Secrets at Sea

by Richard Peck

[Briana @ Pages Unbound]

This review is also posted at Pages Unbound Book Reviews.

Secrets at Sea is a cute and whimsical tale, charmingly enhanced by the details of the illustrations. The story told is one of family and adventure, enlivened by run-ins with cats and snakes and the novelty of life on the dangerous sea. But the details of daily life are visible beyond the action in the pictures, where one may see the charming inventions scattered through a mouse’s home, such as a comb that serves as a ladder or the thimbles we are assured have myriad uses.

All these things—the big and the little—are told through the voice of the caring if sometimes overbearing oldest sister Helena. She has been responsible for the family since her mother and older sisters met a tragic end in a rain barrel, but such are the realities of life. Mice, we learn, are always running out of time. And Helena does a good job as a leader. She is the perfect narrator because she is the one who tries to see and be in control of everything, even if such a goal is impossible.

This book is full of secrets, surprises, and pure cuteness. A must-read for anyone who likes mice or just a good story about looking out for those you care about.