Mia, The Crooked Road

Mia, The Crooked Road is a wonderfully written tale about a little mouse named Mia who is courageous, spunky, and loving. Mia is just one in Mamma and Pappino’s large family of mice children. After returning from an African adventure, Mia reunites with her family, including her brothers Cade and Rupert. Her sister Invidia, leader of a small group of their siblings who have named themselves the Spiteful Smalls, is back bullying Mia just like she did before Mia went on her adventure. Invidia is the meanest girl and says and does hurtful things to her siblings. When a disaster occurs in Salerno, mice from the nearby towns hitch rides on human vehicles to bring food and help to the mice who live there. Meanwhile, Mia and Rupert are looking at one of Pappino’s journals one day and decide to forage for a snack. The journal accidentally blows away, and Mia gets seriously injured trying to retrieve it.

This book reminded me so much of the books I used to read as a middle schooler. The story is written for an age group from about twelve years old to adult (I enjoyed this adventure so much!). What I really loved about this book is the lessons that its readers will learn. The relationships between the mice are similar to those of humans, and the range of emotions felt by the characters range from loving to fearful to jealousy. The way the author integrates these emotions into each scene of the book naturally makes the book a heartfelt experience.

Mia is so sad about losing Pappino’s travel journal and thinks that he won’t love her as much. She leaves home and finds herself on the Crooked Road. Mia’s grief overcomes her, and for the first time, she doesn’t know what to do. The journal could be anywhere.

One of my favorite characters in the book is Pern, a bird of prey whom Mamma and Pappino raised after his family was killed. Other mice are shocked when they find out that Pern is a friend of the family, or rather, part of the family. This lesson helps to get rid of stereotypes in the subtlest of ways. Just because someone looks or is different than you doesn’t mean that he or she is a danger to you. Pern was wonderful in helping the mice on their adventures.

This book really brought back childhood memories of stories like The American Tail, a story about a mouse named Fievel who is lost, and The Dark Crystal, with its underground characters and vivid scenery. This is a beautifully written tale of adventure.