Author: Beverly Cleary
Lexile measure: 860
Language: No swear words, some use of name calling ("dumb", "stupid")
Violence: The fact that humans use various measures against mice is central to the plot. Poisoning, traps, etc. are mentioned as threats. The main character is nearly vacuumed.
Big Kid Mature Topics: A child gets moderately ill but nowhere near dying. Ralph's father is already dead from poisoning. There is some commentary about growing up and how it feels to not be grown up yet and wish you were, including how parents may not understand.
Illustrations: black and white line drawings, every few pages
Plot: moderately complex
My 4 year old daughter liked this book enough to ask for the rest of the series, but I wasn't pleased with some of the language nor with the attitude toward parents. The second book in the series also talks about divorce as a side theme.
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