Daddy Daughter Bookworms Dive Into 'A Mouse Called Mika' by Matt Haig (Author), Chris Mould (Illustrator)

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

Snuggle up and prepare for a whimsical journey through a Christmas village in the heat of summer as Lucy and Alex chat about "A Mouse Called Mika." This little rodent has scampered right into our hearts, navigating adventures and friendships with the delightfully quirky citizens of this off-season holiday haven. We can't help but chuckle at the absurdity of erga-berga cheese and find ourselves rooting for a mouse with the courage of a lion. Our discussion meanders through the laughter and lands on the poignant message that radiates from Matt Haig's narrative: the importance of being true to oneself.

As the pages turn, we also turn the page to a new chapter in our own podcast story – an upcoming live event at the Metuchen New Jersey Library that promises to be as engaging as the tales we share. For those enchanted by the books we've featured, we'll soon reveal how you can bring your experiences to life with your fellow listeners in a community celebration of stories. So, from the comfort of your favorite reading nook or on your daily commute, let our Daddy Daughter Bookworms' musings on Mika's escapades and the value of authenticity accompany your day. Don't forget – five erga-berga cheeses out of five make for an exceptional read!

Click here to purchase the book:
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https://amzn.to/3vtaQac

Transcript

Speaker 1 0:01

You're listening to the Daddy Daughter Bookworms sponsored by CareFresh Training Group, where we talk about children's books. Hello, bookworms. My name is Lucy.

Speaker 2 0:18

And I'm Alex, and today we are starting our new season, season two, and we're in winter. So what are we doing?

Speaker 1 0:27

We are doing a winter book and we're walking in a winter wonderland.

Speaker 2 0:34

Absolutely. And what is the name of the book that we are doing this week? Lucy?

Speaker 1 0:40

This week we're reviewing a mouse called Mika.

Speaker 2 0:42

How is a mouse called Mika. Sounds versus pronounced versus. What did you guys come up with?

Speaker 1 0:49

It's probably supposed to be pronounced Mika, but mom and I just started saying Mika and we couldn't stop. Who wrote this book? The author is Matt Hagg, a British author. If any parents listening think that name is familiar. He writes books for grownups too, such as the Midnight Library. The illustrator is Chris Mold.

Speaker 2 1:14

And what type of genre is this book?

Speaker 1 1:17

It's a chapter book with lots of pictures. It's for kids from ages nine to twelve. It's a story about friendships, adventure, choosing between right and wrong, and there's some magic too.

Speaker 2 1:29

And you just got this under the wire, didn't you? Cause it was your birthday and you turned. How old Nine. You turned nine years old, but I know you read it probably before you were nine, right.

Speaker 1 1:42

Yep, I read it when I was eight.

Speaker 2 1:44

Okay, so how did you guys pick this book?

Speaker 1 1:48

Mom chose it as a book to read during the holidays together. She thought it was a Christmas book, but it really wasn't. It takes place in a Christmas village, but the time of the year is summer.

Speaker 2 2:02

Well, there is places in the world that do have summer as winter, like we have a friend of ours that lives in New Zealand and she's in shorts and t-shirts every year when Santa comes, because their winter is our summer and our summer is their winter. So that's kind of neat, don't you think? Yep? Okay, so what are some of the main characters in this book?

Speaker 1 2:28

Mika. Of course, he's a mouse who is friends with a human named Nicholas. That's Julie, santa Bridget the Brave, mika's best friend, the Truth Pixie. Mika lives with her, but it's in the reindeer, and are there any other characters? Yes, but there are more minor characters than main characters.

Speaker 2 2:51

Okay, so did you have any connection with any of the characters or did this remind you of anything else that you've read or saw? Trills.

Speaker 1 3:01

The bad guys in the story remind me of the Bergens from the Trills movies if they are not so smart and they get really angry when their food is stolen Really angry.

Speaker 2 3:14

Do you like when your food is stolen?

Speaker 1 3:16

No.

Speaker 2 3:18

Err Okay, I don't like when my food is stolen either, so I totally get-.

Speaker 1 3:24

Especially Girl Scout cookies, exactly so.

Speaker 2 3:28

Were there any funny parts in this book?

Speaker 1 3:31

When Mika and Bridget describe the erga berga cheese. It's really funny. It's so amazing. It keeps you happy for days.

Speaker 2 3:40

Erga berga cheese.

Speaker 1 3:42

Happy for days.

Speaker 2 3:45

Oh, I'd like to have some of that erga berga cheese. You think we can get that at Costco.

Speaker 1 3:50

I have no idea. Probably not, probably in the troll village or something like that. I have no idea what it's called.

Speaker 2 3:59

So why don't you tell me, were there any more exciting, other exciting parts?

Speaker 1 4:04

Despite a funny feeling in Mika's tummy, the two mice use Mika's magic to steal the erga berga cheese.

Speaker 2 4:12

Erga berga cheese.

Speaker 1 4:13

In the trolls, mika made the cheese fly, and then they hid it in a hollow tree.

Speaker 2 4:19

In a hollow tree. Oh geez, I didn't know, cheese could fly. Mika made it fly, did she? Mika had a very good relationship with Bridget the Brave right. Mm-hmm, now, was their friendship always that strong, or did they have problems before or after?

Speaker 1 4:38

Their friendship had problems, but they could be solved. Bridget encouraged Mika to do things he did not want to do, such as steal the erga-berga cheese.

