We would all be a step up in the social order if we wrote as well as Richard Peck's protagonist mouse.His book is filled with wit delivered in short bursts and lyrical phrases. It is without question and beyond doubt intended to be read out loud to those between five and ten years-old sitting on the floor or lying in a bed. It is a magnetic story, delightful from the opening sentence: "Every time a human walks out of a room, something with more feet walks in."The young mouse adventurer rides in the ear of a horse, hangs from the claws of airborne bats, chats with Queen Victoria. When bouncing back from adversity, he says things like: "My heart didn't sing, but it began to hum a bit." He listens quite respectfully to the formidable Queen when she advises: "No, we do not know everything ... But there is nothing we cannot find out."Page after charming, vibrant page Richard Peck uses words the way Fred Astaire used dancing shoes. Any child would be thrilled and thankful to the wise adult who sweeps away the day's fatigue to jointly celebrate several evenings in the company of the Mouse with the Question Mark Tail.