the rat and see where he goes. This plunges him into a kidnapping mystery with a biological bent. The characters surrounding Hermux are eccentric and fun. The evil villains are ruthless and sneaky. The plot zips along at a good clip with revelations, both expected and unexpected, coming fast and furious. Hoeye leaves a trail of clues for an astute reader to solve the mystery but I must admit I'm not that reader, even when the book is written for children less than half my age. But even though I didn't figure out the entirety of the whodunit, I thoroughly enjoyed this adventurous and delightful novel. It reminded me of nothing so much as the wonderful, from-my-childhood movie The Rescuers in tone and flavor. The first in a series, I hope to convince the kiddos to read it while I move along to the second. show less

The Sands of Time is the second of four books in Michael Hoeye’s “Hermux Tantamoq Adventure” series, and contains the best story of the lot. It tells of Hermux Tantamoq, a mouse who is also a skilled watchmaker. A mysterious chipmunk appears in his shop one afternoon, and needs his help and mechanical skills to uncover the secrets of a lost civilization of cats, which is buried in a desert canyon. Unfortunately, dangerous “mouse supremacists” are determined to stop them, since show more their discoveries might reveal some truths about mouse history that could threaten the social order. Hoeye’s quirky and satirical sense of humor pervades the book, which is full of uproarious characters like cosmetics magnate Tucka Mertslin, who wears a dress made of live flies. show less

Hermux Tantamoq, a mild mannered watchmaker, is in hot water. His friend, Merin Stentrill, is having an exhibit of her new paintings. It isn’t the exhibit itself, but the subject matter of the art — CATS!

It doesn’t matter the Pinchester Museum is putting it on. It is the fact that the citizenry of Pinchester are rodents! Besides, it is well known that cats are a myth.

During this time, an old chipmunk shows up looking for Hermux’s father. The chipmunk had made a discovery many years show more ago, and his research has verified it is real. He wants to discuss it with his old friend, Hermux’s father. Instead, he has to settle for Hermux, as Hermux’s father has been dead for a time.

Hermux finds himself on an adventure to locate the location the old chipmunk had found. The catch is to locate the place before another group does. show less

Fun and fast-paced comfort read, and a good one to have if the other books you're reading are super-serious. The characters are great, and it's cute that Hermux's pet ladybug Terfle has blossomed into an artist whose talent comes in handy more than once.