Speaker 2 4:51

Erga-berga cheese.

Speaker 1 4:53

And not be friends with people and pixies. She often told him he wasn't brave enough and being mouth-like enough.

Speaker 2 5:04

Really, do you like Bridget the Brave? Sometimes, Do you like Mika? Yes, okay, that's awesome. Was Bridget the Brave, always brave?

Speaker 1 5:18

Absolutely not. She almost died, but Mika came and saved the day.

Speaker 2 5:26

So it was Mika the Brave.

Speaker 1 5:31

I don't know.

Speaker 2 5:33

Well, was Mika being really brave when she saved her? Yes, Okay. My next question is why do you think Bridget the Brave encouraged Mika to be less like her friends at the village?

Speaker 1 5:46

Because, well, I shouldn't tell you this, but I might have to to, really for you guys to understand what I'm saying. Mika ran away from home.

Speaker 2 5:59

Mika ran away from home.

Speaker 1 6:00

Yep. And then she found the truth, pixie, which she lives with her now.

Speaker 2 6:07

Okay, but at the end of the story does her friends from the village give her any good advice?

Speaker 1 6:15

Yes, the advice is it's better to be disliked for who you are than to be liked for who you are not. Being who you are not is exhausting.

Speaker 2 6:28

Well, you do wanna be your true self, isn't that true? You wanna be yourself. My question for you is did you like the book?

Speaker 1 6:37

Yes, I did.

Speaker 2 6:38

So how many burgers? Burger cheese blocks Five. Yes five, all right. Would you recommend this book to other kids?

Speaker 1 6:47

Yes, I would. I would recommend this book for a range of nine to 12 years old.

Speaker 2 6:52

Did you actually read the book, like the actual book itself?

Speaker 1 6:57

No.

Speaker 2 6:59

So how did you read it?

Speaker 1 7:01

I read it on my mom's Kindle.

Speaker 2 7:03

So it's just like reading it, so you just don't know how thick the book is.

Speaker 1 7:08

No.

Speaker 2 7:09

All right, did you like the experience of doing it on the Kindle versus an actual book?

Speaker 1 7:15

I liked the Kindle because we didn't need a separate light. We could read in the dark. It was convenient to buy it from home Rather go to a store or wait for it to be delivered. But I don't think I want to always use a Kindle. I like that a hard copy book does not use electricity and chargers. I like to turn real pages.

Speaker 2 7:43

You do like to turn real pages? Yes, Okay. And what do you do at night when you're reading your books? What do you have on your head?

Speaker 1 7:50

I have a what's it called.

Speaker 2 7:53

A headlamp.

Speaker 1 7:54

Oh yeah, a headlamp, because I don't have a nightlight right now, because I got a new bed.

Speaker 2 8:00

Okay, so what do you use your headlamp and then you and your mom read together Mm-hmm, all right, so we love the book. Yep, it's a winter book. What do you mean, eh?

Speaker 1 8:17

It's, it's. It's placed in a Christmas village, but the time is summer, dad, summer.

Speaker 2 8:26

Well, this is a winter season, so should we still do this episode? Yes okay, good, so why don't tell listeners how they can get this book if they want to buy it?

Speaker 1 8:39

They can go to our show notes, where we have a link, or they can go to their local children's bookstore. Also, you can help our podcast by giving it a five-star review.

Speaker 2 8:50

Oh right, and why don't you tell the listeners how they can get in touch with us if they choose to?

Speaker 1 8:57

To submit your theories and feedback. You can email us at daddydaughterbookwormscom.

Speaker 2 9:03

You can also Check us out on Twitter at DD bookworms or on Instagram at daddydaughterbookworms.

Speaker 1 9:13

And don't forget to subscribe to our YouTube channel search daddydaughterbookworms.

Speaker 2 9:18

So, now that we got through Christmas and we got through your birthday, how you feeling?

Speaker 1 9:26

um a little bit sad. Yeah because there's no more presents to open.

Speaker 2 9:31

Well, that's true, but you know, there's always a book to read, right?

Speaker 1 9:36

Yeah, I got three new books.

Speaker 2 9:38

I know, and, and from your friend, what is what is coming up that you're gonna be doing in the next Starting Thursday?

Speaker 1 9:46

Oh yeah, cookie season.

Speaker 2 9:48

Yep, we have a girl ourselves, a Girl Scout. So, starting, starting this week, we are gonna be selling all.

Speaker 1 9:57

Cookies all sorts of Girl Scout cookies and there's gonna be a Girl Scout video.

Upcoming in-Person Podcast at Mattuchin Library

Speaker 2 10:03

There's gonna be a Girl Scout video as well, so you have to look forward to that. Well, folks, I think we had another Awesome book and I can't wait to hear what you folks think. So if you do like the book, we'd love to see you with a picture of you in the book and Get outside and enjoy the winter wonderland, even though it's in summer right, yeah.

Speaker 2 10:30

So, folks, we're gonna be doing an in-person Podcast at the Mattuchin New Jersey Library and we're gonna be working with them. It's gonna be in the first week in April, so there'll be more information about that coming down the road. But, that being said, hopefully you guys enjoyed the podcast and thanks for listening.

Speaker 1 10:52

My name is Alex and I'm Lucy, and see you soon, bookworms.