The Mousehunter by Alex Milway

Pirates, sea monsters, submarines and winged mice – all the ingredients are here for a rip-roaring, swashbuckling adventure – and Alex Milway's debut novel certainly delivers. In his imagined fantasy world, mice in all their weird and wonderful incarnations are highly collectible commodities that grown men will go to extreme lengths to acquire. Young Emiline is a professional mousekeeper in the employ of a wealthy collector, Isiah Lovelock. But seeking more intrepid exploits, she joins the crew of a ship in pursuit of the notorious and fearsome pirate, Mousebeard - so called because of the mice who live inside his unkempt facial hair. Leaping head first into a dangerous world of pirate politics and maritime menaces, Emiline soon finds she has bitten off more than she can chew, and has to keep her wits about her to survive.

The story is interspersed with amusingly illustrated entries from the 'Mousekeeper's Almanac', which provides collectors with intricate details and care instructions for every kind of mouse known to man - from the semi-mythical Methuselah Mouse to the highly coveted Golden Mouse. The colourful cast of human characters are equally well painted during a series of nail-biting capers, which include some surprising twists and revelations. As with all the best adventure stories, things are not always as black and white as they first appear, and Milway does a good job of keeping you guessing up until the very last pages.