Ragweed   by Avi Simon and Schuster, 2003, 207 pages, ISBN 0 689 83651 1

How easy was it to get stuck into this book?
This book is the prequel to Poppy and again follows a mouse struggling to survive in a harsh world. Obviously better suited for younger readers ; older readers might well find it all a bit repetitive etc.

Who are the main characters?
The main character is Ragweed, the eldest sibling in a huge family (about 50) of mice, who is just about to leave his rural home and set off to explore the world. Other important characters in the book are Clutch, the first mouse he runs into when he arrives in a city, who has green hair and sings in a band, as well as skateboarding, Silversides and Greybar, the two cats who run F.E.A.R (Felines Enraged About Rodents) and plague the city's mice, Blinker, the lab mouse with an astonishing intellect and Clutche's parents Windscreen and Foghorn (an artist and a poet).

What's the storyline?
The story follows Ragweed's adventures as he hitches a ride on a train and sets off for the city, which happens to be Amperville. After a narrow miss from Silversides, the fanatical cat who haunts the city's rodents, he is saved just in time by Clutch, the green haired mouse. She leads him to the communtiy of the city's mice, but when a night club is raided by the two cats, the mice decide to stand up to their fears and defeat the cats (very authentic idea).

How's it written?
Definitely aimed at younger children (9-10).

Other books by the same author that Tim knows about?
Poppy, is also by Avi.

The overall verdict is
Nothing to write home about

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