The Cheshire Cheese Cat: A Dickens of a Tale (Module 5)

Summary
Skilley, is an ally cat, who gets "hired" to become a mouser at the Cheshire Cheese Inn. But Skilley has a deep, dark secret. He doesn't like the taste of mouse, instead he loves cheese. Skilley befriends a mouse, Pip, and the rest of the mouse gang only to find out Pip has a secret! Pip is hiding a raven from the Tower of London, who has been wounded and can't make it back to the Tower. The two friends decide to help the raven get back, all while fighting off the cooks, and another evil cat. This book has cameo's by Charles Dickens, and Queen Victoria.

Suggested Activities
This book would be great to use along with a history lesson. It covers a lot of history of England in the 1800s all while being very entertaining. Using excerpts of the book, you could teach about the Tower of London or even Queen Victoria. I also thought this would be a great book to use in a high school English class to help introduce Charles Dickens and his work. You could use the scenes that include Charles Dickens as a way to get kids interested in his writing.

Reviews

Part historical fiction, part fantasy, THE CHESHIRE CHEESE CAT is an action-packed story with a little something for everyone. The book takes the reader back to the streets and alleys of 19th century London where a street cat named Skilley longs to live comfortably at Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese. When a cat is needed to handle the mouse infestation, Skilley becomes their mouser. Unfortunately for Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese he has a secret; he is a cheese-loving cat that has no taste for mice. An unlikely alliance forms between Skilley and the mice that reside there. Author Charles Dickens is a frequent customer to the establishment. He has a case of writer’s block, so instead of writing he has been observing the interactions between the cat and mice jotting down notes and theories in his journal. Another mouser is brought in to help alleviate the mouse problem. This tom, Pinch, is a vicious cat with a taste for blood. The mice are no longer safe and Skilley’s secret could possibly be revealed as well as what the mice are hiding in the attic.

Moser’s drawings are scattered throughout the book and add personality to the characters. Pages from Dickens’ journal are also included which show his suspicions and his humor.

Jergensen, J. (2012, February 26). The cheshire cheese cat: A dicken's of a tale. Retrieved from http://librarianschoices.blogspot.com/2012/02/cheshire-cheese-cat-dickens-of-tale.html

My Thoughts
My aunt had told me several times how much she loved this book, but I wasn't interested. I've never read Charles Dickens and I hate cats so I just didn't feel like this book was for me. Seeing it on the list, I thought I might as well read it since she had suggested it and she usually doesn't steer me wrong. I'm glad I did decide to read it, I found this book so charming and engaging. I loved the story of a cat and mouse becoming friends and I loved all the history it taught at the same time. I had no idea there were ravens at the Tower of London (and I've been there!) and I didn't know much about Queen Victoria. I felt like this book was a great way to get readers interested in other topics and would be a challenging, but fun read for kids.

Bibliography
Deedy, C. A., & Wright, R. (2011). The chesire cheese cat: A dickens of a tale. Atlanta: Peachtree.