Ragweed

In Avi's prequel to Poppy (1995) and Poppy and Rye (1998), Ragweed the mouse leaves his family in the country and hops a train, winding up in the town of Amperville. There he meets mice that live in broken-down vehicles and are named for car parts: Clutch, Lugnut, Dipstick, Blinker, Windshield, and Foglight. They are being threatened by F.E.A.R., Felines Enraged About Rodents, a two-cat termination team consisting of cranky Silversides and her subordinate Graybar. Ragweed urges the musical mice to band together to replace their F.E.A.R.-destroyed dance club, and sets up a combat plan for the expected attack by F.E.A.R. The characters are not one-dimensional, the heroes aren't always laudable and you feel a little pity for the villains. show more The plot, while not gripping, is exciting and entertaining. Brian Floca's detailed black-and-white drawings add to the atmosphere of the story. I have not read the other books in the series and I feel this book stands alone well. However, I found the constant use of the trendy language in the conversation of the mice to be a turn-off. That's not how I want my children and students to speak and write, and I think it will date the book. Recommended for intermediate level readers (grades 3-6). show less

Ragweed is determined to see the world. He leaves his family and cozy country home and sets off by train for the big city. What wonders await him: music, excitement, new friends...and cunning, carnivorous cats! Silversides is the purring president of F.E.A.R. (Felines Enraged About Rodents), a group dedicated to keeping cats on top, people in the middle, and mice on the bottom. Can Ragweed and his motley yet musical crew of city nice--Clutch, Dipstick, Lugnut, and Blinker--band together to fight their feline foe?

Serviceable, a bit satirical. Silversides' tendency to ruminate on the pointlessness and degradation of her fight against the mice reminded me of Captain Hook. The "cool" language was a bit grating.

Had fun reading this! Kids would love this world of mice on skateboards, dancing and playing music, enjoying city life, and standing up to those ornery cats!

Young Reader Reaction: Avi makes the mouse world come alive. There is Clutch’s spunky attitude,her earring, and skateboard skills. I also liked her parents’ love of art and the freedom they gave the daughter. I especially loved the club scene. I also felt for Blinker and loved that he got “adopted” in the end. There wasn’t much to dislike. I was hoping for a romantic connection between Ragweed and Clutch, but I admit she was much more mature than him. It was better to let Ragweed move on

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With occasional ink drawings, this books plot moves along well with enough detail to keep attention. Ragweed leaves his small hometown looking for adventure. He hops on a train and finds adventure in a city where cats rule and mice try to survive. He tries to bring the community together against the cats.

Ragweed, a young country mouse, leaves his family and travels to the big city, where he finds excitement and danger and sees cats for the first time.