MUMMIES AT THE MUSEUM

Rodent high jinks reign supreme as two BFFs make museum mischief in this giggleworthy graphic novel.

Adorable rodents Hammy and Gerbee are best buds who spend their days fist bumping, cracking jokes, and pulling pranks. They are thrilled to learn that they are both in the same class with the new teacher, Miss Capybara, but then they discover that Hanna and Anna—twin mice known as Double Trouble—will also be in their class. When the class must vote whether to visit the art or the science museum, Hammy and Gerbee use reverse psychology to induce the twins to choose in their favor. Once at the science museum, the pair can’t help but pull a prank on the twins but are quite surprised when their plans go uproariously awry and they unwittingly foil a robbery! Cuddly characters portrayed using a pleasing two-color scheme and oversized, free-form panels will certainly catch the eyes of fans of Jennifer L. and Matthew Holm’s Babymouse or Jarrett J. Krosoczka’s Lunch Lady series. Yee’s text is widely accessible but far from simplistic; puns and wordplay abound. When the adventure concludes, “fun facts” about Egypt are presented; although the idea seems well-intentioned, the facts are terse and rudimentary, only relating to the concluding narrative thread. This quibble aside, this is an otherwise guffaw-generating romp that should not gather any dust on the shelf.

A sparkling series opener certain to captivate a broad audience.