About This Book
Reach for this book when your child feels like an outsider because of their intelligence, interests, or sensitive nature. It is a perfect choice for a young reader who is beginning to notice that the world is not always fair and wants to know how a single small person can effect change. The story follows Clementine, a genetically enhanced genius mouse who escapes a laboratory and discovers the beauty of the outside world through the eyes of a kind grandfather and his grandson. While the premise involves science and adventure, the heart of the book is about the weight of empathy. Clementine must grapple with her own safety versus the loyalty she feels toward the friends she left behind in the lab. It explores themes of justice and agency in a way that is accessible for ages 8 to 12. Parents will appreciate how it models intellectual curiosity and the courage to define one's own morality, even when adults or authority figures suggest otherwise.
