Basil in Mexico

This is one of the sweetest and most cleverly-written pastiches I've ever seen. Basil aspires to be the mouse version of his hero, Sherlock Holmes, and the self-aware nature of the story works beautifully, making it especially cute when Basil and Holmes contrast (Basil laps up the attention, heartily approves of Dawson's stories, and plays the violin very badly). The story's real strength lies in its writing, however; the prose is simple and even lyrical in places, and it repeatedly borrows phrases directly out of the Holmes stories themselves, adapted to suit the mice - Dawson refers to Basil as "the best and wisest mouse [he'd] ever known", while chapter 11 begins, "It is with a heavy heart that I... take pen in paw to write these show more lines." Aside from training up a new generation of Holmes fans, it's surprisingly educational in other ways as well, with a scattering of Spanish vocabulary and an argument between Basil and the wife of the Mexican mouse president about women's rights and famous women in history. The story is quite interesting for a children's mystery, and even adult readers are likely to find it charming, Holmes fans or not. show less

Although this series is fun and entertaining, this one cleverly introduces some thoughtful concepts and facts. It has instances of compassion for the guilty, equal rights (for female mice), and thoughtfulness for those less fortunate. Performed by Ralph Lister, this series, though intended for children, can be enjoyed by all ages.

I'm not really sure why I persist in finishing the Basil series; I don't find it particularly cute or engaging. In this one, Basil and Dawson travel to Mexico in order to find a piece of stolen art. But first, Basil must solve the mystery of a bunch of mice with broken teeth and dentists with kidnapped children. All of that gruesome nonsense is dispatched with in the first 2 chapters, then it's off to Mexico. Basil solves the mystery of the stolen Mousa Lisa (the museum director did it), but then gets embroiled in a coup attempt by a Prof. Ratigan and El Bruto, a dictator. Blah blah blah. Lots of weird plot points all mashed together in a 96-page book. I didn't hate it or anything, I think I am just bored of Basil. Also, I think just show more one of those plot threads would have sufficed for the book. show less