Adventuremice: Mice on the Ice
Philip Reeve and Sarah McIntyre
David Fickling Books

This is my first encounter with the Adventuremice and it mattered not that I wasn’t familiar with their back story. Mice on the Ice is an immediately engaging tale of camaraderie and problem solving, and this book has a decidedly chilly feel to it as overnight snow has transformed Mouse Islands into a sparkling white world. Not only is it white but the sea has already frozen over. Relative newcomer to the group, Pedro, is somewhat confused and finds it difficult to negotiate the icy world. However he is looking forward eagerly to the upcoming Frost Fair for which preparations are underway..

Then comes bad news from the Frost Fair organising committee; the group of mice that had gone to the mainland to collect all the treats for the fair have been stranded on account of the frozen sea and cannot return.


Should they cancel the event or is there perhaps a way that a rescue operation might be staged, after all problem solving is the Adventuremice’s forte. Pedro has an idea … could it possibly save the Frost Fair and bring seasonal joy to the entire town?

They’ll certainly have to outwit the cat, Fluffykins with her viciously sharp claws and teeth.


Both author and illustrator know just what works with children just starting to fly solo as readers: exciting, sometimes quirky plots with innovative outcomes, main characters that are brave and kind, and illustrations full of fanciful details. This story has all that and more.