Song of the Winns: The Spies of Gerander

Frances Watts is an Australian children's book author. She is the winner of the Children's Book Council of Australia's Eve Pownall Award for her book Parsley Rabbit's Book About Books. She lives in Sydney, Australia. David Francis began his career as an exhibiting artist, and his works are held in many collections. He illustrated the Australian CBC honour Book Ten Little Known Facts About Hippopotamuses and collaborated with author Margaret Wild to create the much-loved Morris the Reinbear. He lives in Sydney, Australia.

Midwest Book Review "The Spies of Gerander has all the powerful attraction of other hero mice stories like The Secret of NIH and will lock down its middle school readers in a page turning marathon. There is something of the flavor of Watership Down in this epic fantasy full of mini-mice heroes and heroines, and even something extra in the piquant humor...A firmly established audience will be excited to devour this latest installment in a mini-mice epic fantasy." Praise for The Song of the Winns, Book 1: The Secret of the Ginger Mice: Kirkus Reviews "These latest mouse heroes promise more ripping, gripping mystery and adventure." Publishers Weekly "...a winning adventure..." School Library Journal "Narrow escapes and plot twists abound, with almost every chapter ending in a nail-biting cliff-hanger. The suspenseful tone and accessible, polished writing will doubtless keep readers turning the pages. The conclusion is thoroughly satisfying, yet it is clear that many more obstacles face these mice before their story truly comes to an end. Fans of Brian Jacques's "Redwall" series (Philomel) as well as action and adventure aficionados will devour this book and eagerly await the next installment in the series." Booklist "Nicely sets the stage for book two Kirkus Reviews "A breathless plot ... carr[ies] the resilient, endearing mice to a surprise ending... An animated sequel that does not disappoint." Charlotte's Library blog "These books are very upper elementary friendly--the adventures are exciting, the plot twists and mysteries interesting, and the young mice are sympathetic characters. It's told lightly and briskly; serious matters are dealt with straightforwardly, but the truly dark happenings of this world, that the young mice are themselves only gradually become aware of, are off-page. Here's what I appreciated--the mice kids were kids, and behaved as such. They are smart and brave enough to make fine protagonists, but they were not preternaturally gifted! Here's what I also appreciated--there were good, kind people who happened to be in the enemy army. Yay for avoiding black and white dichotomies in fantasy for kids!" That's Another Story blog "This was an exciting adventure, with lots of plot twists and turns. I loved the distinctive personalities of the mice, and especially Alice's ingenious ways to get them out of sticky situations." Mixed Up Files of Middle Grade Authors blog "Full of warm, clean humor and whippet-quick wit, Frances Watts' new trilogy will effortlessly charm readers and adventurers alike."