The Cheshire Cheese Cat by Carmen Deedy and Randall Wright

Carmen Deedy is a wonderful author and storyteller.  I have seen her perform at the Timpanogos Story Telling Festival.  She has written some amazing picture books.  The range from quite serious and touching (14 Cows for America) to silly and fun (Martina the Beautiful Cockroach).  This is one of her first chapter books and it fits into the latter category.

Skilly is a cat who manages to get adopted by the owner of an eating establishment in Victorian England.  The the inn owner, Henry, takes Skilly on as mouser, but Skilly doesn't like to eat mice.  Instead he makes a bargain with the mice to supply him with his favorite food, cheese, in return for protection.   Skilly becomes friends with the mouse leader, Pip, and together they fend off a less friendly cats and ultimately solve the mystery of the Queen's missing tower raven.  One of the regular patrons of the inn is Charles Dickens and there are all kinds of cute references to famous Dickens quotes. This one is similar in flavor and reading level to Bless this Mouse by Lois Lowery, and like that, is a great book for low age/ high reading level readers. It would also be a fun read aloud for families with young children. (228 p)