Graphic Novel Review – Mouse Guard: Winter of 1152 by David Petersen (5/5 stars)

Reading level: Middle Grade
Genre: Fantasy/Graphic Novel
Size: 192 pages
Publisher: Archaia Entertainment
Release Date: August 3, 2009
ISBN: 978-1932386745
Stand Alone or Series: 2nd in the Mouse Guard series
Source: Bought
Rating: 5/5 stars

I read Mouse Guard: Fall of 1152 with my 5 year old son and we both loved it. For his birthday he begged for Mouse Guard: Winter of 1152 and we immediately had to sit down and start reading it. This was another wonderful Mouse Guard book. These books are such wonderful classic fantasy adventures; a cross between Lord of the Rings and the Secret of Nhym.

The winter has proved a hard one for the Mouse Guard. A party of Mouse Guards are sent out to gather much needed medicine. On the way they stumble into a lot of trouble. The party is separated and two of the mice must battle for their lives against an evil owl. The other half of the party ends up in Darkheather, an old weasle kingdom, and struggles through the tunnels trying to find their way out. Meanwhile back home there is a traitor that threatens all of the mice.

This was another wonderful book. The artwork thoughout the book is absolutely beautiful, detailed, and stunning. It just sucks you right into the story. The coloring is subdued and has a very classic fantasy flavor to it. Just love the artwork in here; it adds so much to the story and is easy to follow.

The story was also very well done. All of our favorite mice are back in the story including The Black Ax. I felt like the story in this book was tighter then in the first book. Each chapter follows three storylines: what’s happening back home, what’s happening in Darkheather, and what’s happening with the great owl fight. It was easy to keep track of what was going on and to follow who was who.

I really love that me and my 5 year old son can enjoy this story together. There aren’t a ton of graphic novels out there that are this well done and appeal to such a broad age group.

Overall just a superb addition to the Mouse Guard series. Beautiful illustrations and a well done plot that is complex, but not hard to follow. This book has appeal for a wide range of ages and is highly recommended to fantasy fans.

This book goes towards the following reading challenges:
– Graphic Novel Challenge
– 150+ Books Reading Challenge
– TBR Pile Reading Challenge