Mice of the Round Table

Young mouse Calib Christopher dreams of the day when he will become a Knight of Camelot like his father and grandfather before him. For generations, Calib’s family has lived among the mice that dwell beneath the human Knights of the Round Table, defending the castle they all call home. Calib just hopes he will be able to live up to the Christopher name.

Then, on the night of the annual Harvest Tournament, tragedy strikes. The mice suspect the Darklings are behind the vicious sneak attack, but Calib has his doubts, so he sets off on a quest for the truth. Venturing deep into the woods beyond the castle walls, Calib and his friend Cecily discover that a threat far greater than the Darklings is gathering, and human and animal knights alike are in grave danger.

With help from a host of unlikely new allies, including a young human boy named Galahad, Calib must get the Mice of the Round Table and the Darklings to put aside their differences and fight together. Only then will they be strong enough to save Camelot.

Mice Of The Round Table: A Tail Of Camelot, Julie Leung
Octer 4, 2016

I have been waiting to get my hands on a copy of this book ever since I heard about it from the author herself. I’m so happy that it’s finally out and that I can review it.

Calib Christopher has a lot to live up to starting with the expectations of a prospective knight of Camelot and ending with his family’s name. When someone puts his name into the drawing for the Harvest Tournament, the final test to become a true knight, he is forced to participate or be branded a coward and never attain knighthood.

We took a little time getting into the tournament and I was worried the story would be mostly about Calib passing tests. Instead, we see Calib take on an epic journey all his own to save the kingdom and reveal everyone’s own prejudices.

Perhaps the best lesson contained within these pages, beyond learning to trust and believe in your own self, is the lesson on prejudices and that everyone is the protagonist of their own story and villains are often cloaked in shining armor and riding white horses, an opinion which probably gives away a little of the plot, but that’s okay.

I was pleasantly surprised to find that although some of the mice shared names with Arthur’s knights that this was not simply a retelling of the Arthurian legends with mice. These mice are their own characters, as are the human two-leggers. Galahad, Guinevere, and the other knights’ appearances are minimal allowing us to focus on the impending war that threatens Camelot’s critters. As an added bonus, the appearance of the two-leggers reminds us of the larger world the mice inhabit and enforce that the problems facing either race effect all of them.

A very cute and much-needed read.