Three Terrible Trins

Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

Within the walls and under the floorboards of Orchard Farmhouse live three mischievous mouse brothers (a.k.a. the trins) who create constant commotion. "With his customary panache, King-Smith grabs the reader's attention from his opening sentence. And, sustaining his understated wit and rollicking pace throughout this breezy novel, the author never loosens his grip."--Publisher's Weekly. Illustrations.

Table of contents provided by Syndetics

• 1 Three Boys (p. 1)
• 2 Four Floors (p. 5)
• 3 Six Cats (p. 11)
• 4 Enter Kevin (p. 18)
• 5 Down with the down (p. 25)
• 6 Cat Baiting (p. 32)
• 7 Exit Wallace (p. 40)
• 8 Mrs. Pry Pries (p. 51)
• 9 Operation Go-Cat (p. 61)
• 10 Noseball (p. 70)
• 11 "Poor Little Pretty!" (p. 81)
• 12 The Final (p. 89)
• 13 All's Well... (p. 96)

Reviews provided by Syndetics

Publishers Weekly Review

"At six o'clock on the morning of her birthday, Mrs. Gray's husband was killed and eaten." With his customary panache, King-Smith (Babe: The Gallant Pig; Harry's Mad) grabs the reader's attention from his opening sentence. And, sustaining his understated wit and rollicking pace throughout this breezy novel, the author never loosens his grip. Because this is the third husband she has lost ("I really know how to pick 'em"), Mrs. Gray-a mouse who, living in the attic, belongs to the highest of Orchard Farm's four social strata-vows she will never marry again. Instead, she pledges to devote her time to the education and upbringing of Thomas, Richard and Henry, her three "trins" (``another word for triplets''). Under her firm but loving tutelage, the gutsy brothers distinguish themselves among the house's mouse population and manage (in several funny scenes) to get rid of the farm's feline occupants. And when the trins inadvertently find their mother a new husband-a Cellarmouse who is worthy despite his lowly birth-the author subtly lets an vital message shine through the merriment. Illustrations not seen by PW. Ages 7-12. (Oct.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved

School Library Journal Review

Gr 3-5-Widowed for the third time, Mrs. Gray, an Attic mouse, devotes herself to training her ``trins'' (short for triplets), preparing them to banish the two cats from the old house at Orchard Farm. Her three sons become a remarkable fighting team known throughout the four mice communities (Attics, Ups, Downs, and Cellars). With the help of a Cellar, they banish the felines, but the foul-tempered Farmer Budge, who hates mice more than he does cats, proves harder to manage. In spite of kindly Mrs. Budge's attempts to protect them, the rodents face enormous dangers until they are able to bring about a truce. King-Smith excels in creating vivid characters and a fast-paced plot. The lively mice, though anthropomorphized, keep their rodent identities, which makes their courage and physical prowess all the more breathtaking. Farmer Budge (vaguely reminiscent of Roald Dahl's Twits [Knopf, 1981]) succeeds admirably as the nasty protagonist. All in all, a delightful romp, illustrated with humorous black-and-white drawings, that will appeal to readers who enjoy fantastic animal stories.- Maggie McEwen, Coffin Elementary School, Brunswick, ME (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Booklist Review

/*STARRED REVIEW*/ Gr. 3-5. Some authors work toward a surprise ending, but King-Smith achieves a surprise beginning that draws readers into the book immediately: "At six o'clock on the morning of her birthday, Mrs. Gray's husband was killed and eaten. It was her first birthday, and he was her third husband." It all makes sense when readers are informed that Mr. Gray is (was) a nearsighted mouse who, alas, couldn't see the cat coming. The widowed Mrs. Gray dedicates herself to raising her newborn trins (mouse talk for triplets) to avenge their father's death. As soon as they are old enough, fit enough, and brave enough, the trins begin a campaign of terror aimed at the two house cats. After driving the cats out of the house, they organize the other mice from all strata of house-mouse society (Attics, Ups, Downs, and Cellarmice) into ball games played first (bizarrely) with a glass eye misplaced by the nasty master of the house and later with a glass bead given them by his kindly wife. The characters, both human and animals, are somewhat idiosyncratic but wholly convincing. Fast paced and deftly written, this animal fantasy would be easy to book talk and fun to read aloud, but expect to hear cries of "Don't stop there!" (Reviewed November 15, 1994)0517598280Carolyn Phelan

Horn Book Review

In the annals of the immemorial mouse vs. cat wars, the exploits of the terrible trins -- like twins, only three -- Thomas, Richard, and Henry Gray, will rank right up there with those of the famous Miss Bianca. The story of a hierarchical community of mice living in a farmhouse provides a wildly comic view of the world in microcosm. From HORN BOOK 1994, (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Kirkus Book Review

King-Smith (Sophie in the Saddle, p. 145, etc.) parodies human behavior in another of his animal fantasies. In the house of irascible Farmer Budge, mouse society is literally stratified. The thrice-widowed Mrs. Gray is an exception: She has not only been married to another aristocratic Attic but also to one of the comfortable Ups and, most recently, to a plebeian Down. When portly Mr. Gray is eaten and she's left with three tiny sons, she vows to train them as ``guerrilla fighters in the cause of mousedom.'' And with her urging, plus the help of a hearty Cellarmouse, who also wins the pretty widow and moves into the west wing of her elegant chair in the attic, the ``trins'' eventually oust a half-dozen cats from their domain. King-Smith's wit is unabated; his sharp characterizations, including that of old Mrs. Budge, who slips treats to the mice her husband abhors, and such details as the ``M1'' that's the principle mouse thoroughfare between floors, are a delight. The class divisions that are the story's basis are peculiarly British, but they aren't liable to confuse anyone. A lively comic adventure. (Illustrations not seen) (Fiction. 8-12)