 Mouse Pad Margaret Clark Mark
McLeod Book 136pp., pbk., $11.95 0073361381
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Mouse Pad is the twelfth book in a series called Aussie Angels which are all about different Australian animals. Mouse Pad is about four children, all animal lovers, who find a dunnart, a marsupial, in their backyard. They want to return the dunnart to its natural habitat. When their bikes go missing, leaving them trapped in an old hut, things get uneasy. I like Mouse Pad because it has a mixture of tastes. If you are interested in animals, like mysteries, adventure and a bit of quirkiness then this is the book for you. It did take quite a long time to get to the exciting part and then the book ended so suddenly I thought there must be a sequel! The author tried to make the book interesting for lots of children by making the language simple and appealing to a variety of interests. I think this book would appeal to boys and girls aged 10 or 11 and definitely to anyone who is an animal lover. My
overall opinion of the book is “Read it!” because although the
beginning is a bit slow, it gets better and at the end you realise that
the first couple of pages don’t tell the whole story. Lucienne, Year 5., Sydney. |
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All the trouble began with one computer
cable. And a supposed mouse (Madison) who was really a dunnart. Dad learns that Mark is keeping a white-footed dunnart and tells him to release it. So the Aussie Angels go down to the old mill (with their mobile phones) to release Madison..but is Mark having second thoughts? I really enjoyed this book. It shows you
how busy some animal lovers really
can be. It is easy-to-read, and I would recommend it for ages Sabrina , Grade 6, Melbourne |
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I
read the book "Mouse Pad". I am 11 years old and I thoroughly
enjoyed the book. It is appropriate for students of my age.
I think that you should read the book alone. But you should read
the other books in the series of Aussie Angels first. I have read the
whole series and "Mouse Pad" was the most exciting and most
adventurous. I would recommend it to most of my friends at school. There
are two boys that lock Meg and Mike in the hut. They did a really bad
thing so they got into trouble. That shows anyone who wants to do
something like that, that they will get into trouble. When Mark lost his
dunnart it was exciting. When Elise escaped it became a really big
adventure, and when they saw the kangaroo. There is a small problem and
then it gets bigger until they get locked in the hut. The best part of
the whole story was when they were trapped in the hut. That's when the
real adventure starts. I didn't want to put the book down. "Mouse
Pad" was a good title for the book's story line. It's also good how
the words describe Mrs Green's cooking. The size of the print is easy to
read.
I think it should have a few pictures in it every now and then.
The layout of the front cover is good. I liked the colours on it. Maybe
the front cover should have a picture of the dunnart chewing the cable,
with Meg and Mike looking very mad! But still "Mouse Pad" is
one of the good books that I have read. "Mouse
Pad" was not a dull and boring story. I did not fall asleep reading
it. It kept me awake and alert. I think "Mouse Pad" was so
good that there should be a television ad for it.
It is also good how they explain what has happened in other
books. Reviewer:
Carly, aged 11, SA
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I
enjoyed reading this book, but I think that it is aimed more at younger
readers, mostly Years 4 & 5. Maybe the book is also appropriate for
a good reader in Year 3. The
book was easy to read, the type was clear and the story flowed along
well. The story is suitable for both boys and girls. This
book is good for many different styles of reading. If read aloud to a
class of Year 2’s for instance, then they would love the relaxed and
amusing style of writing and be begging for more. Slightly older
readers, reading silently in their heads, would still enjoy the style of
the story. I recommend this book to Primary School aged children and I
am sure they will be back for more books written by Margaret Clarke. “Mouse
Pad” is about an animal called a dunnart. A dunnart looks like
a mouse and is an endangered species. When Mark finds one at the farm
and is made to put it back in the wild, he throws everyone and
everything into chaos. If you think reading about a camel called Carol
having a race on the beach with an emu called Elsie and a cocky called
Eddie is funny then this is the book for you! You will enjoy this as
much as I did. Simone,
Yr 6, Victoria |
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The
year level for this book would have to be about grade 4-5, and maybe a
really good year 3 reader. It can be read by both sexes. I
am not quite sure of the genre of this book, since it has a realistic
story-line, yet some of the parts of this story couldn’t possibly be
true. After all, who’s ever heard of an emu escaping with the help of
a cockatoo, or maybe two dumb animals having a race? It is a mixture of
fantasy and reality. Margaret
Clarke, a famous writer, wrote the book. If a grade 2 or 3 read this
amazing book then they would enjoy it a lot. Say a year 6 read it, it
might appeal to them as well. I think it is too easy a read for people
in senior schools. I recommend this book for most primary students.
The
language is subtle and is suitable for all ages from 5 to 12. "Mouse
Pad"
is about an animal called a dunnart. The main character in this story is
Mark. One day Mark finds what he thinks to be a mouse. His new friend
chews the cords of the computers and Mark’s family finds out that it
is a dunnart. They propose
to take it back and Mark gets upset… until he works out a plan! They
go to take the dunnart back and have many adventures along the way. When
they get back, they find the dunnart… safe in Mark’s pocket! They
give in and Mark gets to keep it. This
is an O.K. book. Ruth,
Yr 6, Victoria
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