Battle in a Bottle ANNOTATION
Molly and Jake begin to settle into their new home in Public School Forty-Two, behind the nail hole in Miss Clark's room.
FROM THE PUBLISHER
It's late at night and Big Gray, the monster cat, is on the prowl. Brother and sister mice, Molly and Jake, are safe inside the walls of P.S. 42, building their nests. Jake should have listened to Molly's advice and stayed inside. But he wants nothing to do with school, class pets, or even kids. While Molly is learning the secret art of X-ray vision from Gino, Jake is getting into trouble on the playground in another tangle with Big Gray. The only place he can find to hide is inside a ketchup bottle...and that's when the battle begins!
FROM THE CRITICS
Publishers Weekly
Big Gray, the monster cat introduced in The Ghost of P.S. 42-which PW called "an agreeable romp"-is back to harass the sibling mice Molly and Jake in Class Pets: Battle in a Bottle by Frank Asch, illus. by John Kanzler. Eschewing the safety of the classroom, Jake pines for adventure and heads out to the playground. There Big Gray stalks him until he takes refuge in a ketchup bottle. Can he escape? Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.
Children's Literature - Cara Mulcahy
This eventful story from the "Class Pets" series introduces us to Molly and Jake, the newest residents of P. S. 42. Their second night at the school starts out quietly, but quickly turns into quite the adventure for the two little mice. Molly, who is very excited with her new residence, is eager to set up a nest as soon as possible. Her brother, Jake, who has a negative attitude, is not so happy with the idea of living in the walls of a school as he is not fond of children. As they set about the task of making their nest they are aided by a host of colorful characters. Without the help of Peach, the generous class rabbit, Prince and Princess, the amusing lovebirds, and Gino, the ghost hamster, the task would be overwhelming. As the evening progresses, events become more exciting. At the end of Chapter 5 Molly and Jake split up, and each enjoys a separate adventure. Molly learns how to use X-ray vision while Jake has a close call with Big Gray, the ferocious cat. This action-packed story conveys the message that initial judgments are often incorrect and misleading. It also shows the importance of working as a team and how by helping one another a difficult job can be much more easily accomplished. The pencil-drawn illustrations are delicate, and elegantly depict the characters and the adventures that Molly and Jake encounter. Because of their color and shading the illustrations add to the nighttime atmosphere of the story. 2003, Simon & Schuster,
School Library Journal
Gr 3-4-Many of the characters from The Ghost of P.S. 42 (S & S, 2002) have returned-mice siblings Molly and Jake; Gino, the hamster ghost; Peaches, the rabbit; Big Gray, the cat; and Prince and Princess, the lovebird couple. Enthusiastic Molly and reluctant Jake are building their nests behind the nail hole in Miss Clark's third-grade classroom. Molly gets the help of her friends to obtain the needed materials, while Jake has an encounter with Big Gray and ends up in a ketchup bottle. This is a witty, action-packed story, told from the alternating perspectives of Molly and Jake and filled with distinct personalities. Even the bad-guy Big Gray has a sympathetic side. The full-page pencil sketches delightfully capture the mood of the story.-Marilyn Ackerman, Brooklyn Public Library, NY Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.
Kirkus Reviews
Mice siblings Jake and Molly are looking for a home, and Miss Clark's classroom is as inviting as anywhere else. But Jake is not so sure he wants to be confined to a cage. Set in the friendly and familiar confines of a classroom, Asch's tale turns confusing when he introduces more characters than the average new reader can keep up with: Gino, the ghost hamster with X-ray vision; Gerald, the hermit crab; Peaches, the current pet mouse; Prince and Princess, the lovebirds; and Big Gray, the cat who terrorizes all of them. With rather esoteric references for an early chapter book (ectoplasm, cauldron of emotional soup, murderous snare, slaves to the vast breeding machine), this becomes more difficult to follow as it slowly moves toward the inevitable battle of its title. While it's one thing to imagine class pets having after-hours adventures, it's a little harder to imagine them cavorting with a ghost from Hamster Heaven, employing the use of X-ray vision, and being rescued from a ketchup bottle prison by a homeless boy who just happens to be in Miss Clark's room. Disappointing. (Fiction. 7-11)
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