The+Mouse+and+the+Motorcycle

//Reviewed by:// Erika Michaels
Author: Beverly Cleary Illustrator: Louis Darling Published by: Scholastic Inc. Format: Paperback ISBN: 0-590-68733-6 Genre: Fiction Pages: 158 Age Range: 8+
 * Bibliographical Data**

The Mouse and the Motorcycle takes you on an adventurous tale of Ralph the mouse, which lives in a hotel room. It’s not very often we get to see the point of view of a mouse, yet, Ralph takes readers down onto the ground view. On an evening walk Ralph stumbles upon a toy motorcycle. After curiosity was too much for him, he rides the motorcycle right into a garbage can. As if he wasn’t scared enough, the human owner (Keith) of the toy has returned to retrieve his toy motorcycle and rescues Ralph. The story brings readers in on a close, unexpected friendship between a mouse and a human and follows their adventures together. But, after Ralph loses the motorcycle, Keith finds it hard to trust his little mouse friend once again.
 * Summary**

The Mouse and the Motorcycle is successful in all its intentions. I think that this book is fun, adventurous, and allows readers to dive into story that will leave them happy. I especially liked the book because the language wasn’t exceptionally difficult, and there are some illustrations scattered throughout the book. The illustrations add a great aspect to the book, because it can really allows readers to picture what Ralph and Keith are up to. I think this story is a classic, and is so versatile with what can be done with it in the classroom. It can teach setting, character development, plot line, etc. Overall, I was recommended this book when I was young, and I would still recommend it to people today.
 * Review**

Although this book covers many literary elements, the character development is especially evident. First fact is that the main character is a mouse. This can be appealing to young readers because animals as main characters are relatable, and more fun to read about sometimes because of the different perspectives they offer. Next, we follow the human character, Keith, as he flourishes from the beginning to the end and blossoms into a new person. This is very relevant to readers this age because, many are changing and developing just like the main characters in the book. It is perfect for readers who like seeing a change in characters and who are changing themselves as well. All readers can relate to the characters in some way or another, because the characters and their changes are dynamic and always expanding.
 * Analysis of Literary Element**

Beverly Cleary is a very well known author. She has contributed many fantastic books, and has earned over thirty prestigious awards for her literature. After being a librarian for many years, she was familiar with children’s books and eventually created her own that have delighted children for many years. Although this book didn’t win any awards, both proceeding books in the series won awards. Related links: [|http:][|//www.scholastic.com/teachers/book/mouse-and-motorcycle]
 * Author Bio**