Parents' Guide to

Hopper's Destiny: Mouseheart, Book 2

By Mary Eisenhart, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 10+

Mouse vs. cats, humans in heroic, gory rodent saga sequel.

Book Lisa Fiedler Adventure 2015
Hopper's Destiny: Mouseheart, Book 2 Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this book.

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What's the Story?

HOPPER'S DESTINY follows the events of Mouseheart, with young mouse protagonist Hopper and his friends quickly discovering that overthrowing Emperor Titus and his nefarious pact with cat ruler Felina has brought lots of new trouble: Between the hungry cats and the human exterminators, violent death lurks around every corner in the underground tunnels of Brooklyn -- and often finds its victim as the rodents struggle to rebuild their ruined homes. Meanwhile, Hopper's angry, power-mad sister Pinkie has created her own despotic empire, and their little brother, Pup, tired of being left out of the dangerous fun, turns to the dark side. When unexpected events separate Hopper from his friends and take him aboveground, he makes some surprising connections and savors the joy of eggplant parmigiana and cannoli -- all of which make him question whether this business of being the Chosen One, whatever that means, is worth the trouble. Meanwhile, the mystic sage La Rocha, believed to be a cockroach, watches over the events and issues cryptic messages.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say: Not yet rated
Kids say: Not yet rated

Appealing characters, humor, and heroism mix with relentless, horrific violence in this epic rodent saga. Expect many joyous or hilarious moments, such as when the rodents ride the subway or when Hopper, buzzed on junk food, discovers an unexpected talent for basketball. Some of the characters are surprising, such as a cat whose mission in life is steering the rodents he's supposed to kill into safer quarters. The characters who have abandonment and sibling-rivalry issues will resonate with many a kid. And Vivienne To's appealing illustrations bring heroes and villains alike to life.

Unfortunately, the story becomes less than the sum of its parts as these elements contend with constant gory violence -- from mice being splattered with shovels to a character's mother being killed in an animal shelter -- and glib, smarmy sermonizing as young Hopper tries to find his way: "And in that moment Hopper understood: this was the power of faith. Faith made it possible to face the unknown. Faith brought hope, and hope brought strength. What La Rocha provided -- to the elders, to the wanderers, and to Hopper, too -- wasn't magic or supernatural power ... it was inspiration. And inspiration was just another word for the desire to do something good and noble and important ... and believing you can."

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about feeling abandoned. Is it easy to relate to stories about characters left all alone to fend for themselves? What did they do? What would you do if you were in their shoes?

  • Have you ever been to Brooklyn? Do any of Hopper's adventures make you want to visit the place?

  • If you were designing a new city and wanted it to be a nice place, what would you do? What would it look like? Who would live there? What would the rules be?

Book Details

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