We here at the Family Valued paperless office, open-air garden shed, and maladapted pressroom have randomly selected a ten-year-old from among the one immediately available.

So, what do you think of when I say anthropomorphic espionage?
I think of some word that I don’t really know what it means and spies.

What have you been reading lately?
Two books about a spy cat (The Stink Files by Holm & Hamel); and I’m reading a third one which is out. And I’ve read one book about a spy mouse (Spy Mice by Heather Vogel Frederick).

What’s with the animal agents?
Probably because people like spies. It’s America and there are a lot of spies. They were in the First World War and World War II.

When do these books take place? What happens?
Modern times. The plot for Spy Mice: there’s these two children and they get bullied by mean people and they find out about this spy mice agent, Glory Goldenleaf. The big villain is a rat. He has his own spy organization. He has Glory’s father prisoner and they try to rescue him.
The Stink Files books are about Mr. Stink, a.k.a. James Edward Bristlefur. The first book is about him adjusting to city life because he’s from London and he’s used to being out in all that open space.

You know London is a city, a very large city?
It’s not as cramped, you know. The second Stink Files is about a cat show and chasing down a villain in the cat show. The third one that I’m reading is about James Edward Bristlefur winning a contest and him being treated like a king. Cats think of him as the king of Catlandia.

What’s your favorite part of the books?
“Do you expect me to beg for life?” “No, Mr. Stink, I expect you to die.”
I would definitely recommend them.

May, 2006