A Mouse Called Miika (Matt Haig)

 

In the Christmas series, this one is my second favorite! This book is listed as 1.5 in the series. You really can't read it without reading A Boy Called Christmas....but this one is not to be missed. I read it aloud to my class. Whenever someone was away, there was no getting away with just moving on. They always had to have a discussion about what they missed. It was a great way to review and summarize. 

Great words of wisdom:

The Truth Pixie: Happiness has nothing to do with good things or bad things. (p. 129)

Miika: All you need to be brave is love. His older sister had been wrong all that time ago. You couldn't live life just looking after yourself. You had to live with yourself too. And he wanted to live not as who he had become. But as who he could be. 

Miika: I'm sorry about all this. I didn't mean to steal the cheese.' He saw the Truth Pixie's doubting eyes. "Well, I did actually. I did mean to steal it. And it was really tasty cheese. And there was enough to live on forever. But I realized that some things are more important than cheese...even excellent cheese." (p. 166)

Miika: 'A me kind of mouse," Miika said. "That is the kind of mouse I am. And I don't need you to like me any more, Bridget the Brave. You can think whatever you want. And to be honest, I didn't like the feeling of being a thief. Even a cheese thief. Yes, Urga-burga is delicious. But no cheese tastes as good as being kind feels. And that's what I want to be. I want to be a kind creature. And sometimes the very bravest thing is to be who you want to be." (p. 173)

"Well, yes," said Nikolas, who was sitting cross-legged on the floor, with his red hat in his hands and his head touching the ceiling. "That's true. You were a cheese thief. But you did the right thing in the end. And it's how things end that matters." Nikolas had tears in his eyes. "And there's nothing more important in the whole world than a good friend." (p. 176)

Truth Pixie: "....the truth is, not everyone will like us. Not everyone we meet will always want the best for us. And not everyone will know our truth. If people want to hate us, it's easier to let them. You see, it is better to be disliked for bei9ng who you are than to be liked for who you are not. Being who you are not is exhausting." (pp. 183-184)

"Be you," the Truth Pixie continued. "Be the full you. Don't try to make yourself small to match someone else. And, sure, fitting in is fine. But it's not as great as standing out. Standing out is..." she searched for the word, "...outstanding!" (p. 184)

Goodreads says:

From the world of A Boy Called Christmas, now a major motion picture, comes the epic adventure of a tiny hero

This is a tale of mice and magic.

It is also a tale of great love (of cheese) and great danger. And of learning the lesson that what matters most--when it comes to cheese and life--is not how strongly you smell but how strong you are on the inside.