Bibliography:
Holm, Jennifer L. (2009). Babymouse the Musical. Ill. Matthew Holm. New York, NY: Random House. ISBN 9780375843884.
Plot Summary:
Babymouse is going to try out for the elementary school musical in this graphic novel. She gets the part of understudy for the lead role. The lead gets a hairball, so Babymouse must go on stage with Henry Higgins, her crush. Babymouse certainly ends up "bringing down the house" during her performance ("Crash!") and literally breaks a leg! What happens with Babymouse and Henry?
Critical Analysis:
The graphic novel is an interesting genre. Babymouse the Musical was my first experience with this form of text. I found it hard to follow the plot through the book. There were many side stories and references to outside texts/movies/shows. The illustrations by Matthew Holm were fantastic, some with more detail than others.
Students would be able to relate to this book easily, but the plot was overall not very believable. The lead role getting a hairball so Babymouse could be the lead was anticipated and not very realistic. Babymouse the Musical included a hint of romance between Henry Higgins and Babymouse. In the end, Henry just wanted to be around the "brilliant" star - not Babymouse herself. Babymouse says it is "typical" in the end. I don't feel that this sends a positive message to students about relationships.
Side stories and references were heavy in the book - from "Phantom of the Opera" to "American Idol" to "The Lion King", Babymouse the Musical takes side trips every few pages to an outside reference. Could students at the elementary level (where Babymouse takes place) relate to this? Will they get the references? Another part of graphic novels I question is if they are good for budding literacy or do they confuse students? Overall, Babymouse the Musical was a cute, quick read. The series is consistent and encourages the reader to believe in this fantasy world. With the pink-black-white illustrations and female lead, the series seems geared towards girls (however, boys may enjoy it as well!).
Awards:
Awards are for the Babymouse series, not Babymouse the Musical specifically.
-Winner 2006 Gryphon Award
-Winner 2006 ALA Notable Children's Book
-Winner 2006 New York Book Show Award
"Overall, Babymouse the Musical is an excellent book that early chapter readers will gobble up like chocolate.....Babymouse never fails to entertain and watching her in all those musicals is highly entertaining, although children might not know many of those musicals...yet." -ReadingReview.com (http://www.readingreview.com/earlychapter/babymouse-themusical.html)
"Another winning installment for the series' fans." -Booklist
"Nobody puts Babymouse in the corner." -Horn Book
Connections:
*Have students create their own adventure using Babymouse as their muse - Choose an animal as their main character and write a story about them.
*Talk to students about the musicals referenced in the text.
*Read others in the Babymouse series: Babymouse for President, Babymouse Dragonslayer, Babymouse Monster Mash.
*Discuss the animal type of characters in the book (porcupine, cat, mouse, etc.)
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