The Deptford Mice Almanack facts for kids
First edition cover
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| Author | Robin Jarvis |
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| Illustrator | Robin Jarvis |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Series | The Deptford Mice |
| Genre | Dark fantasy |
| Publisher | Macdonald Young Books |
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Publication date
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1997 |
| Media type | Print (Hardcover) |
| ISBN | 0-7500-2101-2 |
| OCLC | 59587220 |
| Preceded by | Thomas |
| Followed by | Fleabee's Fortune |
The Deptford Mice Almanack is a special companion book to the exciting The Deptford Mice and Deptford Histories series by Robin Jarvis. It's written like a real book from inside the mouse world itself! This unique book was first published in 1997 in the United Kingdom.
Contents
What's Inside The Deptford Mice Almanack?
This almanack takes place ten years after the events of The Final Reckoning. A talented red squirrel artist and writer named Gervase Brightkin is visiting Audrey Scuttle. Audrey is a brave mouse heroine and is now the Starwife (a very important leader) in Greenwich Park.
The Starwife asks Gervase to create an almanack. This book will record all the important stories, traditions, and events of the mice, squirrels, bats, and rats. It includes entries for every day of the year. All the major events from the main novels are given a specific date in the almanack.
Gervase also writes his own journal entries throughout the book. He shares about his time in Greenwich. He also travels to other places like Fennywolde and Holeborn. He goes there to ask William 'Twit' Scuttle and Arthur Brown to share their own adventures and stories.
Trouble in Fennywolde
While Gervase is in Fennywolde, he meets Alison Sedge. She is a field mouse who was once jealous of Audrey in The Crystal Prison. Alison seems very sad and perhaps a bit confused. This is because her friend, Jenkin Nettle, died, and she blames Audrey for it.
Alison gives a serious warning to Gervase. She says that Audrey will not be the Starwife for much longer. She also warns that Audrey will experience a great loss.
An Ominous Sign
At the end of the year, a very old and important tree, the Great Oak, falls down. This tree is special because the evil rat god Hobb was once trapped inside it. A previous Starwife, Ysabelle, had imprisoned him there. The tree falls because of strong winds.
Many animals see the fallen tree as a bad sign. The grey squirrels in the park start to whisper. They say it was Audrey's fault because she is a mouse, not a squirrel. Traditionally, the Starwife has always been a squirrel.
A New Starwife?
Then, two black squirrels, Morella and her father Modequai, arrive in Greenwich. Everyone is very surprised because this royal type of squirrel was thought to be extinct. The grey squirrels think Morella would be a perfect new Starwife instead of Audrey.
Eventually, there is a rebellion. Audrey is removed from her important role. Her special silver acorn pendant is given to Morella. Morella then takes the title of Starwife. However, the book strongly suggests that Morella is not as good as she seems. The almanack ends with this worrying situation, setting the stage for a future Deptford Mice book to explain what happens next.
