Quite a fun book to read about a mouse and his adventures. ( )

This was one of my favorite books when I was a little too old for Redwall but still young enough to be mostly reading talking animal stories. One time I got rightly called out in writing club because one of my stories was basically a rip-off of the plot and style of this book. ( )

Our hero, an utterly decent, quiet mouse, lives in a world of talking animals who all, for the most part, get along. He has a pet ladybug. There is a very bossy, officious, pretentious female who destroys the lovely old lobby of her apartment building in order to replace it with an extremely ugly modern art installation; she is the head of a cosmetic company. She tells Hermux that he has no sense of beauty. In contrast, Hermux has an artistic friend who disagrees and encourages him to write in a notebook every night. What he finally writes---we see his preliminary attempts---is a list of what he is thankful for for that day; we see a few of his entries.

The chapters are surprisingly short; each one has a simple object drawn directly below the chapter title. ( )

Hermux Tantamoq is an average watchmaker living an average life until the adventurous aviatrix Linka Perflinger comes into his shop to get her watch repaired. Then life becomes and exciting adventure!

Thought the character and place names are strange and sometimes you have to slow down to figure out the pronunciation, the action and suspense is non-stop. There is enough description to form an image in your mind of the characters, locations and actions and still keep you wanting to read more.

I took my time and thoroughly enjoyed it from start to finish. I didn't feel there were any parts that dragged on and all seemed to fit together quite well. The rating for this book is "not too scary", and I agree but it does have exciting bits. It is classed as grades 6 - 8 reading level, but it could also be a good read-aloud too, done in chapter increments.

I recommend it for kids and adults. ( )

Narrated by Campbell Scott. Hermux Tantamoq is a mild-mannered mouse who owns a watchmaking shop. One day the adventurous aviatrix Linka Perflinger drops off her watch for repair. Hermux is taken with Linka and is concerned when she doesn't return for her watch. He's alarmed when a scruffy rat comes in to try and claim it without a ticket. Hermux tails the rat and witnesses Linka being led away from her home in a car. Hermux's pursuit leads him deep into a mystery concerning a formula for eternal youth and a rejuvenation spa and lab called "The Last Resort," headed by the dark and mysterious Dr. Mennus.