The Mouse Rap [Paperback]

Walter Dean Myers (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 10 and up | Grade Level: 5 and up

You can call me Mouse, 'cause that's my tag I'm into it all, everything's my bag my ace is Styx, he'll always do Add Bev and Sheri, and you got my crew

...and a crew it is! For fourteen-year-old Mouse, this summer is anything but boring. His father, who checked out from the family eight years ago, is now trying to make a comeback as a dad. Beverly, a new girl from California, seems to like locking lips with the Mouse--but she seems to like other guys, as well. Sheri is trying to persuade the gang to join a dance contest. And there's a rumor that a lot of money--the loot from a '30's bank heist, to be exact--is hidden somewhere in an abandoned Harlem building, and you know the Mouse is determined to get a piece of that action.

"It's summer in Harlem, and The Mouse (as he calls himself) and his friends look beyond dance contests and basketball for diversion.The rumor of a huge cash stash in an abandoned building left by [a 1930s] gangster offers possibilities. . . . Tightly integrated subplots strengthen an already well-crafted novel. Myers deftly paints a humor-laced picture of Harlem in sparkling prose, with characters that have universal appeal." —BL.

1991 Best Books for Young Adults (ALA)
Children's Choices for 1991 (IRA/CBC)
Children's Books of 1990 (Library of Congress)
1991 Books for the Teen Age (NY Public Library)
Parenting Honorable Mention, Reading Magic Award

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In rhythmic vernacular, the Newbery Honor author brings to life the summer misadventures of a 14-year-old Harlem youth. Ages 10-14.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Grade 6-10-- A novel written with a light touch, blending inner-city adventure with family and peer relationships. Diminutive Frederick, 14 and known as the Mouse, punctuates his tale of the search for hidden 1930s gangland treasure with rap verses and phrases. Mouse and his friends are intrigued by a local TV news broadcast that reveals the possiblity of nearby hidden treasure that was amassed by an Al Capone contemporary, Tiger Moran. Mouse discovers that his friend Sheri's grandfather and the still-living Sudden Sam once worked for Tiger Moran and have a vague recollection of the money's whereabouts. Through a mock bank robbery, the old timers and the teenagers find the $50,000 in an abandoned building. When he is not searching for treasure, Mouse is sorting out his feelings for his once estranged father, his amorous, unpredictable girlfriend, and his sometimes aloof friend, Styx. Myers' style is sure to win readers, as is his story about quick-thinking, fast-talking Mouse, whose banter reveals both independence and vulnerability. An upbeat, entertaining tale. --Gerry Larson, Chewning Junior High School, Durham, NC
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 10 and up
  
• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: HarperCollins (April 10, 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0064403564
• ISBN-13: 978-0064403566
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 5.2 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #388,995 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Walter Dean Myers is a New York Times bestselling and critically acclaimed author who has garnered much respect and admiration for his fiction, nonfiction, and poetry for young people. Winner of the first Michael L. Printz Award, he is considered one of the preeminent writers for children. He lives in Jersey City, New Jersey, with his family.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Mouse Rap: A Masterpiece, December 4, 2001

A Kid's Review

This review is from: MOUSE RAP LB (Library Binding)

The protagonist in the story is The Mouse, whose real name is Fred. He and The Selects, made up of three girls named, Bev, Sheri, and Ceil, plus Sheri's grandfather, and Sudden Sam who worked for Tiger Moran are all looking for lost money.
There is a rumor going around that his money was lost in the city before he mysteriously disappeared. The goal is to find it. The barrier is no one knows where it is. So they find Booster, a twelve year old boy, whose grandmother helped hide the money. Together they hope to find it and split the money.
This authors writing style is very unique. He writes in a rap/hip hop style. It goes along fine with the title, The Mouse Rap. There is just one thing about the writing style that bugged me. The Mouse is always going place to place doing different things, so it's hard to remember what the point of the story is. For example, one minute he might be playing basketball and the next he might be at the corner store buying coke for his mom.
So if you want a book with a ghetto type scene and you can handle a little confusion, this book is for you.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars it was good, February 9, 2007

A Kid's Review

This review is from: The Mouse Rap (Paperback)

I thought that the book was a great book. At first I had some hesitation about whether or not I would like this book.but after a while it turned out to be okay.It confuses me when beverly is goin around tellin all these boys that she likes him that is one of the reasons i didnt like it

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Bobby F Miller Place, NY, November 8, 2004

A Kid's Review

This review is from: The Mouse Rap (Paperback)

"You can call me Mouse, 'cause that's my tag I'm into it all, everything's my bag my ace is Styx, he'll always do Add Bev and Sheri, and you got my crew."

It is summer and The Mouse is chilling with his friends playing B-ball at the park. His summer is everything but boring. Every day he just hangs around and plays basketball or watches TV with his best friend. The rumor of a huge cash stash in an abandoned building left by [a circa 1930's] gangster. The Mouse, Styx, Sheri, and Beverly all ask Beverley's grandpa and he said he used to run errands for him...

Later on in the story they have a treasure hunt for the gangsters gold. I wonder what happens next.